Western Force 2024

[Sideline Hack]

Always good to hear from you RR - but you're part of the problem that I highlight above.
You too have done nothing but slag the WF even before the 2017 axing.
The eventual success of the West Coast franchise will be all the sweeter.

Please enlighten me........................
Since 2017, (that's 6 years rather than ancient history) what other Australian franchise has done more to grow our great game in in the Asia Pacific region than the Western Force?
Since the onset of Covid-19, what other franchise has had anything equivalent to two games in Japan (2022) and a 4-match series against another OS team (Cheetahs).
What other franchise has a 20 person Academy and payed women's Academy players?
The Western Force is doing heaps to grow the game while the East Coast empty vessels do very little but make lots of noise.

These days I limit my comments to what the Western Force is doing.
You know, that I'm always ready to give credit where credit is due.
The constant flow of negativity gets very tiresome even for a Fan and a follower of G&GR.
The proof is in the Forum pages.
I rest my case.........

I'll have a crack

Since the onset of Covid-19, what other franchise has had anything equivalent to two games in Japan (2022) and a 4-match series against another OS team (Cheetahs).....

Off the top of my head - Reds / Rebels

What other franchise has a 20 person Academy and payed women's Academy players?

Academy - All of the franchises. All fairly normal.
Paid female academy (or team) players - Pretty sure the Rebels have whilst NSW and ACT may not have directly paid them but quite a few of their Academy / Fringe Super W players have been employed as regional Development officers which has allowed them to focus on their training and development around the provided employed role. Not saying there isn't room for improvement but pretty sure I've read you say previously how great that these Academy / WF players are out in the community - effectively the same thing.

For what it's worth - all of the items you do well to highlight are a great step in WF rugby building to self-sufficiency to grow the game over in WA. I'm just not sure what adulation you are expecting (and others have tried saying the thing) given there's nothing revolutionary in what's being done.

If you want a comparison to what I regard as something "revolutionary" compared to what is being undertaken in Qld / NSW - and apologies if this is being done in WA - but take a look at the Academy Movement program and the work Jimmy Orange is doing in non-traditional schools in Victoria. It has been 10 years in the making but is great to see the fruits of the labour just starting to show through from the various schools like Fountain Gate with more and more schools getting involved each year.

Qld & NSW both have community rugby staff with DOs that bust their ring pushing the proverbial uphill but I don't believe have had the support or resources to make the inroads that the Victorian program seems to have made.

 

[GoMelbRebels]

The Rebels are doing a tour of Japan in October but only playing one game against sister club, Kintetsu Liners. Wish it was a home and away 4-game series like the Force are doing. Not sure we’ll get much out of just one game. Would actually prefer a Super Rugby AU mini comp at this time of year to give non-Wallabies, extended squad and academy players a decent run.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

The academy stuff is pretty standard and would be smaller than NSW if you include the: Development pro, U20s, U19s, 2 x U18s. Force academy is also filled with many kids straight out of NSW U18s from the last couple years. I’m sure there’s a lot from QLD as well.

Force beat asset as of right now seems to be Crons ability to attract players and build depth quickly. Along with not losing too many players this allows a team improve quickly.

 

[qwerty51]

Jesus no one criticised the Force for doing this I just said the two results against the Cheetahs side were poor and the Force are still going to have to have an average rosters going into 2024. Pretty evident when you look how many they’re got in the RWC squad.

 

[Tomthumb]

Jesus no one criticised the Force for doing this I just said the two results against the Cheetahs side were poor and the Force are still going to have to have an average rosters going into 2024. Pretty evident when you look how many they’re got in the RWC squad.

Surely it's an indictment of the other Super rugby teams with their superior rosters when this poor Force team had 1 more win then the Rebels, same amount of wins as the Reds and 1 less win than the Waratahs

 

[rugbyAU]

Jesus no one criticised the Force for doing this I just said the two results against the Cheetahs side were poor and the Force are still going to have to have an average rosters going into 2024. Pretty evident when you look how many they’re got in the RWC squad.

Yes, and Aus A/Barbarians very few if any as well

 

[WFDS]

Yes, and Aus A/Barbarians very few if any as well

Haha maybe you guys should change the name of this thread to "fu@k the Western Force 2024"

I've heard that player inclusion in representative sides can be severely hampered when you have your franchise booted from the competition and have to start again & rebuild from the bottom up!

I'm just glad we've got all that WA billionaire cash to help us along..... cha cha ching!

 

[Jimmyjam]

I've heard that player inclusion in representative sides can be severely hampered when you have your franchise booted from the competition and have to start again & rebuild from the bottom up!

Player inclusion in representative sides can also be severely hampered by ineligibility .... e.g. Medrano, Pulu, Mataele x 2, Tiatia, Thrush, Kibirige, Gareth Simpson, Spink and then throw in the latest recruits....

Add injuries to wallabies Robertson and Rodda, poor form from Kaitu'u and it's pretty clear that the inference that they're subject to anti WF bias in rep selection is tin hat style conspiracy theory. Anyway believe what you want

 

[WFDS]

I've heard that player inclusion in representative sides can be severely hampered when you have your franchise booted from the competition and have to start again & rebuild from the bottom up!

and then throw in the latest recruits....

Oh you mean, these new recruits....

Harry Hoopert
Lopeti Faifua
Will Harris
Harry Potter
Nic White
Ben Donaldson
Brandon Paenga-Amosa

https://www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/1578kdn ​

As well as resigning / extending

Charlie Hancock
Tom Horton
Bailey Kuenzle
Marley Pearce
Isaac FL
Reesjan Pasitoa
George Poolman
Max Burey

28 of next year/s squad are Australian!

29 if you count Sam Spink who has expressed a desire to play for Aus once eligible.

 

[Jimmyjam]

Oh you mean, these new recruits....

Harry Hoopert
Lopeti Faifua
Will Harris
Harry Potter
Nic White
Ben Donaldson
Brandon Paenga-Amosa

https://www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/1578kdn ​

As well as resigning / extending

Charlie Hancock
Tom Horton
Bailey Kuenzle
Marley Pearce
Isaac FL
Reesjan Pasitoa
George Poolman
Max Burey

28 of next years squad are Australian you dingus!

29 if you count Sam Spink who has expressed a desire to play for Aus once eligible.

I was referring to Moli specifically, but thanks for missing the point entirely regarding rep selection. Added thanks for the insult. You're a class act mate

 

[Slim 293]

Looking at that list, the Force should consider developing their own talent...

 

[WFDS]

Looking at that list, the Force should consider developing their own talent...

We did that before we got cut my friend. Players had to go and find other gigs. We're starting from scratch.... again.

DHP, Hardwick, Jermaine Ainsley, Curtis Rona... probs more I cant remember

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

We did that before we got cut my friend. Players had to go and find other gigs. We're starting from scratch.... again.

DHP, Hardwick, Jermaine Ainsley, Curtis Rona... probs more I cant remember

4 in 10 years. Solid.

 

[Tomthumb]

Weird amount of negativity toward the Force for some reason

Criticism for signing overseas players and now criticism that the Aussies they signed weren’t residing in Perth when they were 7 years old

With the amount of underperforming the Waratahs, Reds and the Rebels do it seems weird to single out the Force

 

[qwerty51]

Gee I wonder why? Maybe because they don't produce any very few players. Have a billionaire backing them, sign overseas rejects and take spots of Aus-eligible players and still whinging about all the travel they have to do.

 

[UnionThug]

4 in 10 years. Solid.

Way to appear ignorant much? As WFDS said it was probably more, and it certainly was.

At the time the Force were cut the following squad members were WA born and/or raised (i.e. went to school in WA and were elevated from the local comp to Force squad)
1. Luke Burton (*/**) 2. Richard Hardwick (**) 3. Dane Haylett-Petty (**) 4. Ross Haylett-Petty (**) 5. Kane Koteka (*/**) 6. Ryan Louwrens (**) 7. Chance Peni (**) 8. Curtis Rona (**) 9. Harry Scoble (*/**)

In addition, 2017 squad members Jermain Ainsley, Anaru Rangi and Michael Ruru were selected by the Force after moving to WA later in life to play for WA Premier Grade teams.

Lastly, the following WA players were playing with other teams during the 2017 season, all of whom had previously played WA Premier Grade or for the Perth Spirit and/or Western Force:
Brumbies - Kyle Godwin (**) and Nick Jooste (*/**)
Rebels - Cruze Ah-Nau (*/**)
Sale Sharks/Saracens - Kieran Longbottom (*/**)
La Rochelle/Toulouse - Zack Holmes (*/**)
London Irish - Ollie Hoskins (*/**)
London Welsh/Harlequins - Ryan Hodson (**)

* Born in WA
** Raised and/or educated in WA after moving as children

 

[UnionThug]

Gee I wonder why? Maybe because they don't produce any very few players. Have a billionaire backing them, sign overseas rejects and take spots of Aus-eligible players and still whinging about all the travel they have to do.

And yet we are still subject to the same salary cap as the other Australian franchises, so this means what exactly???

In 2023, despite the hardships WA rugby suffered in the past, the Force squad had 6 7 WA born and/or raised players (Marley Pearce, Ollie Callan, Kane Koteka, Jackson Pugh, Carlo Tizzano, Reesjan Pasitoa, Grason Makara) which is pretty damn comparable to the same as the Rebels 7 Victorian products. Even the Brumbies only had 9(?) ACT products in the main squad. But hey, I guess that just reinforces the attitudes of some around here that we should shrink the game back to NSW and QLD...

Edit: I can't count apparently!

 

[Tomthumb]

Gee I wonder why? Maybe because they don't produce any very few players. Have a billionaire backing them, sign overseas rejects and take spots of Aus-eligible players and still whinging about all the travel they have to do.

Again, if they don’t produce any good players, why did they win more games than the Rebels, same amount as the Reds and one less than the almighty Tahs?

 

[qwerty51]

Again, if they don’t produce any good players, why did they win more games than the Rebels, same amount as the Reds and one less than the almighty Tahs?

Because they stole them all?

And despite whinging about travel, they're advantaged by it - especially against NZ sides.

 

[Adam84]

And despite whinging about travel, they're advantaged by it - especially against NZ sides.

how exactly are they advantaged by travel?