VRU 2013

[swingpass]

"Uni always have hype because they sign big names who can't necessarily back it up. For example, they signed former Wallaby Dave Fitter well after he'd blown up and they signed an ex-Wallaby as a coach who had little to no coaching experience. It'd be nice to see a new team in the mix though so good luck to them."

dave fitter was studying biomedicine at MU at the time, back in melbourne currently, studying medicine at notre dame in sydney but on rotation. think he is helpng uni with scrum.

the other wallaby was john ross, brumbies player, never capped for australia but a tourist twice. was studying human movement/ biophmechanics or something like that. played a season, then went to melbourne or quinns to play / coach there. obviously had a better offer. currently coaching in canberra (?vikings)

matt cockbain stayed in melbourne after the ARC and helped out with uni till the rebels started up. i think the only game he played was against the VRU president XV in a centenary celebration game 2009

 

[en_force_er]

I definitely saw Matt come off the bench for Uni 1sts is a regular season game in 2009. I know because people were having a good old heckle.

As for Dave and Ross, I'm not saying Uni threw money at them but I am saying they signed them and they didn't live up to hype.

 

[pablo]

Only thing stopping me from locking in a Melb/Quins top two is Quins' inability to play out a consistent season. In 2011 they started well and finished poorly, in 2012 it was the opposite. The ones look the goods in pre-season but they need to do it for 15-odd rounds.

Agree with this, although not that they finished well in 2012...they did finish 3rd but in their last 5 season games they were smashed by Melbourne and Moorabbin and then scraped hom over Footscray and House, only to be smashed the week after by House in the first semi.

As a passionate House supporter I well and truely know the need for a consistant season, we scraped into 6th last year and just made the semis.

 

[pablo]

Who's Ross if you don't mind me asking? A Souths legend?

Coached House to GF wins in 06-7, set up 08 and then went (back) to Souths as a coach. He coached them to their 2010 finals slot and has come back on full time after their experiment with the Scottish ringer.

 

[pablo]

Nah, not him. It was 1 or 2 coaches after him.

This is all 2nd hand information but I was told he was a more random Wallaby with a couple of tests in the 80s. Uni were quite good when Matt Cobain was a coach/bench player.


Do you think in Vic Rugby it's more about coaches or cattle?

That coach is still there according to their website....

Vic rugby is a combo of both, decent coaches get decent players, put them together and you get decent results.....test of a good coach is working with a squad that isn't jam packed with stars and making them produce!

 

[pablo]

the other wallaby was john ross, brumbies player, never capped for australia but a tourist twice. was studying human movement/ biophmechanics or something like that. played a season, then went to melbourne or quinns to play / coach there. obviously had a better offer. currently coaching in canberra (?vikings)

matt cockbain stayed in melbourne after the ARC and helped out with uni till the rebels started up. i think the only game he played was against the VRU president XV in a centenary celebration game 2009

Not John Ross, he is a Royals legend from Canberra, hope he isn't coaching at Vikings! Think the "other wallaby" is Peter Grigg.....surely a Uni supporter would know that...???

Matt played a few games, I watched him play fior Uni against House one day at Northcote..

 

[pablo]

That's a bloody messy finals system. Why not:

Week 1- 1st place BYE, 2nd V 5th, 3rd V 4th.
Week 2- 1st V Lowest seeded winner, Highest seeded winner V Highest seeded loser.
Week 3- Winers of Week 2 play off.

In Canberra it used to be (might still be)
Week 1: 1v2 (winner goes straight to GF) and 3v4 (loser eliminated)
Week 2: Loser of (week 1) 1v2 versus winner of (week 1) 3v4
Week 3: Grand Final Winner of (week 1) 1v2 v winner of week 2's game

Sorry looks confusing but if i had time to spell it out more simply i would...

 

[elementfreak]

Coached House to GF wins in 06-7, set up 08 and then went (back) to Souths as a coach. He coached them to their 2010 finals slot and has come back on full time after their experiment with the Scottish ringer.

Interesting that the Scottish guy is at Melbourne now.

 

[elementfreak]

That coach is still there according to their website..

Vic rugby is a combo of both, decent coaches get decent players, put them together and you get decent results...test of a good coach is working with a squad that isn't jam packed with stars and making them produce!

IMO one of the big up and coming coaches in the VRU scene is Dave from Eltham. He has had the U18s team for the last 3 years together and sure they have 1-2 stand out players but he has them working as a team. Everyone knows their role and what is expected of them and he took them damn close to the title last year.

 

[pablo]

Interesting that the Scottish guy is at Melbourne now.

That will be interesting, and pleasing to the rest of the competition!

 

[en_force_er]

IMO one of the big up and coming coaches in the VRU scene is Dave from Eltham. He has had the U18s team for the last 3 years together and sure they have 1-2 stand out players but he has them working as a team. Everyone knows their role and what is expected of them and he took them damn close to the title last year.

Is he still at Eltham? I hope the VRU has a plan to get Eltham or Northcote and certainly Wydnam up to prems quality within 5 years. Melbourne is growing north and west and it's important to get good clubs out there.

That will be interesting, and pleasing to the rest of the competition!

He was the only full time coach in Vic prems wasn't he? Did he really do that bad?

 

[elementfreak]

Is he still at Eltham? I hope the VRU has a plan to get Eltham or Northcote and certainly Wydnam up to prems quality within 5 years. Melbourne is growing north and west and it's important to get good clubs out there.

He does a bit of work with the state teams, I think he got offered the 14s this year but not sure if he has time for it. Hopefully he can move into the seniors and coach them, or move to a premier club to get a decent crack at it. He is quite a nice guy as well.

 

[elementfreak]

He was the only full time coach in Vic prems wasn't he? Did he really do that bad?

I don't think the players at Souths responded well to his way of coaching.

 

[kronic]

IMO one of the big up and coming coaches in the VRU scene is Dave from Eltham. He has had the U18s team for the last 3 years together and sure they have 1-2 stand out players but he has them working as a team. Everyone knows their role and what is expected of them and he took them damn close to the title last year.

Southy. Great bloke.

 

[kronic]

Btw. Brimbank, Melton and Footscray forming Western Districts Women's Rugby Club.

Have to make a real effort to get to a game this year.

Winter is a nightmare.

 

[en_force_er]

Btw. Brimbank, Melton and Footscray forming Western Districts Women's Rugby Club.

Have to make a real effort to get to a game this year.

Winter is a nightmare.

That's good I guess, do Brimbank/Melton even have a senior mens?

 

[kronic]

That's good I guess, do Brimbank/Melton even have a senior mens?

Melton, yes, play in Div 2. From what I knew about Brimbank, they were only doing the junior pathways last year. Pretty quick to step up.

 

[en_force_er]

School's in

The latest education numbers from the Rugby Union Players Association are in and they're extraordinary, with 43 per cent of contracted and national academy players enrolled at university this year, a figure almost double the enrolment numbers in the AFL. The top four courses are business, commerce, health sciences or human movement and general sciences. Teaching, psychology, liberal arts, architecture and construction management are also favoured. But it's not just university study players are undertaking. RUPA offered an in-house business diploma that was taken up by 27 NSW-based athletes last year. A third of them have taken the next step this year, while one bush kid from the west did a course in sheep bagging last year.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/mitchell-on-outer-as-waratahs-have-eyes-planted-on-future-20130314-2g3kh.html#ixzz2NYPtP8P2

This little titbit from an article really highlights to me why we can't have a university geared academy.

Sure, 43% is a lot and it might even be a little higher when you take into account high level non-national academy players but accounting for less than half of your potential elite athletes is ridiculous.

 

[elementfreak]

Who is heading down to the 10s tomorrow?

 

[swingpass]

Not John Ross, he is a Royals legend from Canberra, hope he isn't coaching at Vikings! Think the "other wallaby" is Peter Grigg...surely a Uni supporter would know that.???

Matt played a few games, I watched him play fior Uni against House one day at Northcote..

sorry forgot about peter grigg. yeah he is still involved as far as i know (which clearly is not that much)