Waratahs 2011

[MrTimms]

The Waratahs had watched Timani's performances in the Toyota Cup this season and liked what he had to offer.

"He is very strong, he is a strong ball carrier, has a good workrate, good defence and a strong rugby background," Hickey said of the 116kg, 196cm loose forward.

"So when he was interested in coming back to rugby we were very keen to get him involved with us in our professional academy."

Timani may not currently be in the Waratahs' full-time squad, but that is no barrier to him playing in this year's Super Rugby competition.

http://bit.ly/eNpuaO

Anyone know anything about this Lopeti Timani?

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[Bruce Ross]

Anyone know anything about this Lopeti Timani?

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Call me an old cynic - most people do - but this story in the Terror has 'beat up' written all over it. The article is titled, "Waratahs have high hopes for new recruit Lopeti Timani to follow in Rocky Elsom's footsteps." A 15 word heading suggests that none of the sub-editors are in over the public holidays. The main message is repeated:

"Now the Waratahs have signed another young forward from the Bulldogs who bears striking similarities to the current Wallabies skipper. And they have high hopes they are on to another winner in rookie forward Lopeti Timani."

"Now"?! Two months ago, LG wrote:

I was pretty sure that 4/5 Sitaleki Timani was in the [pro] group but it was a good trick to get him there because these guys don't get paid a lot as topo advised a while back. I had no clue that his 'little" brother Lopeti Timani was in from the Bulldogs. Tahs HPU manager Bowen was accused last year of letting him go when the Tahs could have got him, just as he has been accused of spurning Lindsay Crook this year. That is probably not here nor there as it could be that Timani Jr. is too old for the Toyota Cup and not deemed good enough to make the Bulldogs senior squad or their feeder team.

It's odd that two similarly built players as the brothers have both been offered professional training contracts but let's see how the younger ones goes back in rugby union before we tar him with the "great athlete but not a footie player" brush.

The byline reads "By staff writers" but my money's on his manager, Greg Keenan, taking advantage of the fact that no one is in the joint to slip in a puff piece. Chris Hickey is quoted but only in quite general terms with no reference to any comparison to Elsom.

Young Timani is also quoted: "I think rugby is a bit better game for me." At 196cm he could be right. But then he goes on to say, "I'm enjoying the training but it is a little bit hard."

Sent from my old laptop using the Internet

 

[observer]

That is a terrible photo of Timani on the Fox Sports link. He looks like a Columbian drug lord. I think the Tahs media people must also be on leave.

 

[TOCC]

go back almost 2 years and you can find articles like this...

AUSTRALIAN rugby risks seeing one the most powerful ball-running young loose forwards to emerge from Tonga slip through its grasp and into the hands of rugby league.

At 194 centimetres, 118 kilograms and at just 18 years of age, Lopeti Timani - the younger brother of Brumbies second-rower Sitaleki Timani, 22 - has attracted interest from the Bulldogs and the Roosters NRL clubs. Timani has trained with both sides in recent weeks, as well as with the Brumbies in Canberra, where there is not a shortage of back-rowers, but interest in him remains. Yet at the Waratahs, who have lost Wallabies back-rowers Rocky Elsom and David Lyons, the pathway may have reached a dead end.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...-put-up-the-novacancy-sign-20091124-j9ep.html

interestingly he was selected for the Tongan U20 side when he was 17, but deemed inelegible by the IRB due to the minimum age of 18 at the time.

 

[inthestands]

Bruce - a bit harsh on all concerned from journo to manager (and observer, to the Tahs too).

Fox Sports website aggregates articles from all News Ltd publications.

This article came from The Daily Telegraph and was written by Jon Geddes. It contains a shot specifically taken at Tahs training and has only a seven-word headline (many Fox Sports articles get given long headlines... don't know what, but it's like an article description, rather than a headline). The Rocky link is a nice little angle for a journo who sees this is the next Bulldogs junior to be attached to a Super team since the current Wallaby skipper.

Anyway, for those without the paper today, here's the 'original' link: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...found-new-rocky/story-e6frexni-1225976795343/

 

[Burke's Boot]

I think he has more muscle on him already compared to Rocky at the same age.

 

[Hawko]

This is right and since we are all expecting players to be rotated more in a longer season it would follow that there would be more chances of finding a few unexpected stars. But as Sportin' Life said : "It ain't necessariy so." The difference between 13 pool games in 2010 and 16 in 2011 is not a lot and there are 2 bye weeks to rest up, not one. And at most a team will play 3 games in the finals instead of two. The league guys and the European rugby guys would smirk at being paid money for such a short season.

The increased amount of rotation because of the new competition may not be as noticeable as we think and I'm guessing that fans of some teams won't notice the difference.

Given last year's history, I'm guessing that "fans of some teams" probably refers to the Tahs and the Force. The Force because they have a perceived lack of depth after their top 18 or so, the Tahs because of Hickey's concentration on "this week's team" to the exclusion of all else. Last year the performance of the Tahs over the second half and the semi fell off their previous highs because several players appeared to be playing either injured or fatigued. Now no player will put their hand up for a bench spot or a rest because they feel tired and few will do it because they are injured unless its serious. There's too much chance that in a good squad someone will take their spot. In particular, last year we played the Crusaders, Highlanders and Brumbies and all three matches were pretty dire, though you could argue perhaps that the fatigue hangover was from the Crusaders match, which was pretty intense and exhausting.

I've argued earlier, in reply to Langthorne's excellent piece on rotation, that players this year should not play any more than three consecutive weeks (or two full and two as replacements) in order for them not to suffer from match fatigue by the time we reach the semi's. Now there may be an argument that this would indicate poor conditioning, but I will leave that for people with more expertise. I am looking for each game this season to be played at finals intensity and I reckon that having one week off in four will allow players to refresh and play at 100% physical and mental peaks for the whole season. That means Phil has to have two or three weeks off, which might just kill him, (joke) but he will still be rolling Richie and stripping him come the final.

 

[Cutter]

I am looking for each game this season to be played at finals intensity...

What will happen during the finals?

 

[Hawko]

What will happen during the finals?

We play with the same finals intensity that we have all year, hopefully for two matches only as we have finished 1 or 2, with a week off between round 18 and the preliminary final. Having played with that intensity for the whole season we should have some of that Crusader-like intimidation come the finals.

 

[I like to watch]

What will happen during the finals?

We will watch the finals, wishing the tahs were playing, I s'pose

 

[fatprop]

Gentlemen hola from Barcelona ..........................................

First Player development
I see a biggest issue in Aus rugby to be the transition from schools rugby to pro rugby.

If you don't get a mediocre academy contract for $2.50 a week you won't get any pro training at all. To me for a ball running athletic back or forward would be take a living wage in a Toyota Cup team. At least they are getting a living waged and pro training. It is also worth realising that about three at most from each team gets a first contract. The rest are discarded at 20 - and they can't be all crap

Second Explosive match winners
As for this guy, I hope he makes it. The biggest weakness in aus rugby at the moment and especially the Tahs is the lack of explosive match winning forwards

We have plenty of undersized work-rate whore forwards, but how many can do that something really special individually in attack or defense that will turn a match at S15 level?

The Tahs (and Aus) have Palu and Nau that fit that bill.

Who will be their replacements?

 

[Gnostic]

Gentlemen hola from Barcelona ..........................................

First Player development
I see a biggest issue in Aus rugby to be the transition from schools rugby to pro rugby.

If you don't get a mediocre academy contract for $2.50 a week you won't get any pro training at all. To me for a ball running athletic back or forward would be take a living wage in a Toyota Cup team. At least they are getting a living waged and pro training. It is also worth realising that about three at most from each team gets a first contract. The rest are discarded at 20 - and they can't be all crap

Second Explosive match winners
As for this guy, I hope he makes it. The biggest weakness in aus rugby at the moment and especially the Tahs is the lack of explosive match winning forwards

We have plenty of undersized work-rate whore forwards, but how many can do that something really special individually in attack or defense that will turn a match at S15 level?

The Tahs (and Aus) have Palu and Nau that fit that bill.

Who will be their replacements?

This. I have been saying for ages that "work Rate" has been pushed at the expense of actual effectiveness. Take Brown as the prime example, he has an enormous workrate but what is the real effectiveness of that. Would we prefer him to add 10 Kg of muscle, drop off some of the workrate and actually have some effect when he tackles, hits rucks, mauls etc. I know I would prefer that from my number 8.

 

[Hawko]

Fatprop,
You have some of the most disturbing Avatars imaginable.

 

[Moses]

[video=youtube;ZoDczAJnlAw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoDczAJnlAw[/video]

 

[TOCC]

a day in the life of a australian prop and not a single scrum session

 

[Moses]

There were some videos of scrums in the morning... but point taken!

 

[observer]

They should have a competition to see who has the best tattoo

 

[#1 Tah]

They should make another one of those considering all the Wallabies are back at training now

 

[Henry]

"i've got a university exam tonight, so did a little study" - Phil Waugh

Not being snobby but, there is the difference between union and league...

 

[en_force_er]

"i've got a university exam tonight, so did a little study" - Phil Waugh

Not being snobby but, there is the difference between union and league...

The difference isn't necessarily in the intelligence of the players but it certainly seems that more union professional players pursue tertiary studies whilst they play then any other code.