Wallabies 2024

[emuarse]

I think Carter Gordon will be our best 10 for the foreseeable future frankly. The wheels fell off in France, granted, but the Wallabies coach and the Rugby Australia high performance structure have it in their power to continue developing him.

His positive attributes are so far above others coming through including Donaldson and I believe his shortfalls such as kicking are very trainable. All they have to do is actually train him.

And then there is Tom Lynagh, who appears to be a natural fly half who just needs a year or two more experience. And he can kick.

 

[Joe Blow]

Not sure why anyone even thinks Eddie is at riak of losing job, I strongly suspect all will be exactly same at the top of all things in Rugby Australia over the next few years.

That would be another ill considered decision from RA. But thats what we get from them and the fan base will shrink a little more.

 

[Sword of Justice]

And then there is Tom Lynagh, who appears to be a natural fly half who just needs a year or two more experience. And he can kick.

To have another Lynagh at 10 for Australia would give me the same hard on that it would give us all, I'm sure we can agree on that. I like his vision and he does seem to be a natural first receiver but he doesn't have the same size or aggression that Gordon has imo.

 

[Joe Blow]

To have another Lynagh at 10 for Australia would give me the same hard on that it would give us all, I'm sure we can agree on that. I like his vision and he does seem to be a natural first receiver but he doesn't have the same size or aggression that Gordon has imo.

We dont really need that in our 10. He is committed in defence and doesn’t shirk his responsibility there. We need a cultured boot and the vision to open up the game for the players around him.

 

[Proud Pig]

I think Carter Gordon will be our best 10 for the foreseeable future frankly. The wheels fell off in France, granted, but the Wallabies coach and the Rugby Australia high performance structure have it in their power to continue developing him.

His positive attributes are so far above others coming through including Donaldson and I believe his shortfalls such as kicking are very trainable. All they have to do is actually train him.

I am not sure that is true.

You have a choice in rugby you select a game plan to best suit your players or select your players to best suit your game plan. This is doubly so in the halves. Unfortunately, Eddie picked his players but then tried to make them play a game plan that did not suit their skills at all.

So Carter Gordon with Tate or Lonergan, I believe, is the best 9/10 combination for the Wallabies for the future but only if you are going to allow them to play at the line and play what is in front of them. They are run and pass players with good vision and skills to crack open a defense.
However, if the game plan is to kick the ball away constantly and to have the 10 sitting deep then he is definitely not the best choice for that style. That would probably suit Noah L at lot more as he is more technical and a better kick but not as dynamic or aggressive. Noah will struggle to crack a defense but when you are playing a game that is not trying to achieve that I don't see it as a problem.

The other player I would really like to see get an opportunity for the Wallabies is Brad Wilkins. He has the breakdown skills we seem to sadly lack and offers a bit more size an power than McReight.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

With Donaldson gone from the Tahs and Edmed being meh, we are going to see Bowen get quite a bit of time in the 10 jersey as well. I think these guys need time before the Wobs pick them but it's not as if they are behind a cohort of older established guys.

Will Harrison is the other guy we have to wait and see how he gets back from another injury but has promised a lot in the past.

 

[emuarse]

To have another Lynagh at 10 for Australia would give me the same hard on that it would give us all, I'm sure we can agree on that. I like his vision and he does seem to be a natural first receiver but he doesn't have the same size or aggression that Gordon has imo.

You don't need to have size to be a good flyhalf e.g. Michael Lynagh, Steve Larkham, or Andrew Mertyns or MacKenzie from NZ.
In fact, for a fly half, the opposite seems to apply.
And for a fly half its not so much aggression as cunning that they need to have.
By the above, I'm not trying to detract from Carter's talent.

 

[Braveheart81]

So Carter Gordon with Tate, I believe, is the best 9/10 combination for the Wallabies for the future if you are going to allow them to play at the line and play a run and pass game playing what is in front of them. However, if the game plan is to kick the ball away constantly and to have the 10 sitting deep then he is definitely not the best choice for that style.

A big question is whether these two are good enough to do this at test level against good sides.

I'd argue they aren't (certainly at this stage anyway) given this is probably only something that has been successfully done in recent years by peak Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett with substantially better players around them than we have.

 

[Brumby Runner]

To have another Lynagh at 10 for Australia would give me the same hard on that it would give us all, I'm sure we can agree on that. I like his vision and he does seem to be a natural first receiver but he doesn't have the same size or aggression that Gordon has imo.

Lynagh has done SFA at Super level to date. Why not let him learn his trade at the Reds for a year or two before we announce him as a Wallaby No 10.

 

[Derpus]

A big question is whether these two are good enough to do this at test level against good sides.

I'd argue they aren't (certainly at this stage anyway) given this is probably only something that has been successfully done in recent years by peak Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett with substantially better players around them than we have.

Fiji mebe

 

[noscrumnolife]

So Carter Gordon with Tate or Lonergan, I believe, is the best 9/10 combination for the Wallabies for the future but only if you are going to allow them to play at the line and play what is in front of them. They are run and pass players with good vision and skills to crack open a defense.
However, if the game plan is to kick the ball away constantly and to have the 10 sitting deep then he is definitely not the best choice for that style.

Isn't playing on the line and playing what's in front of you exactly what Gordon and Tate have been doing? I've never really perceived the attacking game plan under Eddie to be "just hoof it". We seem to play heads up footy a lot off 9 and 10, lots of different shapes appearing in different phases. Of course we kick it if we're going nowhere - please point me to a single test team in the World that just bashes the line without any go forward. There has certainly been some moronic kicking on the front foot, but from memory most of it has been from either White or Petaia.

As I've said before, I don't think the attacking game plan has been a huge issue. Our 'gameplan' problems have been at breakdown (lack of connection) and on D, which has been fucking woeful. Hodgson needs to go.

 

[Joe Blow]

Lynagh has done SFA at Super level to date. Why not let him learn his trade at the Reds for a year or two before we announce him as a Wallaby No 10.

It is of course way too early for him but who knows with another Super Rugby season under his belt. What he has shown is a cultured boot and good vision with an ability to send the play the correct way. At this early stage no other 10 has shown that for quite some time.
Time will tell but he certainly looks a very good prospect.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

We average 19ppg for the entire 2023. Our attack isn't good.

We have been held to single digits twice and been below 20 5/9 games. 31 in a loss to Argentina, 20 v NZ in a loss, 35 v Georgia and 34 v Portugal are the only times we have gone past 20....

 

[rugbyAU]

We average 19ppg for the entire 2023. Our attack isn't good.

We have been held to single digits twice and been below 20 5/9 games. 31 in a loss to Argentina, 20 v NZ in a loss, 35 v Georgia and 34 v Portugal are the only times we have gone past 20....

Yeah we're shit

 

[noscrumnolife]

We average 19ppg for the entire 2023. Our attack isn't good.

We have been held to single digits twice and been below 20 5/9 games. 31 in a loss to Argentina, 20 v NZ in a loss, 35 v Georgia and 34 v Portugal are the only times we have gone past 20....

Yeah but I don't think that's been a game plan issue. We have no problems making metres, we just haven't been clinical enough to turn red zone time into points. Which comes back to an experience/selection problem - still on the coaches, but for a different reason.

By contrast I think our structure on D has been abysmal.

 

[Tomthumb]

Yeah we're shit

Hey we did have 3 close losses this year, and as we all know that's apparently a sign of a good team

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I'm not lumping it on 9/10 necessarily because things like our Maul have been atrocious which most good teams will bank a try a game out of it if they can find their way into field position.

Basic skills are failing/non existent

 

[stillmissit]

The younger approach hasnt aged well

When?

 

[stillmissit]

Don't think Eddie does humble. Remember when he got the boot from Wallabies last time he went to the Reds and certainly didn't show a change of approach there.

I thin k Eddie's history is a memory hole...

 

[Penriff_boy]

We need another coach, Jones will never bring put the best of his players. You want a coach who will turn average players into good players.