Waratahs 2014

[Gnostic]

Having just spent the last two weeks working in Sydney I have for the first time I can remember, heard the Tahs advertising memberships. Chieka doesn't strike me as the greatest orator but it was a good things to actually hear some advertising on a free to air media source.

 

[Lee Grant]

Throughout life I have always marched to a different beat. .

I always thought you were an odd one BR and it's good to have it confirmed.

But seriously: the rise of Skelton has been remarkable, and I don't think that anybody picked that it would happen a couple of years ago.

I remember when he was a schoolboy that the only thing we talked about was his size and I remember calling him a gentle giant and gave him faint praise except for saying how affable he was.

He played very little in 2012 and I was bemused when Cheika called him into the Tahs Invited Players group at the end of the year.

He still looked only half-way decent at training but that was not a flaw in the performance but just in the watching of it.

I never expected that he would get where he is now. Maybe that will be as good as he gets but maybe also it is only the first step of a wonderful escalation.

If the Tahs can get him to the point where he can play 60 minutes week after week, he could be anything.
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[Hugh Jarse]

There is a younger Skelton in Uni Colts 2 and CHS II this year.

Another Uni "Work In Progress"?

Will we see two Skelton's in the Tahs second row in 2017 ish?

 

[Lee Grant]

Not the same standard as Willie at the same age.

 

[Bruce Ross]

There is a younger Skelton in Uni Colts 2 and CHS II this year.

Another Uni "Work In Progress"?

Will we see two Skelton's in the Tahs second row in 2017 ish?

Yes, Huge, I'm still pondering which of Will and Cameron was more advanced as a Year 12 schoolboy. I don't recall the difference as being clear-cut. There is a third brother who looks as if he will end up bigger than his older siblings, but thus far is not showing much interest in rugby. There could be a great marketing opportunity for one of the giant retailers in sponsoring the Skelton family food bills.

Cameron has one advantage in having a role model whose example he can follow.

Both Will and Cameron have displayed extraordinary commitment by regularly travelling by train from Blacktown and then walking for twenty minutes from Redfern to get to training quite a few times each week.

I've heard rumours that the 'Tahs are interested in Cameron, presumably for their academy. I think that would be unwise as I firmly believe that players should focus on learning their craft rather than having people put unnecessary pressure on them.
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[BPC]

Yes, Huge, I'm still pondering which of Will and Cameron was more advanced as a Year 12 schoolboy. I don't recall the difference as being clear-cut. There is a third brother who looks as if he will end up bigger than his older siblings, but thus far is not showing much interest in rugby. There could be a great marketing opportunity for one of the giant retailers in sponsoring the Skelton family food bills.

Cameron has one advantage in having a role model whose example he can follow.

Both Will and Cameron have displayed extraordinary commitment by regularly travelling by train from Blacktown and then walking for twenty minutes from Redfern to get to training quite a few times each week.

I've heard rumours that the 'Tahs are interested in Cameron, presumably for their academy. I think that would be unwise as I firmly believe that players should focus on learning their craft rather than having people put unnecessary pressure on them.
.

Snapping up family members to play together seems to work for the Crusaders. Maybe its time to give it a go?

 

[ShtinaTina]

Lee,

As mentioned the emails & match reports have been good.

Their social media presence needs a bit more work, they've got ~17K twitter followers, ~31K FB followers & ~2K Instagram followers, yet I don't think they maximise this.
Sometimes there's lots of content & other times it is thin on he ground.
Both twitter & Instagram are great platforms to give followers snap shots of behind the scenes & insights to the team.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Lee,

As mentioned the emails & match reports have been good.

Their social media presence needs a bit more work, they've got ~17K twitter followers, ~31K FB followers & ~2K Instagram followers, yet I don't think they maximise this.
Sometimes there's lots of content & other times it is thin on he ground.
Both twitter & Instagram are great platforms to give followers snap shots of behind the scenes & insights to the team.

The fluctuations may well be due to the interns being called upon to do a shift at a pub or, for the younger ones, they may have a school assignment due.
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[Gavin]

Lee
I beg to differ, Cam is well advanced on Will at the same age. Cam is already more mobile and flexible in getting lower body height, which is always the major issue for these massively big units. He has the stamina to play a full game in 2nds (in a semi final) and them come on 10 minutes into the 1sts semi and play another 50 minutes.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Lee
I beg to differ, Cam is well advanced on Will at the same age. Cam is already more mobile and flexible in getting lower body height, which is always the major issue for these massively big units. He has the stamina to play a full game in 2nds (in a semi final) and them come on 10 minutes into the 1sts semi and play another 50 minutes.

That's interesting feedback, Gavin. As you know this year I have only watched a limited number of Uni Colts games and I've been trying to remember how well Will Skelton was going at the same age as Cam is now. You draw attention to a couple of very valid indicators, namely body height and stamina.

Body height was a major preoccupation of Dave Brockhoff and it's one part of his legacy that deserves to be revived. I have always believed that if a forward is working at a comfortable body height they are too high. A few years ago I wrote an article titled, "Why do rugby players scrum and maul at such different body heights?" It annoys me to watch rugby players in a maul simply hinging at the hips assuming that this is an effective pushing position. It annoys me even more than coaches are so ill-informed that it never occurs to them just how biomechanically inefficient such a position is.
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[Hugh Jarse]

Anyone done the level 3 ARU Coach course?

What do they teach there about body position and biomechanics?

 

[mjw]

Has anyone renewed Tahs membership for next season yet? My partner and I had the situation yesterday where we tried to get our same seats only to be told they have a new computer system and lost all information about seating for the 2013 season. We are hoping that they take our word for it and get our old seats.

 

[Richo]

Has anyone renewed Tahs membership for next season yet? My partner and I had the situation yesterday where we tried to get our same seats only to be told they have a new computer system and lost all information about seating for the 2013 season. We are hoping that they take our word for it and get our old seats.

I've just logged onto the website to try and while they have my old seats in the membership history section, the "renew same seats" function doesn't work and when I try to use the "Fast Renewal" I get told my seats will be "GA". WTF?

I sure as hell am not renewing online and then getting shafted. We have great seats and have been there for years.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Has anyone renewed Tahs membership for next season yet? My partner and I had the situation yesterday where we tried to get our same seats only to be told they have a new computer system and lost all information about seating for the 2013 season. We are hoping that they take our word for it and get our old seats.

Bloody interns! They can't even install a new computer system without stuffing it up. I thought school-kids were all supposed to be geniuses at this sort of thing. No wonder we don't pay them. I've got a good mind to go and complain to Jason but as usual he's got that "Do not disturb" sign on his door.
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[oztimmay]

Despite what anyone tells you, technology is a fickle beast at the best of times. Despite all the best planning, resourcing and will I've never worked on a systems implementation that has worked without pain, suffering and ample replenishment of the swear jar. Things like this are bound to happen and could have been a variety of things that has gone wrong. Still, it will piss off the unsuspecting victims to no end.

 

[ShtinaTina]

I renewed my memberships 2 weeks ago, without glitch & got our same seats....I must've been lucky.

 

[JSRF10]

Has anyone renewed Tahs membership for next season yet?.

What should be a 5 minute process took me nearly half an hour a couple of days ago, although I have to say I wasn't surprised at the inefficiency of the whole process.

 

[Braveheart81]

Despite what anyone tells you, technology is a fickle beast at the best of times. Despite all the best planning, resourcing and will I've never worked on a systems implementation that has worked without pain, suffering and ample replenishment of the swear jar. Things like this are bound to happen and could have been a variety of things that has gone wrong. Still, it will piss off the unsuspecting victims to no end.

Technology may be a fickle beast, but it's still nowhere near as fickle as the unpaid intern at the Waratahs.

 

[Bruce Ross]

What should be a 5 minute process took me nearly half an hour a couple of days ago, although I have to say I wasn't surprised at the inefficiency of the whole process.

See, at least our joint scores highly on two KPIs:

1. Consistency; and
2. Meeting customer expectations.

 

[It is what it is]

The fluctuations may well be due to the interns being called upon to do a shift at a pub or, for the younger ones, they may have a school assignment due.
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Could they by chance be on day release or be required for weekend detention?