Waratahs 2012

[p.Tah]

No team, absolutely no team, deserves to be booed by its own spectators.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Athilnaur]

TC has been very flat in the past few games, my guess is that it's one or both of
1- flu/virus; and
2 - being told his contract won't be renewed

If it is the latter driving his motivation down then my response is
a - another team is going to benefit, and benefit hugely - he isn't a show pony, or fast, but he has a huge engine and superb defence, and is a great motivator, in fact someone I'd have made Tahs Captain; and
b - Foley is a dumbass.

 

[wamberal]

A big problem for the fans, but I thought all the players lived in Paddington?

Dunno. I would be surprised if some of the older players lived there.

 

[vidiot]

TC has been very flat in the past few games, my guess is that it's one or both of
1- flu/virus; and
2 - being told his contract won't be renewed

If it is the latter driving his motivation down then my response is
a - another team is going to benefit, and benefit hugely - he isn't a show pony, or fast, but he has a huge engine and superb defence, and is a great motivator, in fact someone I'd have made Tahs Captain; and
b - Foley is a dumbass.

TC seems like a waratah through and through. I wonder.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Couldn't agree more.

I don't see how you can make such a broad statement.
If the consensus is that they're not doing the job what other means of expressing their point of view do the fans have? And if it's not the players "fault" maybe the humiliation will cause them to say to the coach or management: "this is bullshit. We don't like being booed. Fix it."
The spectators earn the right to express their view by paying the price of admission: just as they do at any other entertainment.
Treating the players and officials as if they are to be protected from the emotions they provoke in their followers is yet another example of the refusal of tahs apologists to grapple with the reality of the tahs ongoing, perennial "situation".


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[mjw]

Just got sent this - thoughts?

I have had a look at the petition. It seems to me that anyone doing something so open and challenging as this should at least have the balls to use their real name instead of a pen name. And as for the substance of the petition - kind of smells of a sense of entitlement. A championship win needs to be earned. Tahs aren't there yet. I'll still be cheering for them no matter where they are on the table.

 

[p.Tah]

I don't see how you can make such a broad statement.

IS I can't say I've never booed someone, but I think it's a low act and that doesn't just apply to the Tahs
I'm going to go all Matt Burke now, but I can't imagine what it would be like to be booed by 1000s of people. In the scheme of things it's just a game, but there are some people who wouldn't handle that humiliation well. There is an article on depression in rugby players in the Clyde Rathbone thread that provides some insight (it was an eye opener for me.)

These guys devote their life to play rugby professionally. Many of us say it's a privilege and we would love to have the opportunity, but I wonder if we really would want to go through the challenges ( injuries, rehab, training etc.)

I would say the players do care about the fans. They put their bodies through hell and we are part of the reason why they do it. It would be pretty tough to have put your body through that, yet come up with a result that your are bitterly disappointed with. Then your fans rub salt in the wounds by booing.

 

[TSR]

Correct me if I'm wrong - but hasn't most of the booing been directed at aimless/poor kicking.

I understand why some people would never boo - and I never have myself, but I can also see why some fans would get frustrated at the continual use of a tactic that was not paying any dividends. In effect, the booing is actually directed at the coaching staff. Not sure if the players will see it that way, but fans only have a limited ability to express their view. (The other way is to just not go to the game - which would they prefer).

I think IS has a point - maybe at some point the players will say to Foley - 'you know what, screw this - what we are doing isn't working. Let's try something different.'

 

[p.Tah]

TSR, you are right, most of the booing this year has been directed at the kicking, but I feel since the Cheetahs game in 2011 booing taken a more damaging element. Put it together with today's petition, the backlash at the fan forum, some of the rants on places such as The Roar and You'd feel pretty low as a player. I don't know what the problem at the Tahs is, but I don't believe it's from lack of effort by the Tahs and that's what the booing at the Cheetahs game was all about.

 

[waratahjesus]

TSR - I've been there for all the "booing" at the SFS and there are two things I would like to say about it.

-the booing isn't directed at anyone other than the players

-as someone that doesn't boo, I hate that the small minority that have now result in people saying Waratahs fans boo there own team, there booing has tarnished everyone.

 

[waratahjesus]

As for the petition were at 24 signatures after a day of every rugby website and twitter being spamed by it. I think it's safe to say if only 17000 go to the game, getting 5000 people even keyboard warriors to fill out a form is beyond the average NSW sportsfan.

 

[TSR]

TSR, you are right, most of the booing this year has been directed at the kicking, but I feel since the Cheetahs game in 2011 booing taken a more damaging element. Put it together with today's petition, the backlash at the fan forum, some of the rants on places such as The Roar and You'd feel pretty low as a player. I don't know what the problem at the Tahs is, but I don't believe it's from lack of effort by the Tahs and that's what the booing at the Cheetahs game was all about.

Fair enough point p.Tah - but I don't get the feeling that the booing this year is in the same vein.

I was going to write earlier that the other time I feel there is some justification in booing a team is when players are clearly not trying - and I don't think there has been any suggestion on here that is the case with the Tahs this year.

From an outsiders perspective I would have to say the vast majority of comments on here - both negative and positive towards the Tahs, seem to come from people very genuine (based on their comments anyway) in wanting the Tahs to do better.

In a biography of Rick Charlesworth, written not long after the Sydney Olympics, he wrote that one of the keys he felt to being successful was that every member of the team be confident and willing to speak up regarding strategy/game plan/concerns and to challenge the status quo.

I am not saying this doesn't happen within the team environment at the Tahs, but my point is that voicing dissent doesn't neccesarily mean someone is less passionate about success.

Unfortunately, regardless of the intention of the booing you do make a good point that, as a player on the field it must be disheartening.

 

[TSR]

TSR - I've been there for all the "booing" at the SFS and there are two things I would like to say about it.

-the booing isn't directed at anyone other than the players

-as someone that doesn't boo, I hate that the small minority that have now result in people saying Waratahs fans boo there own team, there booing has tarnished everyone.

WJ - sorry, my last post was before yours had come up (it takes me a while to type).

The only thing I would add is that I wouldn't lose sleep over it. There is always a minority that ruin it for the rest. You should be able to tell from here that while we all like to poke fun at each other in 99% of cases thats all it is - because we've all been at the bottom of the table some time.

 

[matty_k]

I asked a guy who booed at the Tahs after the Force game. (I may have thrown an empty plastic cup at him to get his attention first. Luckily for me it was all I could find. I really wish I hadn't done it afterwards.)
His response to this was "We have to let them know they played crap"
And when I told him that the silence from us and the cheers from The Force fans would be pretty effective. He shrugged his shoulders.

So I am pretty sure it is directed at the players.

 

[Badger]

As much as the booing is unpalatable for some, at least these people paid their $$$ to turn up. The declining crowd numbers for the Tahs show that many can't be bothered and/or have found better things to do.

 

[Dave Beat]

Could the Tah's problem be;
To Uni heavey and that culture, I mean a club rugby side Eastwood knocked a Super 15 side over in last years GF.
Try and take it constructively.
Cheers,

 

[waratahjesus]

Could the Tah's problem be;
To Uni heavey and that culture, I mean a club rugby side Eastwood knocked a Super 15 side over in last years GF.
Try and take it constructively.
Cheers,

could it be that Eastwood planted Chris Hickey at the Tahs to coach down the Uni players in order to help eastwood win? the tahs loss of form is just an unexpected consequence of some of the greatest shute sheld espionage in rugby history.

 

[Dave Beat]

WJ - you are a wise man, possibly.
It could be attitude and culture, I think an team could be selected from lastweekend club rugby teams, that with sufficient time to gel could put preasure on the tah's.
I think that is just what they need, some heat and pressure to wake them up.
It would be interesting - instead of the Syd V Country game around the corner, the 2 teams combine a team to take on the Tah's.

 

[wamberal]

could it be that Eastwood planted Chris Hickey at the Tahs to coach down the Uni players in order to help eastwood win? the tahs loss of form is just an unexpected consequence of some of the greatest shute sheld espionage in rugby history.

Mate,


I have been around Eastwood since the year dot, and for most of those years they have struggled, on, and off, the field. Do you really think that Eastwood has any clout at all at headquarters?


Hickey was one of the most successful coaches, before his time with Eastwood, and he did pretty well there as well. Who would you have had instead of Hickey at the time he was appointed?


As for the rest of your fanciful post, I will assume you are either joking, or attempting to, or you have been out for a long lunch, and leave it at that.

 

[Dave Beat]

Wamberal - I think he might have been joking - great coach and admin and culture built the success of Eastwood last year and it didnt happen overnight. I think every CLUB team was rooting for the Woodies last year.
And so was B Melrose after that, and the current coach.
I think the top "CLUB" teams at the moment have good admin, culture etc, and my initial post about the Tah's being Uni heavey was meant constructively. I do believe the Tah's need a wake up call.

Cheers,