Wallabies 2021

[Jimmy_Crouch]

There is a lot of dislike for Tom Banks on these threads but he is extremely safe at fullback if not always spectacular. Hardly ever drops the high ball, his positional play is excellent, is a good defender and to top it off he is far and away the best at taking penalty kicks for touch in the country. Really, a lot to like about Tom and there's few challenging him atm.

I think the dislike stems from the fact he has not progressed his game over the past three or four seasons. People expected more from him and are a little disappointed.

 

[Adam84]

I think fullback is the weakest position in Australian Rugby at the moment, i agree Banks is a good Super Rugby player but seems to struggle at test level, never really filled me with confidence he is up to the task. I agree with Jimmy_Crouch when he first came on the scene i thought he would develop into a latham-esque player, but he hasn't.
There is currently no better candidate then him though, i like Jock and think he is a smart footballer but he doesn't have the same size or speed as Tom and would struggle at test level i think, DHP is in a similar category to Banks he is good Super Rugby player but an average test player. Maddocks might have the highest potential, but wont realise that playing in the current Tahs setup.

 

[Braveheart81]

I reckon Hodge would be favorite to play fullback at this stage.

 

[dru]

I reckon Hodge would be favorite to play fullback at this stage.

That would be my call.

 

[Sheepie]

Maddocks might have the highest potential, but wont realise that playing in the current Tahs setup.

For starters he needs better consistency. Currently his play depends way too much on how good or bad his first touches are. If those are not good, even if it's a particularly difficult/troublesome first touch that wasn't good, he's ruined for the rest of the game.

 

[Adam84]

I reckon Hodge would be favorite to play fullback at this stage.

Possibly mine also, but not without game-time there. Rebels need to play him at 15 if that's to be his role at test level. He definitely isn't the form 12

 

[Braveheart81]

Possibly mine also, but not without game-time there. Rebels need to play him at 15 if that's to be his role at test level. He definitely isn't the form 12

I don't think it's going to matter.

I think Rennie will pick To'omua at 12 and Hodge at 15. It would be ideal if every player was playing in the position they were likely to be selected in but ultimately I don't think it's going to limit his choices.

 

[Adam84]

Le me rephrase, if Hodge was playing fullback at Super Rugby level then i think he would have a much stronger chance of locking down the 15 jersey at test level.

Sure Rennie might pick him there regardless, but without the game time at Super Rugby level then he will be a bit undercooked in the nuances of fullback and risk losing his spot to someone like Banks, instead reverting back to his super-sub role.

 

[upthereds#!]

Checking who was closest I picked 34 out of 40, upthereds 32 out of 40 and TSR 29 out of 40.

One of my several mistakes was going for what I thought was a proper distribution of positions.

I never thought they would only have 5 props in a 40 man squad (leaving Sio out) - but because they wanted more of others (8 players for the 6/8 jersey - Anstee, Kemeny, Swinton, Wilson, Valetini, Samu, Naisarani, Uru)

 

[Forcefield]

Banks was tried and found wanting. I think you'd be better served with Wright or Hodge.

 

[Derpus]

Banks was tried and found wanting. I think you'd be better served with Wright or Hodge.

He can catch a high ball and has a low error rate. Given he's likely to be surrounded by strike power in guys like Daugunu, Vunivalu, Koroibete, Paisami, Petaia, etc. I think that basically puts him in pole position.

Hodge doesn't fill me with confidence under the high ball. Wright could be a great option there, but never seem him play it.

 

[James GC]

Banks was tried and found wanting. I think you'd be better served with Wright or Hodge.

I agree that Banks has not been anywhere good enough to own that Wallabies 15 spot and he is a caretaker at best, but I really don't get why you would put someone like Hodge there in his place. If Hodge was at the Brumbies there is no way in hell he would be selected over Tom Banks at fullback so why would we do so at test level? As for Wright I am a huge fan but we are yet to see if he has the potential at fullback, again whilst Tom Banks is in that spot for the Brumbies I can't see them putting Wright there. I think Pincus could have the potential at fullback huge boot and very good at kick returns with space and time a year or 2 off at this point though but so is the RWC.

 

[barbarian]

I agree that Banks has not been anywhere good enough to own that Wallabies 15 spot and he is a caretaker at best, but I really don't get why you would put someone like Hodge there in his place.

We have this sort of debate every year, as Hodge looks so-so at Super level.

But every year he gets picked in the Wallabies, and every year he lifts his game the moment he pulls on a gold jersey. He won a Bledisloe match playing 10 last year, somehow. He's one of a rare breed who seem to save their best for when it matters most.

He's proven himself enough times that I don't really mind much about his Super form.
.

 

[Sheepie]

I've long felt Banks was overhyped and not understood why people seem to love him so much. And while last year in the Brumbies I thought he again was getting praise for just touching the ball or being anywhere near it, in the Wallabies I felt he was quite solid. This year for the Brumbies he's actually been impressing me too. I'd be perfectly OK with him being the first pick for 15 in the Wallabies this year.

 

[Adam84]

We have this sort of debate every year, as Hodge looks so-so at Super level.

But every year he gets picked in the Wallabies, and every year he lifts his game the moment he pulls on a gold jersey. He won a Bledisloe match playing 10 last year, somehow. He's one of a rare breed who seem to save their best for when it matters most.

He's proven himself enough times that I don't really mind much about his Super form.
.

Yes he gets picked at the Wallabies but he never locks down a position as his own, and he has been trialled in more positions then anyone. I agree he played well in the Bledisloe last year, but there have been plenty of matches where he hasn't.

If he is to be the 15 at test level, then he should be playing there now.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

There is a lot of dislike for Tom Banks on these threads but he is extremely safe at fullback if not always spectacular. Hardly ever drops the high ball, his positional play is excellent, is a good defender and to top it off he is far and away the best at taking penalty kicks for touch in the country. Really, a lot to like about Tom and there's few challenging him atm.

I agree on banks as safe - and steady but a match winner no. A quality super rugby fullback yeh I could agree that...yes a quality test level full back no...

To be clear it is not Tom banks fault that he is the best we probably got at fullback in absence of other emerging options but yes I hope other better options emerge as always never seen him as test full back material and equally done nothing to convince otherwise.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

That would be my call.

Not sure he would be better option then banks and banks would at this stage be ahead of hodge for simple reason at least playing 15 in super rugby.

 

[wamberal]

Not sure he would be better option then banks and banks would at this stage be ahead of hodge for simple reason at least playing 15 in super rugby.

Hodge will be in the 23. He is playing well. I think he would be a safer and better option than Banks. Apart from anything else, he has a degree of versatility that Banks does not, he can play anywhere in the backs except 9. That is worth a lot, I reckon.

 

[eastman]

We have this sort of debate every year, as Hodge looks so-so at Super level.

But every year he gets picked in the Wallabies, and every year he lifts his game the moment he pulls on a gold jersey. He won a Bledisloe match playing 10 last year, somehow. He's one of a rare breed who seem to save their best for when it matters most.

He's proven himself enough times that I don't really mind much about his Super form.
.

The problem with this kind of narrative is that we generously overlook all the times where Hodge hasn't performed strongly for the Wallabies. For every game where he plays well (rarely very well), there's another three where he misses the kicks he's expected to nail, generally plods around the field in his awkward manner, and again we start wishing we had someone who could break a tackle and had pace.

Let's reward the form fullback in Super Rugby AU (Banks)- Hodge isn't ever going to be the solution at 15.

 

[upthereds#!]

Beale - call up Beale