The Wallabies Thread
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Alex Sharpe
Ward Prentice (10)
Seeing Will Skelton Dropped from the squad is something I find incredibly frustrating. Not because I don't think he doesn't deserve it - He is not a test level player and Coleman, Douglas, Simmons, Arnold and Sam Carter are all better options
The frustration lies in the fact that a player who has so much potential has been so poorly managed by coaches and support staff. Two years ago the consensus around Skelton was that he was a great long term prospect but just in need of fine tuning his physical condition. Two years later we have seen zero improvement in his somatotype or aerobic output. Watching him play I feel he would be so much better if his frame was just a little bit more mobile.
What have the Waratahs S&C coaches been doing? it is clear as daylight that the training he has been doing just hasnt had the desired affect, and a change is neded before a great talant for AUS goes to waste
The frustration lies in the fact that a player who has so much potential has been so poorly managed by coaches and support staff. Two years ago the consensus around Skelton was that he was a great long term prospect but just in need of fine tuning his physical condition. Two years later we have seen zero improvement in his somatotype or aerobic output. Watching him play I feel he would be so much better if his frame was just a little bit more mobile.
What have the Waratahs S&C coaches been doing? it is clear as daylight that the training he has been doing just hasnt had the desired affect, and a change is neded before a great talant for AUS goes to waste
He missed the entire off season after having surgery to repair a ruptured bicep and has been playing catch up ever since.
It's no secret that his best and most consistent season of rugby came after he had a complete offseason and was fitter and leaner than he'd ever been before.
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
At the end of the day, Skelton just does not seem to be able to compete in the air with quality locks. All things being equal, I just cannot imagine us winning anything much unless, and until, we have locks who can win our own ball and put a lot of pressure on the opposition's.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the great rugby mind that is Spiro Zavos..........
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/a...-bring-back-rod-macqueen-20160922-grmm5f.html
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/a...-bring-back-rod-macqueen-20160922-grmm5f.html
Highlander35
Steve Williams (59)
dru
David Wilson (68)
Alex is right. Waratahs should persist. Skel needs to lose weight and work on general aerobic fitness. He could spend time with volleyball coaches learning how to jump and strengthening the right things. Or basketball.
I cant see his lateral movement ever being impressive, but get him moving around the field, get him thumping it up, get him jumping.
Needs work. The right work.
Groucho
Greg Davis (50)
It really pisses me off. It's the Boris Johnson school of narcissistic journalism, now generally adopted by the SMH rugby pages, where the journalist fluffs themselves up by lambasting some random thing in the most lurid way, positioning it the reason why everything is rooned, and then presenting their invented solution as though it was obvious to anyone. I think I preferred the days when Pies Growden just told lies.
I like reading Spiro: he always has something provocative to say. My reading of the article is that Spiro is just wanting Rod Macqueen involved in some capacity, not taking over from Cheika.
But I came across an interesting comment by Aussie Convict (who doesn't want to go back to Macqueen).
Aussie ConvictSep 23 2016 at 12:54pm
"Going back is not the way to go forward. ... Trouble with Aussie rugby is the serious shortage of good coaches. That's one of the current strengths of NZ rugby. The provincial & Super Rugby coaches are very good. That's why their super franchises are very good. They have so many good coaches there's not enough positions in NZ they have to go overseas. The other thing is a lot of ex-ABs and former players go into coaching. They become very good coaches giving something back to the game. In Australia I have yet to see a former Wallaby coach the Wallabies. They're just full of big mouths like Kearns, Kafer etc, but don't give something back to the game and help the Wallabies' curse."
Just imagine if more former players like John Eales, Nick Farr-Jones, George Gregan, Simon Poidevin, Tim Horan etc contributed to the coaching DNA of Australia?
I know we've had a quite a few ex-players kick on (Ewen McKenzie, Stephen Larkham, Michael Foley), and there seem to be some good coaches coming through in the NRC (eg Simon Cron). But Aussie Rugby needs all the help we can get. If we could pool the collective brains trust of some of the Wallaby legends of the past to help our coaching stocks, that'd be so helpful.
ps I certainly don't begrudge the above mentioned legends their chosen path post-rugby. Coaching can be stressful, and it doesn't suit everyone's temperament.
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
I get tired of Spiro quite frankly. His article a couple of weeks ago sticking the boot into Cheika was the final straw for me. I won't ever read any of his drivel again. He's as bad as that twit Greg Growden.
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
Well he's patently wrong about that. Has he heard of this bloke named Ewan McKenzie? He played a bit for Australia I seem to recall. The broader point about non-Wallabies coaching the national team is true but not necessarily valid: our three most successful coaches ever never played for the Wallabies and in a couple of cases never even played rep footy in any kind of notable way. BTW, how many pro-era All Black coaches were All Blacks themselves? John Mitchell, yep, Wayne Smith, yep and....? Good player != good coach.
He's an addle-brained sideshow these days, old Spiro. The rhetoric that ex-Wallabies should be something greater is rubbish. A good player does not a good coach make, neither does it guarantee common-sense on the mic. They're just guys who were good at footy. Good coaches may wear many coats. Spiro has parked his relevance somewhere and forgotten which floor.
Groucho
Greg Davis (50)
Or David Brockhoff, or Des Connor.
Generally speaking, international players don;t make the best coaches. For each one that succeeds ten come through other paths. The closest Steve Hansen got to the All Blacks when playing was organising the pies. Like Graham Henry, although it was the turps in his case.
The_Brown_Hornet
John Eales (66)
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
Brock was a huge supporter of the game. I remember watching him as a kid playing thirds (I think it was) for Easts. He must have been in his late thirties.
Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
Skelton is big, very big and quite skillful in areas of the game.
One thing and one thing only inhibits this bloke unleashing his talent: his brain.
Mindset, mental toughness, motivation, the will to succeed, required dedication and sacrifice are some things needed.
Micheal
Alan Cameron (40)
Spiro's writing is everything you'd expect it to be after looking at a photo of the bloke.
What an absolute flop.
Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
Journos are great, incisive and intelligent when they write shit you agree with. If you don't agree then they are just shit
Micheal
Alan Cameron (40)
Journos are great, incisive and intelligent when they write shit you agree with. If you don't agree then they are just shit
Judging the quality of his writing as opposed to the content, I think even that is horrendous. No time for him.
What I think is often overlooked is that mental toughness and motivation is as much of a muscle as any physical part of your body.
From my own experience, in 2013 I had a 6 month phase where I threw myself into the gym and training. By the end of that period, I learned to love being entirely physically depleted. I'd run until I vomited regularly and after a legs day I'd scarcely be able to walk out of the gym. It became enjoyable to me and the results were obvious.
Last year I signed up for my local footy team after a year and a bit of nothing at all within the physical realm. The difference couldn't have been any clearer. I was slow, unfit and the strangest thing to me was that I literally couldn't push myself like I used to. I wanted to but I had seemingly forgotten how to.
In the Waratah's 2014 final's run Cheika used to say that the boys "had to get used to being uncomfortable; get used to being in that spot". He made them do huge amounts of cardio in the sun without water breaks.
He also used to praise Willy Skelton for what you are now criticising him for; his mental determination. Apparently when they had to compete in pairs as part of cardio / agility drills, Will would always want to go with the fastest / fittest blokes so he could test himself and have them push him.
Coincedentally, that was his best season.
He's just come off a year of not playing footy, having torn his pectoral (a very serious injury). When you've got his genetics, a year of doing not much would really fuck you over both physically and mentally. The guys resting weight is 140kg!!
Give him time. Hopefully he can fight back.