Western Force 2009
- Thread starter Lee Grant
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Spook
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Playford must have decided to change plans. Him and Richard Stanford are in talks with the Force.
Spook said:
Now there're two blokes who haven't fulfilled the great expectations we had of them when they left their respective schools, Joeys and Scots. Playford was one of the most talented schoolboy athletes there's been in Sydney the last 20 or so years. Some predicted, in hopeful expectation, he'd end up better than Matt Burke. His early habit of changing clubs when things didn't go as well as he liked was a portent of his lack of application. He started his senior career at Manly RC in 1999 before moving to Easts RC, then to the Roosters and is now at Sydney Uni. He's also taken the obligatory wanderer's route to the NPC with a stint at Tasman where, by all reports, he played rather well.
Stanford: if any half-decent second-rower hasn't been motivated by the opportunities in Australia the last few years, and this year in particular, he doesn't deserve feeding.
It grieves me to say this but the professional progress by these two players is symptomatic of Australian rugby: our relative inability to turn talented youngsters into the finished product. NZ, South Africa, England, France, RL and AFL do this so much better than us. I can't escape the feeling this shortcoming is due to the structure of our domestic competitions allied with the fierce determination of a few alickadoos to keep rugby a boutique game.
The development and progress of the current crop of talented young five-eighths is going to be fascinating to watch.
Lee Grant
John Eales (66)
They have both been disappointing, especially Playford for we Joey's tragics, because he was so good then that getting the ball to him was a set play.
The mail I had was that it all came too easy to him at that level, at that age, and that he didn't deal well with the situation after school as everybody got older and his margin of superiority disappeared.
Young Lachlan Turner is a young fellow who hunts down every bit of knowledge he can about the game, trains himself intelligently both physically and mentally and is well organised. The mail was that Playford was exactly the opposite, at least in the first years out of school.
He's still a handy player to have in a S14 squad as a backup, but we expected more.
Stanford has also been disappointing but I have often been wrong in assessing Schools tight 5 forwards. Sometimes it's a case of not being as good as we thought they were, sometimes its a case of not growing enough and often it's not being able to play a power game at the senior level.
There have been other promising Schools players from recent years who have disappointed me:
Jone Tawake
Josh Holmes
Loyd Johansson
Lachie MacKay
Jeremy Tilse
Lei Tomiki
Andrew Barrett
Brett Stapleton
Phil Mathers
Henari Veratau
I agree with your comments that Oz rugby has a lot to answer for in not providing an adequate level of competition and coaching for our players.
Agree also that watching the young flyhalves in 2009 will be fascinating. It is a watershed year for each of them for many different reasons. They all have to show progress.
Kurtley Beale has to improve his tackling and ability to boss a backline. The second will come naturally but he has to show us something more on defence. There are younger and smaller backs than him doing it better. Kicking with the left foot and better goal kicking will look better on the CV also.
Christian Lealiifano also has to boss better but in addition has to run to the gap more and pass the pill at, or just before, the tackle line. If he doesn't he'll become another SNK playing 10, a passer and finder of tacklers, but without his ability to play in other spots. He has another problem - there is some other young gun snapping at his heels.
Matt To'omu is that man, or rather teenager. It's a bit soon to expect him to supersede Lealiifano in 2009 but he has to work on things when he gets on the park: speed off the mark when he runs, more accurate passing and longer kicks for line.
Quade Cooper has been given the priceless chance of touring with the Wallabies and should take a big step up in S14 if he can get some of the Wallaby content onto the park. Playing flat is one of his strengths but he has to watch for intercepts and get the ball to his receivers when they are a step deeper - which means passing a beat earlier. He should also watch videos of Berrick Barnes tackling.
Scott Daruda has the disadvantage of playing behind Matt Giteau and it's a shame because he's a fine young player. I think we'll lose this kid overseas. He will look at Australian nosepicking flyhalves like Chris Malone and Paul Warwick playing in the GP and ML, and Dan Parks who has played in test matches. He'll also know about Brock James earning a fortune at Clermont, but to be fair Brock is earning every Euro.
He's was better than the first two were at the same age and will be weighing up the merits of staying behind Giteau or chancing his arm overseas. Halangahu will be pissing off too.
What's that - this is a Force thread and I've digressed - then digressed from my digression?
Excuuuuuse me.
The mail I had was that it all came too easy to him at that level, at that age, and that he didn't deal well with the situation after school as everybody got older and his margin of superiority disappeared.
Young Lachlan Turner is a young fellow who hunts down every bit of knowledge he can about the game, trains himself intelligently both physically and mentally and is well organised. The mail was that Playford was exactly the opposite, at least in the first years out of school.
He's still a handy player to have in a S14 squad as a backup, but we expected more.
Stanford has also been disappointing but I have often been wrong in assessing Schools tight 5 forwards. Sometimes it's a case of not being as good as we thought they were, sometimes its a case of not growing enough and often it's not being able to play a power game at the senior level.
There have been other promising Schools players from recent years who have disappointed me:
Jone Tawake
Josh Holmes
Loyd Johansson
Lachie MacKay
Jeremy Tilse
Lei Tomiki
Andrew Barrett
Brett Stapleton
Phil Mathers
Henari Veratau
I agree with your comments that Oz rugby has a lot to answer for in not providing an adequate level of competition and coaching for our players.
Agree also that watching the young flyhalves in 2009 will be fascinating. It is a watershed year for each of them for many different reasons. They all have to show progress.
Kurtley Beale has to improve his tackling and ability to boss a backline. The second will come naturally but he has to show us something more on defence. There are younger and smaller backs than him doing it better. Kicking with the left foot and better goal kicking will look better on the CV also.
Christian Lealiifano also has to boss better but in addition has to run to the gap more and pass the pill at, or just before, the tackle line. If he doesn't he'll become another SNK playing 10, a passer and finder of tacklers, but without his ability to play in other spots. He has another problem - there is some other young gun snapping at his heels.
Matt To'omu is that man, or rather teenager. It's a bit soon to expect him to supersede Lealiifano in 2009 but he has to work on things when he gets on the park: speed off the mark when he runs, more accurate passing and longer kicks for line.
Quade Cooper has been given the priceless chance of touring with the Wallabies and should take a big step up in S14 if he can get some of the Wallaby content onto the park. Playing flat is one of his strengths but he has to watch for intercepts and get the ball to his receivers when they are a step deeper - which means passing a beat earlier. He should also watch videos of Berrick Barnes tackling.
Scott Daruda has the disadvantage of playing behind Matt Giteau and it's a shame because he's a fine young player. I think we'll lose this kid overseas. He will look at Australian nosepicking flyhalves like Chris Malone and Paul Warwick playing in the GP and ML, and Dan Parks who has played in test matches. He'll also know about Brock James earning a fortune at Clermont, but to be fair Brock is earning every Euro.
He's was better than the first two were at the same age and will be weighing up the merits of staying behind Giteau or chancing his arm overseas. Halangahu will be pissing off too.
What's that - this is a Force thread and I've digressed - then digressed from my digression?
Excuuuuuse me.
T
TOCC
Guest
nice assesment on all the 5/8's there, i agree with pretty much all what was said.
Scot Daruda is a fantastic player and i hope he returns to QLD next year, where we would play him im not so sure though.
Beale and Cooper both have the potential to be great 5/8's, but both are weak in defence and lack the maturity and experience to control games. I hope to see dramatic improvements in both there games in 2009, they dont have the excuse of being young for to much longer.
Scot Daruda is a fantastic player and i hope he returns to QLD next year, where we would play him im not so sure though.
Beale and Cooper both have the potential to be great 5/8's, but both are weak in defence and lack the maturity and experience to control games. I hope to see dramatic improvements in both there games in 2009, they dont have the excuse of being young for to much longer.
Force:
Fullbacks: Cameron Shepherd, Dane Haylett-Perry, Drew Mitchell.
Wings: Haig Sare, Nick Cummins.
Centres: Josh Tatupu, Ryan Cross, Scott Staniforth, Junior Pelesasa, James O?Connor
Flyhalves: Matt Giteau, Scott Daruda.
Scrumhalves: Chris O?Young, Josh Valentine, Justin Turner.
Backrow: Richard Brown, Tamati Horua, David Pocock, Matt Hodgson, David Pusey.
Locks: Sam Wykes, Nathan Sharpe, Tom Hockings, Pat O?Connor.
Prop: Gareth Hardy, Pek Cowan, AJ Whalley, Troy Tarinaki, Kieran Longbottom.
Hookers: Luke Holmes, Tai McIsaacs.
31 there, but not sure. Missing anyone?
Fullbacks: Cameron Shepherd, Dane Haylett-Perry, Drew Mitchell.
Wings: Haig Sare, Nick Cummins.
Centres: Josh Tatupu, Ryan Cross, Scott Staniforth, Junior Pelesasa, James O?Connor
Flyhalves: Matt Giteau, Scott Daruda.
Scrumhalves: Chris O?Young, Josh Valentine, Justin Turner.
Backrow: Richard Brown, Tamati Horua, David Pocock, Matt Hodgson, David Pusey.
Locks: Sam Wykes, Nathan Sharpe, Tom Hockings, Pat O?Connor.
Prop: Gareth Hardy, Pek Cowan, AJ Whalley, Troy Tarinaki, Kieran Longbottom.
Hookers: Luke Holmes, Tai McIsaacs.
31 there, but not sure. Missing anyone?
T
TOCC
Guest
that looks like the worse front row stocks in the country
I think one of those props asked for a release, but cant remember which one, il have to get back to you
I think one of those props asked for a release, but cant remember which one, il have to get back to you
naza
Alan Cameron (40)
Noddy said:
They don't like specialist wingers much do they ? Out of that bunch I rate Nick Cummins the best outside centre. He's being wasted on the wing.
Noddy said:
Blindside flank and hooker is a huge problem for them. How can we have a 5th Super rugby team when that is all we have to offer at 2 & 6 ?
Its Takiari not Tarinaki but you know that don't you ? Got to love the Reds fan, having poached Daniel Braid, taking a shot at the Force for a guy with a Kiwi background.
Meanwhile, the Force are on the verge of signing former Brumbies Peter Playford and Richard Stanford.The Force started pre-season training on Monday and a club spokesman confirmed Playford, a 28-year-old winger, and Stanford, a 22-year-old lock, were expected to put pen to paper within days.Mitchell said they were still on the lookout for a marquee international player after failing to lure Springboks and Sharks hooker Bismarck Du Plessis last month."The market place at the moment is being looked at and clearly tight head is certainly an area we'd like to look at," Mitchell said."If that person doesn't surface ... then we won't go and fill it (the international spot) just for the sake of it."
naza
Alan Cameron (40)
Lindommer said:
Stanford's handy but he's another tweener and brings nothing particularly special to the table. At 6'5", doesn't really have the frame to stand out at lock. Doesn't have the hands or vision for 8. Hasn't had the time at blindside. He's basically bench cover.
TOCC said:
you must be right because, if the squad above is accurate, then the Stanford and Playford signings make it 33 (the max amount). And Mitch said they are still looking for a THP. Whalley is being quoted in the media today about pre-season training etc, so I would imagine it aint him. Perhaps it's Teriyaki?
F
formeropenside
Guest
Noddy said:
I thought it was Teppanyaki?
B
brokendown gunfighter
Guest
latest word on rhe street is Playford will NOT be signed by the Force
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