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Wallabies 2023

PhilClinton

PhilClinton

Mark Loane (55)
The Ghost of Raelene said:
Ponga is 1 HIA away from Japanese Rugby.

Banks on that money is absurd. Good on him
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I recall there was an idea to bring Ponga across to rugby, maybe 3 years ago?

He's essentially a more agile Matt Burton, and I think Burton should still be on the hit-list down the track.

If the Bulldogs don't pull their fingers out, some of these big name signings will look for outs. Wouldn't we love to snatch Burton from Gould. It would be full blown beehive head meltdown.
 
stillmissit

stillmissit

Peter Johnson (47)
Braveheart81 said:
Except most Japanese teams have international test players (whether current or former) and just because they are South Africans doesn't make them good.

I think Foley's experience and form puts him firmly in the reckoning. I agree that Foley wasn't overly good for the Wallabies last year but likewise no one else was. Cooper was pretty average in his brief appearance before getting injured. Lolesio's form was average all season and ultimately led to him being replaced. Jones hasn't picked him in his first squad.

Gordon is the form Australian 10 but I am far from convinced that Jones will put his faith in a uncapped 10 with a handful of good Super Rugby games under his belt.

Donaldson is in this first squad but I'd definitely pick Foley above him.

Why do you think it is so unlikely that Foley will be picked?
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BH, because if Cooper is unavailable, Foley won't win a RWC for Eddie and that is all he and the rest of us should be focused on..
 
stillmissit

stillmissit

Peter Johnson (47)
fatprop said:
And now every NRL player who has seen a rugby match is in Rugby Australia's sights
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You wouldn't want to be a young talented Union player at this time with all this talk which sums up as 'you are not good enough and we will grab a no nothing leaguey over you'.
As I said when it was first suggested that Eddie would take over the ones who may well pay is a generation of young talent lost, which is what happened in his last gig here.
PS I know you can drag up stats to contradict this statement but that is what happened and most adult watchers from 20 years ago will agree.
 
rugboy

rugboy

Jim Clark (26)
dusk said:
That's just not true lol. Katoa and his family moved to Sydney to support his brother playing in the NRL. It was clear he had ambitions to play in the NRL whether he played for Barker or not. Sua'ali'i played for Eastwood in his junior years... It is not the same scenario.
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Sua'ali'i grew up playing league for Glenmore Park Brumbies from under 8s, he made the PSSA (Primary School Rep) in a number of sports including AFL, League, Basketball and Rugby. He was spotted here by Kings he started playing regular rugby at school and then played for Eastwood at 14. He was always a league kid.

Katoa on the other hand has said “I’d never close out the opportunity to play rugby union because I grew up playing rugby union. It was the first sport I played." "I was born in New Zealand and spent my first nine or 10 years in New Zealand. All I wanted to be was an All Black. I’d never close that door.” So clearly not true he was a Leaguie.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/wa...on-t-close-door-on-rugby-20230403-p5cxr6.html
 
T

Tah Man

Larry Dwyer (12)
rugboy said:
Sua'ali'i grew up playing league for Glenmore Park Brumbies from under 8s, he made the PSSA (Primary School Rep) in a number of sports including AFL, League, Basketball and Rugby. He was spotted here by Kings he started playing regular rugby at school and then played for Eastwood at 14. He was always a league kid.

Katoa on the other hand has said “I’d never close out the opportunity to play rugby union because I grew up playing rugby union. It was the first sport I played." "I was born in New Zealand and spent my first nine or 10 years in New Zealand. All I wanted to be was an All Black. I’d never close that door.” So clearly not true he was a Leaguie.

Click to expand...

Played Rugby, Basketball and AFL at primary school and Rugby all through High School, but was always a "League Kid".

Makes absolutely zero sense
 
The Ghost of Raelene

The Ghost of Raelene

Simon Poidevin (60)
PhilClinton said:
I recall there was an idea to bring Ponga across to rugby, maybe 3 years ago?

He's essentially a more agile Matt Burton, and I think Burton should still be on the hit-list down the track.

If the Bulldogs don't pull their fingers out, some of these big name signings will look for outs. Wouldn't we love to snatch Burton from Gould. It would be full blown beehive head meltdown.
Click to expand...
I actually wonder where Ponga would play now in a Rugby backline at an international level. 12 comes to mind but he comes with a concussion record to rival Pat McCabe and Anthony Fainga'a. RTS (Roger Tuivasa-Sheck) is the most similar player to Ponga and he's just signed with the Warriors for 3 years.
 
rugboy

rugboy

Jim Clark (26)
Tah Man said:
Played Rugby, Basketball and AFL at primary school and Rugby all through High School, but was always a "League Kid".

Makes absolutely zero sense
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Not sure why. Unlike Katoa, league was his first sport. He played league from Under 8s and continued all the way through High School and into the professional ranks and his first exposure to Rugby and AFL is a 3 day representative carnival at the end of primary school it would suggest you were a "league kid" who is a freak athlete and can play any of the other sports due to your athletic ability. Good luck to him that he then gets an education because of that at Kings and goes on to sign a monster professional contract.
 
Marce

Marce

John Hipwell (52)
We are still on the front page
HvDtCB4.md.jpg

Rugby boomerang lol
 
Rob42

Rob42

Nicholas Shehadie (39)
The Ghost of Raelene said:
Feels like a lost one for Rugby. Lockie Miller doing well for the Knights but played League until he was spotted by Rugby 7s

Same thing. League through and through. Was dominating for Penrith lower grades while playing school boy rugby. Only at the school because of league. Not really lost by Rugby.
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Yeah, I get that. More to the point that NRL backs aren't necessarily on a different level to their rugby counterparts. Katoa was the best player on the field when playing at CAS level, but it's not like he was on a different planet. If he'd gone to Super Rugby, I don't think he'd have been an automatic starter. (Jorgensen might have changed my view on that a little, tho)
 
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