Wallabies v Argentina Sat 2 October CBus Stadium

[Dctarget]

Watching Kellaway perform has been vindication for quite a few of the Rebels rusted-ons at GAGR. Really in the Drew Mitchell mould: balanced on feet, quick and powerful enough, accurate and smart. Goes to show you don't have to be a physical specimen like Koroibete or Savea to be effective on the wing.

Yeah but he needs the right inside backs too. Growing confident that Gordon will be a gem but we don’t have any centres at the moment?

 

[rugboy]

Both players are a work under development but each is not a direct comparison. Wright does not seem to have a ceiling anywhere near as high as Petaia and is not out-playing him on any metric currently. Give the bloke time to build, he's already getting his chances. Can only agree with you that Petai needs to improve. 100%. But Wright doesn't touch him at the moment.

I think you have nailed it with the work in progress comment for both Petaia and Wright. It's well documented on how good Kellaway was a junior, I remember watching him dominate for Scots then NSW, Schoolboys and 20s. Although, it took him a number of years and a lot of life and club experiences to make his mark at senior level. Petaia and Wright both need that continued experience to reach their potential. I disagree that Wright doesn't have as high a ceiling, although it is a completely different skill set, as mentioned elsewhere Petaia is more Marika and Wright more Kellaway, although both if they reach their potential could surpass their contemporaries because of their attributes.

On a different note, I hope for the Japan game we play Kellaway at 15. Banks won't be ready if he travels and I think Kellaway is a step up from Hodge.

 

[TSR]

I guess that depends on who you out on the wing and what your view is of the relative merits of Wright, Petaia and Hodge. Kellaway will play either way - but do you move him from the wing where he has been excellent and risk finding him out at fullback. If you bench (or drop Hodge) are you just exposing someone else. Interestingly Rennie said last night they thought they Kellaway would find himself at 13 at some point.

I wouldn’t personally mind seeing a back three of Koroibete, Kellaway & Petaia - although if Kellaway goes to fullback it might make more sense to bring Wright onto the wing. But I suspect they will stick with Hodge at this stage and leave Kellaway where he is thriving. It’s not as if the ball isn’t getting to him.

 

[Dctarget]

Thought Hodge’s touch kicking last night was sublime. He chewed up a heap

 

[dru]

Interestingly Rennie said last night they thought they Kellaway would find himself at 13 at some point.

gee 13 is a slot that is getting busy!

 

[Pfitzy]

I haven't read 25 pages pointing out we played against a fairly ordinary team with no discipline and the game went to shit after 60 minutes.

BUT...

... are we at the point yet where we need to ask serious questions about Petaia's physical state? Man he's got talent. His decision making last night was good, too. But he seems to get broken an awful lot.

 

[PhilClinton]

Kerevi will likely not go on tour I imagine?

Injured and I believe he’s been released for the maximum games in his Japanese contract. I reckon they’ll be keen to get him back with the club.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I seem to be the odd one out here too on Petaia. I thought he was quite destructive with the ball in hand. Did a lot of good last night. Also has that aerial ability that Koroibete doesn't which permitted Quade to do some of those beautiful cross field kicks.

Yeh I thought people were watching a different game to me - but looking at media today seems most agree with us that Petaia had a good game. I thought Petaia offered a lot as constant attacking threat and played a more controlled hand. I imagine Rennie was quite pleased with what he saw. I read Petaia was cramping up and seem to recall this past issue but at least no injury.

 

[Tex]

Cramping at 64 minutes isn't great. Any doctors or physios here who can give insight as to why he couldn't run out a full 80?

 

[TSR]

Kerevi will likely not go on tour I imagine?

Injured and I believe he’s been released for the maximum games in his Japanese contract. I reckon they’ll be keen to get him back with the club.

I thought I read he’s been cleared by his Japanese club to tour

 

[rugboy]

Kerevi will likely not go on tour I imagine?

Injured and I believe he’s been released for the maximum games in his Japanese contract. I reckon they’ll be keen to get him back with the club.

Kerevi Quade and McMahon all been given permission from their clubs to tour

Wallabies stacked for Spring Tour as Japanese-based trio cleared for action

Influential Wallabies ring-ins Samu Kerevi, Sean McMahon and Quade Cooper have been granted clearance to join the squad on their tour of Europe.

www.rugby.com.au

 

[Steak n Weights]

Really? They looked pretty inaccurate to me.

They kept things tighter against the Springboks and it worked a lot better.

Yeah scoring 5 tries in 60 minutes is pretty inaccurate. When I said past 5 years, do people read it and think i was referring to a game 2 weeks ago instead of the Cheika era?

 

[Dctarget]

We would be absolutely bonkers not to take Kerevi on tour and keep developing this combination. Need time together. He's done fuck all in his Japanese retirement village for the past couple years, he must be chomping at the bit to play some real rugby.

 

[PhilClinton]

I thought I read he’s been cleared by his Japanese club to tour

ahh yep - that’s good

hopefully the injury isn’t too bad

 

[rugboy]

I guess that depends on who you out on the wing and what your view is of the relative merits of Wright, Petaia and Hodge. Kellaway will play either way - but do you move him from the wing where he has been excellent and risk finding him out at fullback. If you bench (or drop Hodge) are you just exposing someone else. Interestingly Rennie said last night they thought they Kellaway would find himself at 13 at some point.

I wouldn’t personally mind seeing a back three of Koroibete, Kellaway & Petaia - although if Kellaway goes to fullback it might make more sense to bring Wright onto the wing. But I suspect they will stick with Hodge at this stage and leave Kellaway where he is thriving. It’s not as if the ball isn’t getting to him.

Kellaway has played mainly as a wing/FB hybrid anyway, a majority of his tries have come through the midfield so I'm not sure playing him at FB would change his role too much. He played FB all the way through his juniors and his positioning and intelligence seems suited to the role a long with his solid kicking game and link play. Hodge has had his moments, but also issues with positioning at times and under the high ball. With an eye to the WC and the continued development of both Petaia and Wright I think a Koro, Kellaway, Petaia/Wright back 3 would offer more both now and for the future than Hodge.

 

[TSR]

Yeah scoring 5 tries in 60 minutes is pretty inaccurate. When I said past 5 years, do people read it and think i was referring to a game 2 weeks ago instead of the Cheika era?

I thought there were some other periods of really good play too. There is still work to do, but the attacking structure is definitely coming together.

One thing which has been very good is the generation and use of quick ball. Players are providing moving options which is making the defence spread and the cleaners are much better - although I feel still a bit of work to do in that regards at times. Our support play is much better, but I think there is still room for improvement there too. But both factors have really improved.

Credit where it’s due to Nic White. I thought MmcDermott was very unlucky to be moved to the bench after the ABs series, but White is playing possibly his best footy with the quick ball being generated (and that he is helping generate).

 

[TSR]

Kellaway has played mainly as a wing/FB hybrid anyway, a majority of his tries have come through the midfield so I'm not sure playing him at FB would change his role too much. He played FB all the way through his juniors and his positioning and intelligence seems suited to the role a long with his solid kicking game and link play. Hodge has had his moments, but also issues with positioning at times and under the high ball. With an eye to the WC and the continued development of both Petaia and Wright I think a Koro, Kellaway, Petaia/Wright back 3 would offer more both now and for the future than Hodge.

I agree with your post - but I do think that rugby has moved on from where the wingers primary role is to sit at the end of the backline. Quite often it is actually a forward patrolling the touch line while the wingers are given roving commissions to look for opportunities all over the field. Petaia also found himself on the left and in the middle a few times last night.

Im not sure if Koroibete even knows which wing he is supposed to be.

Edit: but to your central point I do think Kellaway would be good at fullback. But I also think Hodge has mostly been good there and will remain first choice. I hope he plays there full time for the Rebels next year.

 

[Dctarget]

Looking at Kellaway's stats are impressive. He's not just a great opportunistic winger, the man is destructive in his own right too. 8 defenders beaten and 3 clean breaks.

All the more impressive with this quote from Rennie last night

To be honest he wasn't in our plans about a month before we named the squad

 

[TSR]

Wing has become another position where we have quickly gone from a position of shoe-horning in utilities and make shift options to suddenly having some depth with some very good emerging prospects.

 

[Wilson]

are we at the point yet where we need to ask serious questions about Petaia's physical state? Man he's got talent. His decision making last night was good, too. But he seems to get broken an awful lot.

With the talk of leaving some of the younger players at home to have a proper off and pre season I think he has to be a prime candidate. He's still so young to have been playing at the level he has been for the last 2-3 years, I think he'd benefit from both the rest and the time spent getting his body rock solid, not just right to play.

All that said, I'm not a physio/s&c/doctor, so I can only guess at the benefit.