Waratah Fan Forum

[Gnostic]

Reds don't play attacking football, they play broken play counter attack well and kick well for field position like demons.

Tahs should concentrate on the way they started the season and play there style, forward rugby can be great rugby.

Simply bullshit.

The Reds have scored some beautiful set peice tries and some set move tries off second phase possession. There was a perfect rendition of a Randwick double loop try (against who I can't remember now) off a scrum of all things.

What the Reds do so much better than the Tahs is simply very good skills execution and players working off the ball to get into position for second touches and support running. The Tahs are content to catch and pass badly and kick badly. The ONLY think that has them in the position they are (and same for many years previous) is rock solid defence and a very good grafting forward pack that can competev with any in the competition. The fact that on these solid foundations they have no built something great is a disgrace.

 

[qwerty51]

Simply bullshit.

The Reds have scored some beautiful set peice tries and some set move tries off second phase possession. There was a perfect rendition of a Randwick double loop try (against who I can't remember now) off a scrum of all things.

Bulls, Morahan in the corner?

 

[inthestands]

What the Reds do so much better than the Tahs is simply very good skills execution and players working off the ball to get into position for second touches and support running.

Agreed, but only at this point of the competition and not througout its entirety. When the Tahs were scoring good tries at the start of the season (and even last year), guys like Dennis, Mowen, Beale, Turner and Carter were backing up at depth and doing exactly this. I can only imagine this has been a review point and that the continuity of a current phase would be a focus for the team as there is no doubt it has the effect of repeatedly pushing back the offside line which is hard for a retreating side to legally defend.

 

[inthestands]

Interesting also that before the forum the poll at the top of this thread was roughly 50/50 as to whether it was a good idea.

Afterwards (at time of posting) it is better than 60/40 and this variation is from an audience which has not been able to vote after the date. Must be over 90% 'for' since the Forum was conducted.

 

[ShtinaTina]

@rugbyheaven
On RH tomorrow: Spiro Zavos reveals why that imposing white-haired man at Tahs fan forum should be listened to. He's a former Wallaby.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...uld-jolt-tahs-complacency-20110520-1ewn6.html

 

[Richo]

Anyone who thinks that beer and food are irrelevant issues is kidding themselves. Benighted as we are in this part of the world to the finer points of sporting culinary alternatives, many may never have experienced state of the art stadiums in America and elsewhere. Good food, numerous options, iconic city eateries with outlets in the stadium. It's a whole different world and makes the game a better night out, for starters, and way more appealing as entertainment for non-hardcore fans.

Now, we might not see anything on that level in Australia for a bunch of reasons, but it does tell you how vital the whole product is. But we can and should see faster queues, better food and more choice.

To suggest that the Waratahs have no possible way to influence what is on offer at the stadium makes little sense. They are one of the major stakeholders and if not capable of forcing change by themselves (which if they cared and were competent you'd expect they would be able to do), could organize the Roosters and Swans to jointly insist on substantive improvements to quality and speed.

 

[inthestands]

To suggest that the Waratahs have no possible way to influence what is on offer at the stadium makes little sense. They are one of the major stakeholders and if not capable of forcing change by themselves (which if they cared and were competent you'd expect they would be able to do), could organize the Roosters and Swans to jointly insist on substantive improvements to quality and speed.

I think the fans need to stamp their feet too. The Tahs only play 6 games per season at the SFS... Sydney FC play about 15 and the Roosters play 12. Swans play about 9 at the SCG, Cricket Australia and NSW Cricket play a bunch and the Tigers play a couple. People power will play more of a role here than the Tahs. Obviously the Trust members are looked after pretty well upstairs which must be all they care about...

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Richo, I would concur with your point about the stadiums and catering. It's an area where the US utterly shits all over the experience here. Prices are reasonable, there is very little queuing and the stands are in view of the game in a lot of cases. One place in OZ that I do like is Adelaide Oval. When I went there for the Sevens a couple of years ago, the Chappell stand was fantastic. There were several bars, all selling Coopers Pale and I just walked straight up and got served. Within about three minutes I had bought my beer and was back in my seat. It's not hard people. There was a fair old crowd there that day too.

 

[drewprint]

Sorry to play devil's advocate here, but the food and drink line-ups up at Suncorp Stadium are pretty good. Significantly better than my one USA experience: Madison Square Garden a few months back. The prices are still ridiculous though.

 

[Scotty]

Scotty the problem the Tahs are faced with is one of a revolt from their "shareholders" if you will. Meeting with the workers and managers from another competing company will doubt nothing at all to appease those disgruntled shareholders. The Tahs face a very real risk of going broke if they do not get significantly better attendances at their games. To borrow from the Mods, it is easy to filter the "White Noise" in any live forum so long as the MC sets strict controls including a requirement for common courtesy.

The other problem with your suggestion Scotty is that given the Tahs attitude to their own fans how do you think they would react to input from an Ex-Tahs coach (who is being lauded as the best coach in Oz ATM), an ex-Wallabies backline coach (who many regard with some derision) and who would show up from the Mules? The only Province coach in Oz who MAY get a reasonable amount of respect would IMO be Rod Macqueen, but consider that in the back of Hickey's mind (and some players) would be the result against the Rebels and Macqueens words would be weighed against this.

The forum won't result in higher crowd figures only results and entertainment will. And the forum won't change results and entertainment.

It doesn't have to be a current coach involved. There are several other options for people that are not involved in the tahs.

 

[inthestands]

Sorry to play devil's advocate here, but the food and drink line-ups up at Suncorp Stadium are pretty good. Significantly better than my one USA experience: Madison Square Garden a few months back. The prices are still ridiculous though.

People won't want to hear this but ANZ is also good. There's double-sided beer kiosks about every 15m behind the bottom tier of seats and it's pretty quick. Also, lots of pre-bookable parking or trains/buses to the doorstep. I know people don't like the ground, but the complaints that relate to the SFS are elements Homebush has a distinct advantage in.

 

[RedsHappy]

I noticed that quotes fm Dean Mumm yesterday tended to indicate that 'the Forum's all very well and good, but v Lions all that matters anyway is winning'....sort of 'we'll just do what we always do'. Has he been listening?

 

[Moses]

To suggest that the Waratahs have no possible way to influence what is on offer at the stadium makes little sense. They are one of the major stakeholders and if not capable of forcing change by themselves (which if they cared and were competent you'd expect they would be able to do), could organize the Roosters and Swans to jointly insist on substantive improvements to quality and speed.

I recall the Tahs' were claiming the recent switch to Carlton Draught as a result of their sponsorship?

 

[rugbysmartarse]

We need tinnies where you peel off the whole top, making it a cup. No danger of throwing it, quick to serve, won't get watered down

 

[Richo]

Sorry to play devil's advocate here, but the food and drink line-ups up at Suncorp Stadium are pretty good. Significantly better than my one USA experience: Madison Square Garden a few months back. The prices are still ridiculous though.

MSG is a very old stadium by US standards. If it wasn't so iconic and in NYC it would have been decommissioned long ago.

The better beer service at ANZ and Suncorp really just shows that it's not rocket science to at least provide shorter queues. ANZ also does well with food, although mostly that is outside the stadium. Still, better than SFS... and, in a related story, when we go to games out there we ALWAYS eat there.

 

[Richo]

I recall the Tahs' were claiming the recent switch to Carlton Draught as a result of their sponsorship?

Don't recall this myself, Moses, but its not surprising.

 

[Gnostic]

If the Tahs want to know why they get booed just review the Lions game. First half why they could get cheered with great execution and the second everything why they get jeered from the field by there own supporters and held in contempt by others. A beautiful example of their issues all in the one game, look no further Hickey to see what the problems are. Now the question for you is this, can you achieve the required objectivity to really analyse this?

 

[Nusadan]

From Danny Weidler's column in SMH:

Tahs' forum unfunny
BONE-HEADED decisions by the Waratahs management are not new but to subject the players to a fans' forum where supporters could give it to them face to face must rank up with their worst. Players have contacted this column to express their dismay. They want management heads to roll, and who could blame them? The players know they have got it wrong and so does the coach Chris Hickey without having to hear it from fans


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...on-deep-end-20110521-1exp9.html#ixzz1N40gTdNw

Also in the column it says Willie Mason scored a $2.5m deal with Toulon for 3 years...

 

[Gnostic]

From Danny Weidler's column in SMH:

Tahs' forum unfunny
BONE-HEADED decisions by the Waratahs management are not new but to subject the players to a fans' forum where supporters could give it to them face to face must rank up with their worst. Players have contacted this column to express their dismay. They want management heads to roll, and who could blame them? The players know they have got it wrong and so does the coach Chris Hickey without having to hear it from fans


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...on-deep-end-20110521-1exp9.html#ixzz1N40gTdNw

Also in the column it says Willie Mason scored a $2.5m deal with Toulon for 3 years...

If the players don't like getting it from the fans in an intimate setting they had better get used to playing in empty stadia.

Good luck to Toulon with that.

 

[Scarfman]

Guys, you are chowing down on Danny Weidler's rancid bait. Whatever the truth of the matter, this is a peabrain to ignore.