Wallabies 2024

[Tomthumb]

It’s not size; it’s the fact that he’s not athletic enough to be a world class centre. He will constantly be playing people with equal football smarts, but they will all be faster, stronger and probably bigger.

As opposed to the famously athletic Conrad Smith

 

[Sword of Justice]

Would kill for Pat McCabe at 13 right now

 

[The Red Baron]

Would kill for Pat McCabe at 13 right now

Didn't he play 12? But yes, point taken. He'd be great.

 

[eastman]

This seems to me to be drivel. When Ikitau is "on" he is very good. His "off" is much less than 12 or 13 others wearing gold on the field.



Look, maybe. Heaps of presumptions with this and we all forget that none of really know what is happening in the D. I'm not dissing Paisami either, just suggesting that 12 in an obvious slot for an unknown talent to potentially look for opportunity..

To be clear im talking about Flook so calm your farm. - I rate Ikitau (although he hasn’t regained his 2022 form).

 

[fatprop]

It’s not size; it’s the fact that he’s not athletic enough to be a world class centre. He will constantly be playing people with equal football smarts, but they will all be faster, stronger and probably bigger.

Most of our backs (and forwards) just look under developed, we don't have to go full "BoK"; but they could all do with big off seasons of building muscle while cutting some body fat

You can't get taller, but you can get stronger and more resilient

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Clear as day when you see them against opposition. Our players look that bit softer, less fit to the eye. I know everyone is different but it's seems across the entire team like that for years now that even our Super Rugby sides don't have the same look as their opposition.

 

[Tomthumb]

Because our players aren't trained hard enough. Every time they go overseas and get into proper professional environments they vastly improve

 

[Derpus]

Most of our backs (and forwards) just look under developed, we don't have to go full "BoK"; but they could all do with big off seasons of building muscle while cutting some body fat

You can't get taller, but you can get stronger and more resilient

Fuck it. Lets go full Bok. Lets stretch the limits of physical possibility with as many PEDs as we can.

 

[Braveheart81]

Because our players aren't trained hard enough. Every time they go overseas and get into proper professional environments they vastly improve

Is it that the team training is harder or that the expectations and peer pressure to meet certain expectations are higher?

Players obviously get smashed in preseasons but in season it's not like you have time to do huge amounts of pure fitness. Players drinking and/or eating stuff they shouldn't is largely down to them. Ultimately I think they have to fix that themselves through discipline. It's not like we're in a position to not select any players with skin folds above a certain number etc. It's basically the whole squad.

It's pretty clear when you watch the Wallabies that we have a team filled with some pretty sloppy rigs compared to our opponents.

 

[hammertimethere]

I actually quite like the idea over next 12-24 months of

11. Daugunu
12. Paisami (but god it wound be good if someone came through to knock him off)
13. Ikitau
14. JS
15. Wright (or Kellaway, or Jorgensen if he gets good enough to knock them both off)

 

[Wallaby Man]

Fuck it. Let’s go full Bok. Let’s stretch the limits of physical possibility with as many PEDs as we can.

Would love to see some proper testing at school boy level in that country.

 

[Ignoto]

Players obviously get smashed in preseasons but in season it's not like you have time to do huge amounts of pure fitness. Players drinking and/or eating stuff they shouldn't is largely down to them. Ultimately I think they have to fix that themselves through discipline.

So, I know first hand from the Sports Nutritionist who was brought in by Brad Thorn for the Reds, that the Reds did little to help with this aspect prior to Brad coming in.

Players had no idea how to properly fuel themselves before, during and after training. They had no idea how much protein/carb they needed and how to make good, smart food choices. Simply telling a 18/22 year old "make sure you eat and drink" is useless when they have had no education on what is actually required of them.

Hell, the Reds didn't have Gels and other in-game supplements until Brad brought them in.

The Reds did not have food on hand before/after training sessions and if they did it was never enough resulting in players having to leave to go to Subway/Nandos.

 

[Wallaby Man]

I think a lot of our issue is just from lack of matches. Our juniors don’t play enough and our pros don’t play enough. I’d go as far as saying some Europeans have played twice as many games of rugby in their life by 25 than most Aussie pros. They are just wiser and understand how to be clever and manipulative the momentum of a game when it’s not going their way through game smarts. They know the tricks of the trade to get advantage's in games. Because rugby is a game that’s so influenced by the referees interpretations, you can be behind in the game before it even kicks off because of perception, the European teams are just smarter.

 

[Strewthcobber]

I think a lot of our issue is just from lack of matches. Our juniors don’t play enough and our pros don’t play enough. I’d go as far as saying some Europeans have played twice as many games of rugby in their life by 25 than most Aussie pros. They are just wiser and understand how to be clever and manipulative the momentum of a game when it’s not going their way through game smarts. They know the tricks of the trade to get advantage's in games. Because rugby is a game that’s so influenced by the referees interpretations, you can be behind in the game before it even kicks off because of perception, the European teams are just smarter.

This is true for some very rare exceptions, mostly English, but definately not universal

Jack Crowley has 74 and Noah Lolesio has 99 senior pro games. Both 24

 

[Brumby Runner]

Didn't he play 12? But yes, point taken. He'd be great.

Pat was too small for the smash type role he was asked to perform in the Wallabies' 12 spot. His best form was always at fullback, but with three broken necks (three was it?) I wouldn't want him in any side regardless of his form.

 

[stillmissit]

Clear as day when you see them against opposition. Our players look that bit softer, less fit to the eye. I know everyone is different but it's seems across the entire team like that for years now that even our Super Rugby sides don't have the same look as their opposition.

Ghost, Does this mean you are in my camp of they just ain't fit enough?

 

[Derpus]

Is it that the team training is harder or that the expectations and peer pressure to meet certain expectations are higher?

Players obviously get smashed in preseasons but in season it's not like you have time to do huge amounts of pure fitness. Players drinking and/or eating stuff they shouldn't is largely down to them. Ultimately I think they have to fix that themselves through discipline. It's not like we're in a position to not select any players with skin folds above a certain number etc. It's basically the whole squad.

It's pretty clear when you watch the Wallabies that we have a team filled with some pretty sloppy rigs compared to our opponents.

love a sloppy rig

 

[molman]

This is true for some very rare exceptions, mostly English, but definately not universal

Jack Crowley has 74 and Noah Lolesio has 99 senior pro games. Both 24

To be fair Crowley was stuck behind Sexton where as Lolesio hit the period of a bit of a Flyhalf void in Australia. If anything he was probably brought in too soon with us having no real plan post Foley and the cameos from Cooper.

 

[John S]

please put an NSFW warning if you are going to quote SBW in here...

Or Goog

 

[Tomthumb]

Is it that the team training is harder or that the expectations and peer pressure to meet certain expectations are higher?

Players obviously get smashed in preseasons but in season it's not like you have time to do huge amounts of pure fitness. Players drinking and/or eating stuff they shouldn't is largely down to them. Ultimately I think they have to fix that themselves through discipline. It's not like we're in a position to not select any players with skin folds above a certain number etc. It's basically the whole squad.

It's pretty clear when you watch the Wallabies that we have a team filled with some pretty sloppy rigs compared to our opponents.

It’s probably a bit of both. Either way it shows we do have the players but for whatever reason be it training methods or our acceptance of losing here we can’t maximise many of them