Waratahs 2012

[Keithy]

JJ will struggle to get a contract in another province as the reds are ok, Tahs have Alcock and McCutcheon, Brumbies have Fainga'a and Hooper, Rebels have Safy and Lipman. JJ can play but the Force was probably his only option which is a pity.

 

[Ash]

I would think that the Rebels would be the best chance for Jono Jenkins, as Lipman will likely only have a year left and Saffy will play both 6 and 7, leaving an opportunity/requirement for a (backup?) 7 at the Rebels into the future.

 

[Lee Grant]

100% [Lam] was great this year, consistantly good, had him for my fantasy team for much of the season. You would think one of the Aus teams wouldve been smart enough to have picked him up.

That kind of thing happens and it will happen more often.

Jack Lam was a Brumbies local after the family arrived from NZ but Smith and Salvi were there. Not too many in Brumbieland were whingeing about Jack not getting a spot with Smith and Salvi available; so he committed to his homeland. Then Salvi pissed off overseas and later Smith announced his departure. With Salvis departure in 2009 Friend could have recruited Jack, who as far as I know just had just an ITM contract, if that, not a Super contract.

But instead of getting a hard head like Jack Lam to back up the durable George Smith in 2010 Friend hoped for the best. When Smith got injured in 2010 Friend had to use academy teenagers Hooper and Fainga'a.

None of the Oz Super teams had room for Jack in 2011 except the Rebels and they went with a foreigner, if you can call a Joeys player a foreigner and Lam got signed in NZ anyway.

Jack is one who slipped through the cracks but the key fault was not getting a hard head to replace Salvi for 2010, which was as wrong it foresight as it turned out in hindsight.

 

[Lee Grant]

On the reported signing of B. Foley from the Sydney Uni stable:

He looked good in a short stint for the Juniors earlier in the season and yours truly mentioned him then as a future Tahs prospect, though not on much evidence. He looked just as good when he played a cameo for the Tahs in the Qualifying Final.

It's a far cry from anointing him for a starting Tahs spot but even though he is just 21 years old, he has been in front of big crowds on the world stage as captain of the Oz Sevens team. He looks a bit like a stepping centre playing 10, but time will tell. He would be a better bet than Ben Seymour for 2012 as I agree with lily who wrote recently that Ben still has a lot to learn, and why wouldn't he at 20 years old?

It's definitely "watch this space" on B. Foley. I don't know how much we will see of him for the Sydney Uni Ones with Hangers and Barnes due to return but let's hope that it is some.

 

[rugbyvet]

On the reported signing of B. Foley from the Sydney Uni stable:

So what has B Foley done to get this contract? played a half decent game in a Junior Tahs game, made a 15min cameo appearence in a already lost game and apparently done quite well on sevens circuit. Does this really seem like grounds for a 2 year contract?
I agree he looks a fine prospect but playing well in sevens is a far cry from organising 14 other men in a game of 15s. Surely he needs a solid season of 1st grade (or be dominate in trials/Jnr Tahs games) before he gets thrown into a fulltime squad? and as Lee stated he probably wont get that when Halangahu and Barnes return from injury...
It seems that the decision (if its true) to sign him for 2years is more in hope of him developing into a Super Player.
I suppose it also once again indicates the lack of options the Waratahs have as a third choice fly half

 

[Richo]

I'm excited about the Foley signing. NSW has trouble finding and developing young flyhalves, so I like the idea of making the investment early in a promising kid and seeing how he goes. With Barnes and Hangers to apprentice behind, he will not be expected to make an immediate leap but could turn out rather nicely in the second year of his contract. If he doesn't set the world on fire, what's been lost?

 

[RedsHappy]

"Campaign for change gathers pace at Tahs HQ - SMH"

See below. OK, it's GG, but he does have excellent contacts inside the NSWRU. If true, IMO, this is absolutely excellent news for Australian rugby. The Reds only got to the 2011 GF as the blazer-wearing, in-it-for-the-prestige-networking, yesterday's-men, utterly poorly qualified QRU board members and their multiple acolytes were all booted in a massive Rod McCall led clean-out effected by early 2010. That paved the way for smart upgrading investments, competent new business management, and totally new coaches to be brought in. I'm on record as saying the NSWRU/Waratahs board and management requires something very similar if ever the Tahs are to reach their exceptional potential and pull back the crowds/income $s...and this Tahs winning of the S15 and all related is essential for the prosperity of Australian rugby in the next 3-5 years.

GG: There are serious rumblings at NSW Rugby board level at Moore Park. While the NSW and Waratahs board say they're one big, happy family, the reality is different. At least one director is ''starting to see the light'' and realises dramatic improvements are required - particularly off-field - to stop the team's annual failure to win a Super title. Several of the names this director wants to get involved to get ''the province back on track'' will worry those board members who think they're safe. Numerous heavy hitters are involved and it's quickly growing in number. If the push succeeds, expect a massive clean-out at Waratahland. Also, the campaign to have Michael Cheika and Alan Gaffney as the Waratahs coaching team in 2012 is intensifying. For that to happen, though, several officials - not just coaches - will have to either leave Moore Park or have their power reduced.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...-at-tahs-hq-20110714-1hg4b.html#ixzz1S89NQ4qF

 

[Crow]

I'm not as hopeful. It needs a strong personality to drive changes like that and from what I see of the boards, noise will get made but nothing will change.

 

[rugbysmartarse]

So what has B Foley done to get this contract? played a half decent game in a Junior Tahs game, made a 15min cameo appearence in a already lost game and apparently done quite well on sevens circuit. Does this really seem like grounds for a 2 year contract?

There is more to a players ability than what we as spectator's see in the few matches the team play - he has been part of the academy this year, and as such has probably had the opportunity to impress the coaching staff not only with on field performance, but potentially in training runs, with his skills, with his dedication to the off field preparaton or his rugby brain. What we see of these players is the head poking out of the turtle, or the tip of the iceberg.

 

[#1 Tah]

@Redshappy:

Growden's Ruck and Maul is the epitome of bad rugby journalism. Usually it just spits out drivel, however today's edition was particularly bad. Its a well known fact at Moore Park that nothing is decided until the end of the post season review. If you want quality rugby journalism, turn to a much more reliable, knowledgeable and better written source.

Lee Grant's Crooked Feed.

 

[RedsHappy]

I'm not as hopeful. It needs a strong personality to drive changes like that and from what I see of the boards, noise will get made but nothing will change.

Certainly Crow, and backing your general point, Rod McCall was central to leading the total clean-out up here. He worked carefully with JO'N to get the ARU saved-from-bankruptcy $3m loan in place, he saw to the sacking of the then QRU Chairman and CEO and Head Coach, was instrumental in the Link and Carmichael hirings, then the appointment of much better non-executive directors for the QRU. He showed exceptional leadership and grit. In many ways, he's the unsung hero of the whole Reds change process, and doubly nice that he's an ex-Wallaby and Reds player of some note:

From Wikipedia: Roderick James McCall (born 20 September 1963 in Brisbane) is a former Australian rugby union lock. McCall played for Australia from 1989 to 1995, including winning the 1991 Rugby World Cup. He played 40 times in total for Australia. He played 107 times for the Queensland Reds. McCall made his début for Australia at age 25 on 26 August 1989 in a game against the French, the game was won by Australia, 32 points to 15 in Strasbourg. McCall played in all of Australia's matches at the 1991 World Cup, and after winning all of their pool games and then defeating the All Blacks in the finals, Australia won the World Cup against England in the final. He played his final two tests in Australia against Argentina, winning both games in Sydney and Brisbane, before heading over to South Africa for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Although losing to the Springboks and England, Australia won their game against Romania. He played in the Reds' first ever Super 12 game in 1996 against the Otago Highlanders on 3 March.

 

[RedsHappy]

@Redshappy: Growden's Ruck and Maul is the epitome of bad rugby journalism. Usually it just spits out drivel, however today's edition was particularly bad. Its a well known fact at Moore Park that nothing is decided until the end of the post season review. If you want quality rugby journalism, turn to a much more reliable, knowledgeable and better written source. Lee Grant's Crooked Feed.

I was not holding up GG as a reliable and distinguished rugby journalist. However, I do believe he has a range of quite extensive contacts at high levels in the NSWRU.

Time wil tell. What I am sure of though is that unfolding events at the Tahs will not be quite as simple as you say: 'well known fact that nothing is decided until the end of the pre-season review', I would imagine that there will be much political and heated percolation of opinions within NSW rugby over coming weeks - how on earth could there not be? - that the Reds could attain in a 20-month-long revolution of management and coaching what the Tahs have not been able to achieve after 15 years of SupeRugby must provoke any competent NSWRU or Waratahs board member to ask: 'why, with the best rugby resources in Australia here in NSW, with all our NSW Wallabies past and present, with an affluent fan and sponsor base in Sydney, can the Reds/QRU do what we have not been able to do?'. (NB: I am NOT making this statement as another childish Reds-Tahs point score; I solely make it as I believe the Reds GF win (and the excellent 2011 crowd numbers and rugby-revival in QLD etc.) simply MUST crystallise an enhanced level of critical self-analysis within Driver Avenue, and, at a senior business and board-responsibility level, so it damn well should.)

 

[Braveheart.]

I have it on good authority that Rocky has agreed to terms with the NSWRU.

Looks like the Rock will be heading up the Hume next year.

 

[barbarian]

I have it on good authority that Rocky has agreed to terms with the NSWRU.

Looks like the Rock will be heading up the Hume next year.

Big news. I am pretty happy with that if true.

 

[Hawko]

I suggest you go look at some stats. For Aus players alone, Saffy would be a good place to start.

But I agree that Jenkins has shown enough in his limited opportunities to get a contract as a shadow open side.

As I posted two or three pages back, Jenkins 2011 stats on a per game basis makes Saffy look ordinary, which is a bloody hard thing to do! JJ's tackling stats are significantly better than Pocock's stats.

 

[barbarian]

Jenkins played about 3 games though. Saffy played every game.

 

[Crow]

I wonder if Rocky's terms include captainship

 

[What2040]

I wonder if Rocky's terms include captainship

You would think so - would find it difficult to see him playing under anybody else's captaincy

 

[Richo]

I'm fine with Rocky being captain -- he's not my first choice in Australia, but he beats the hell out of Mumm.

 

[louie]

mumm would be dirty.