Wallabies 2023

[rugbyAU]

Like any good coach, Eddie will have a plan on how he wants selection to go over the tournament. Like any war, plans have to change as soon as contact with the enemy occurs, but making the plan informs your strategy and individual tactics, training intensity day to day, injury rehab etc.
Here's my guess at what Eddie will do based on his overall reads on players so far:

Position​	vs Georgia​	vs Fiji​	vs Wales​	vs Portugal​	Team for the finals​
	5:3​	6:2​	6:2​	5:3​	6:2​
Loose head	Bell	Bell	Bell	Slipper	Bell
Hooker	Porecki	Porecki	Porecki	Faessler	Porecki
Tight head	Tupou	Tupou	Tupou	Fa'amausili	Tupou
Lock	Frost	Arnold	Frost	Philip	Frost
Lock	Skelton	Skelton	Skelton	Arnold	Skelton
Blindside	Leota	Hooper	Hooper	Leota	Hooper
Open side	McReight	McReight	McReight	Kemeny	McReight
Number Eight	Valetini	Valetini	Valetini	Gleeson	Valetini
Finishing hooker	Uelese	Faessler	Faessler	Uelese	Faessler
Finishing loose head	Slipper	Slipper	Slipper	Schoup	Slipper
Finishing tight head	Fa'amausili	Fa'amausili	Fa'amusili	Nonggorr	Fa'amausili
Finishing lock	Arnold	Frost	Arnold	Arnold	Arnold
Finishing lock/backrow		Leota	Leota	Frost	Leota
Finishing backrow	Gleeson	Gleeson	Gleeson		Gleeson
Half	White	McDermott	McDermott	Fines-Leleiwasa	McDermott
Five-eighth	Gordon	Gordon	Gordon	Donaldson	Gordon
Blind winger	Korobeite	Korobeite	Korobeite	Vunivalu	Korobeite
Inside centre	Foketi	Kerevi	Kerevi	Foketi	Kerevi
Outside centre	Petaia	Petaia	Petaia	Petaia/Ikitau	Ikitau
Outside wing	Vunivalu	Nawaqanitawase	Nawaqanitawase	Nawaqanitawase	Nawaqanitawase
Fullback	Kellaway	Kellaway	Kellaway	Jorgensen	Kellaway
Finishing halfback	McDermott	White	White	White	White
Finishing backs	Kerevi/Donaldson	Donaldson	Donaldson	Ikitau/Petaia	Petaia

I think using 6:2 in the important games allows us to shore up our deficiencies, which are likely to be in the forwards. Injury disasters are more easily fixed by shuffling the backs.

I am assuming we will lose one player over the tournament. Ikitau should be the automatic replacement unless we have to replace Gordon, in which case it has to be Foley. My reason for saying that is that Ikitau is one of the automatic picks in the team if fit. In another three weeks he should be good to go. In the finals, that leaves Petaia as supersub - he would go to fullback and Kellaway to five-eighth in case Gordon gets an in-game knock.

I’d want to have Frost & Phillip before Arnold, it would be great to have Ikitau back in his injury was 6-8 weeks and it’s been about that so hopefully he’s back soon

 

[fatprop]

IMO it is madness that your 9,10,12 pairing has a combined 30ish caps.

Once you decide that playing off 9 isn't going to work, Tate became the starting option

You have the elderly 10 not playing well after injury, Jones had to decide whether to persist with Cooper or pull the band aid off and go for the only 10 with some form we have

And then you lose your experienced 12, and your best back from 13

Defensive cohesion will be the issue throughout this tournament

 

[stillmissit]

Foketi was poor on the weekend. I was really impressed with him last year but he looked really out of sorts v France the other day.

Looked like Paisami had a decent game for A?

I think the date has passed for any squad changes though.

Not sure poor is the description I would use but we are all comparing him to Kerevi.

 

[Namerican]

Once you decide that playing off 9 isn't going to work, Tate became the starting option

You have the elderly 10 not playing well after injury, Jones had to decide whether to persist with Cooper or pull the band aid off and go for the only 10 with some form we have

And then you lose your experienced 12, and your best back from 13

Defensive cohesion will be the issue throughout this tournament

Whatever the rationale, it is still wild to have so many inexperienced/young players in a RWC starting 15/23. Any normal team would plan years out to have players ready to go and experienced come the RWC, but Australia changed the coach and here we are.

 

[stillmissit]

Like any good coach, Eddie will have a plan on how he wants selection to go over the tournament. Like any war, plans have to change as soon as contact with the enemy occurs, but making the plan informs your strategy and individual tactics, training intensity day to day, injury rehab etc.
Here's my guess at what Eddie will do based on his overall reads on players so far:

Position​	vs Georgia​	vs Fiji​	vs Wales​	vs Portugal​	Team for the finals​
	5:3​	6:2​	6:2​	5:3​	6:2​
Loose head	Bell	Bell	Bell	Slipper	Bell
Hooker	Porecki	Porecki	Porecki	Faessler	Porecki
Tight head	Tupou	Tupou	Tupou	Fa'amausili	Tupou
Lock	Frost	Arnold	Frost	Philip	Frost
Lock	Skelton	Skelton	Skelton	Arnold	Skelton
Blindside	Leota	Hooper	Hooper	Leota	Hooper
Open side	McReight	McReight	McReight	Kemeny	McReight
Number Eight	Valetini	Valetini	Valetini	Gleeson	Valetini
Finishing hooker	Uelese	Faessler	Faessler	Uelese	Faessler
Finishing loose head	Slipper	Slipper	Slipper	Schoup	Slipper
Finishing tight head	Fa'amausili	Fa'amausili	Fa'amusili	Nonggorr	Fa'amausili
Finishing lock	Arnold	Frost	Arnold	Arnold	Arnold
Finishing lock/backrow		Leota	Leota	Frost	Leota
Finishing backrow	Gleeson	Gleeson	Gleeson		Gleeson
Half	White	McDermott	McDermott	Fines-Leleiwasa	McDermott
Five-eighth	Gordon	Gordon	Gordon	Donaldson	Gordon
Blind winger	Korobeite	Korobeite	Korobeite	Vunivalu	Korobeite
Inside centre	Foketi	Kerevi	Kerevi	Foketi	Kerevi
Outside centre	Petaia	Petaia	Petaia	Petaia/Ikitau	Ikitau
Outside wing	Vunivalu	Nawaqanitawase	Nawaqanitawase	Nawaqanitawase	Nawaqanitawase
Fullback	Kellaway	Kellaway	Kellaway	Jorgensen	Kellaway
Finishing halfback	McDermott	White	White	White	White
Finishing backs	Kerevi/Donaldson	Donaldson	Donaldson	Ikitau/Petaia	Petaia

I think using 6:2 in the important games allows us to shore up our deficiencies, which are likely to be in the forwards. Injury disasters are more easily fixed by shuffling the backs.

I am assuming we will lose one player over the tournament. Ikitau should be the automatic replacement unless we have to replace Gordon, in which case it has to be Foley. My reason for saying that is that Ikitau is one of the automatic picks in the team if fit. In another three weeks he should be good to go. In the finals, that leaves Petaia as supersub - he would go to fullback and Kellaway to five-eighth in case Gordon gets an in-game knock.

Thanks a lot, great effort but I ain't sure White will lead the 9 battles.

 

[Braveheart81]

Any normal team would plan years out to have players ready to go and experienced come the RWC, but Australia changed the coach and here we are.

We were somewhat heading in the same direction with Rennie as well. Lolesio had been anointed as the 10 for much of his time in charge and by the time he got fired at the end of 2022 Rennie had basically moved on from him.

 

[Tomthumb]

Whatever the rationale, it is still wild to have so many inexperienced/young players in a RWC starting 15/23. Any normal team would plan years out to have players ready to go and experienced come the RWC, but Australia changed the coach and here we are.

We are only in this mess because Rennie failed to develop players in any of these positions

 

[fatprop]

Whatever the rationale, it is still wild to have so many inexperienced/young players in a RWC starting 15/23. Any normal team would plan years out to have players ready to go and experienced come the RWC, but Australia changed the coach and here we are.

The "planning" just hasn't worked, we have been quite shit for ages, so we could either try something else and continue to fail playing the same shit, failed rugby

Personally, I don't think this will be much better, but there is no fit player left out of this squad that is markedly better

 

[fatprop]

We are only in this mess because Rennie failed to develop players in any of these positions

What players weren't "developed"?, and when was test rugby where you develop players?

Rennie gave a load opportunities, none that even did reasonably have been left out

 

[Tomthumb]

What players weren't "developed"?, and when was test rugby where you develop players?

Rennie gave a load opportunities, none that even did reasonably have been left out

Tate McDermott wasnt developed, Noah Lolesio wasn't developed. Both were used as human yo-yo's in and out of the squad as if Rennie was picking his team out of a hat

Developing international players is entirely normal. Young players don't just become great test players overnight

 

[fatprop]

McDermott was not developed, but is now captain? OK ...............

Noah Lolesio has had a load of chances (he has 20 caps and has been in the squads for a few years)

 

[Braveheart81]

Tate McDermott wasnt developed, Noah Lolesio wasn't developed. Both were used as human yo-yo's in and out of the squad as if Rennie was picking his team out of a hat

Developing international players is entirely normal. Young players don't just become great test players overnight

McDermott was further down the pecking order for Rennie which at times was a bit of a mystery.

Lolesio has played at least 17 tests and a lot of those have been starting. I think he failed to develop more than wasn't developed. I don't think he'd be our first choice player now even if he'd played every test under Rennie.

 

[Derpus]

McDermott was not developed, but is now captain? OK ...............

Noah Lolesio has had a load of chances (he has 20 caps and has been in the squads for a few years)

Dude is easily good enough to be the backup 10 the squad doesnt currently have. Sure, run Carter because he's more dynamic. But what's the harm in carrying an 80% goalkicker in the squad?

 

[dru]

Dude is easily good enough to be the backup 10 the squad doesnt currently have. Sure, run Carter because he's more dynamic. But what's the harm in carrying an 80% goalkicker in the squad?

Yeah. It makes no sense to me. BUT like Quade it's kind of irrelevant right now.

 

[LeCheese]

Dude is easily good enough to be the backup 10 the squad doesnt currently have. Sure, run Carter because he's more dynamic. But what's the harm in carrying an 80% goalkicker in the squad?

Carter Gordon who?

Edit: this is a misquote, it was just "Carter Gordon?" - for the second time today, I am an idiot

 

[Tomthumb]

McDermott was further down the pecking order for Rennie which at times was a bit of a mystery.

Lolesio has played at least 17 tests and a lot of those have been starting. I think he failed to develop more than wasn't developed. I don't think he'd be our first choice player now even if he'd played every test under Rennie.

In regards to McDermott, the inconsistent way both he and Jake Gordon were dealt with didnt help either. These guys are human and confidence is a real thing, it's not a video game

In regards to Lolesio, I thought he was developing. He was solid and a really consistent goal kicker. Played pretty well in the England series last year and his reward was being dropped to the 4th string option out of the blue

Say what you want about Eddie, he's going to stick with Carter Gordon and ride through the normal tough times of a young player in hopes of developing someone for the long term

 

[Braveheart81]

In regards to Lolesio, I thought he was developing. He was solid and a really consistent goal kicker. Played pretty well in the England series last year and his reward was being dropped to the 4th string option out of the blue

Did he? He was ok from my memory and his goal kicking in that series was good. He made the crucial mistake in the third test going for a loose ball which resulted in the try to Marcus Smith that won the series.

Rennie had already moved to bring in Cooper in 2021.

Lolesio was solid at best in my view and I don't think was ever going to really improve to a level above where he was at that point. He was a pretty obvious selection through most of that time because there wasn't anyone else but I don't think there's an alternate universe where a different coach or getting selected a few more times suddenly makes him a much better player.

Carter Gordon (aside from the goalkicking) pretty clearly has a higher ceiling than Lolesio ever did. Arguably his play so far is as good as anything Lolesio produced after several years in the setup. Obviously Gordon was never an option for Rennie to select but likewise I don't think Lolesio was poorly managed by Rennie. He got a lot of opportunity.

 

[Eddie's Eyebrows]

Looks like Ikitau has completed his first contract training today. Video posted to his instagram.

He looks quite ginger and timid in contact. Good news that the injury is progressing and looks like he'll be ready if required.

 

[Footy head]

Looks like Ikitau has completed his first contract training today. Video posted to his instagram.

He looks quite ginger and timid in contact. Good news that the injury is progressing and looks like he'll be ready if required.

would be good to have him fit for the full world cup

 

[rugbyAU]

Looks like Ikitau has completed his first contract training today. Video posted to his instagram.

He looks quite ginger and timid in contact. Good news that the injury is progressing and looks like he'll be ready if required.

Can Eddie still sub him in for Perese