Wallaby Watch 2014

[Tomikin]

Just don't let him kick for touch on penalties. Just about guaranteed to miss touch at least once per game.

Its annoying but he does chew off usually 20 - 30 metres more then most other kickers.. Same with Mogg, they are told to go for it and do..

 

[Slim 293]

He just needs to be told to sacrifice a few metres to ensure it gets into touch...........

It's great when he pulls off the big touch finders, which to be fair is quite regular, but I'd rather the ball actually goes out every time.........

 

[Tomikin]

He just needs to be told to sacrifice a few metres to ensure it gets into touch.....

It's great when he pulls off the big touch finders, which to be fair is quite regular, but I'd rather the ball actually goes out every time...

Moggs the same although not as a consistent kicker as White.. Sometimes he hammers a beauty next one his put in too row z basically backwards

Sent from my HTC_0P6A1 using Tapatalk

 

[Viking]

He just needs to be told to sacrifice a few metres to ensure it gets into touch.....

It's great when he pulls off the big touch finders, which to be fair is quite regular, but I'd rather the ball actually goes out every time...

This, I can understand one or two that don't go out in the season, but one or two every game that doesn't find touch is extremely costly. Thinking of the Stormers game where we could have been in the Stormers half - finally about to attack TWICE, was extremely frustrating to watch.

 

[Viking]

I think White might be reluctant to be a the primary kicker. I read somewhere Lilo stating so. So It's hard to put him in the wallabies squad as the primary kicker if the player doesn't want too be.

 

[something]

Could probably put this in the brumbies thread but i find it relevant for this one as well. Lilo seems to be a 10 playing 12, and To'omua a 12 playing 10... you'd think brums could play that and then they'd potentially have 9. white 10. lilo 12. To'omua 13. kurindrani 14. speight 22. mccabe in the wallabies set up for rwc, granted all players are in form. It isn't really even an experiment, they are proved.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Can any Brumbies fans explain why the coaching staff are so insistent on keeping them as is, despite the fact their attributes indicate they may be better swapped?

 

[Troy]

For my mind if a player wants to play 10 for their S15 team they then put their hand up to play 10 for the Wallabies. You learn things playing in a position day in day out.

We finally have a bit of depth across a number of positions, so if To'omua sees himself as a 10 he competes against Cooper & Foley for the Gold No 10. Then he either starts or is on the bench. Likewise every position.

I sometimes feel the 5% you drop in not playing your preferred position is that 5% we end up losing by.

I'm not singling out To'omua here, there are enough players that play out of position "I just want to be in the team"

Can the ARU, by topping up a wallabies salary say, player x plays this position so that the step up to international level is less of an issue?

 

[Brumby Runner]

Can any Brumbies fans explain why the coaching staff are so insistent on keeping them as is, despite the fact their attributes indicate they may be better swapped?

The only explanation I've seen is that they each prefer playing the spots they're in at the Brumbies. It might also be that Steve Larkham is simply being pig-headed about things.

Anyway, IMO Matty has been kicking too much while playing 10, so hopefully we'll see Foley at 10 and To'omua at 12 for the Wallabies.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Can any Brumbies fans explain why the coaching staff are so insistent on keeping them as is, despite the fact their attributes indicate they may be better swapped?

What are the attributes that indicate they'd be better swapped?

 

[Train Without a Station]

To'omua is a stronger defender, much like you want out of your 12 as well as being a better crash ball runner.

Lealiafano as a running option is more evasive and seems to favour to distribute. Also the best form of his career has been as a 10.

 

[Viking]

The only explanation I've seen is that they each prefer playing the spots they're in at the Brumbies. It might also be that Steve Larkham is simply being pig-headed about things.

Wouldn't say pig-headed, I'd say playing things safe. They're combination worked well last year and suited their territory game-plan as To'omua is probably a better general play kicker. I doubt Larkham would want to risk changing a game-plan that worked, especially in his first year of coaching. "if its not broken, don't fix it".

Also To'omua has been tried at 12 for the Brumbies before and had little effect. Larkham probably still remembers this. There is also the fact that both To'omua and Lealifano probably prefer playing 10 and 12 respectively.

The problem is the Wallabies won't be playing a territory game, but more of an attacking game - which Lealifano is clearly suited to 10 as he provided a much more fluent and threatening attack.

 

[something]

yeah that was my logic, the best i've ever seen lilo play was 10 in 2012. best ive ever seen To'omua play was 12 in 2013. if they prefer being in their current positions then so be it but i just dont get it.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

To'omua is a stronger defender, much like you want out of your 12 as well as being a better crash ball runner.

Lealiafano as a running option is more evasive and seems to favour to distribute. Also the best form of his career has been as a 10.

I've heard of a school of thought that says a long passing elusive 12 is more important than a long passing elusive 10.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Perhaps IS. But a hard running, robust defending 12 is definitely more important than a hard running, robust defending 10!

 

[Viking]

I've heard of a school of thought that says a long passing elusive 12 is more important than a long passing elusive 10.

This may be true. But it has never been so in the history of the wallabies. We have always performed best with an elusive and long passing 10. And remember McKenzie is attempting to play "the Australian way".

 

[Inside Shoulder]

This may be true. But it has never been so in the history of the wallabies. We have always performed best with an elusive and long passing 10. And remember McKenzie is attempting to play "the Australian way".

I wouldn't describe Lynagh using either of those terms but in any event I'm not sure that one is so clearly a better long passer than the other that you could pick them in this configuration for that reason.
Does Horan fit Link's "Australian way"?

 

[Viking]

I wouldn't describe Lynagh using either of those terms

I was thinking more of Ella, Larkham and now Cooper. I think Larkham/Horan was our best combination and I wouldn't call Horan a long-passing 12. Gits was also a great 12 , which I guess you could call a long-passing 12 but what I think actually made him great in the position was his ball-running skills.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Whilst you do have a point, he is clearly an anomaly, not a regularity. Further to that, he only ever moved to 10 for Australia due to Ella's retirement.

Considering all other major nations and combinations, the 10 (Carter & Nonu, Larkham & Horan, Priestland & Davies, Wilkinson & Tindall, Steyn & De Villiers) always had a better passing game than the 12. The 12 was also a better straight runner and more robust defender.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Whilst you do have a point, he is clearly an anomaly, not a regularity. Further to that, he only ever moved to 10 for Australia due to Ella's retirement.

Considering all other major nations and combinations, the 10 (Carter & Nonu, Larkham & Horan, Priestland & Davies, Wilkinson & Tindall, Steyn & De Villiers) always had a better passing game than the 12. The 12 was also a better straight runner and more robust defender.

It is unimportant but I don't accept that Lynagh was other than a 10 who played at 12 - he only played 10 (test, provincial and club) other than when Ella was there, i.e. his first 4 tests