I've read all twelve pages without posting once. I think I deserve a medal for forebearance. WJ definitely deserves one for taking the fight up to the haters. I think that some posters fail to recognise just how much pain the genuine Waratah supporter felt on Friday night. "I told you so" bloody hurts when you've just seen your season go down the toilet, especially when it was going down to a team that played saffer kick and chase rugby all night. If you moved the Bulls to Sydney they would lose supporters so fast that they'd only need one gate person on the gate, even if they won every match. But saffer rugby works if you don't give the attacking team more advantage at the ruck and after some early good signs that's the way the comp appears to be going; though when both teams come to play you get great games like the Saturday and Sunday home games.
One point that has been touched on in the debate has been the influence of the fly half. Barnes has played there most of the year and has rarely looked like he was controlling the game. Lots of attempted miracle plays, which occasionally come off, and lots of field position kicking which is very poor. But never once do I get the feeling that the ghost of Lynagh has inhabited his body and he is in total control of the game. Timani and McKibben have got heaps of criticism for losing the game but the key wrong decision was Barnes pop-gun kick when we should have been playing possession football. Barnes did not control the game and that's what a 10 has to do.
Larkham won two Super trophies for the Brumbies, Carter and Mehrtens won heaps and Cooper one for the Reds. If you want to win a Super trophy you MUST have a great 10 who controls the game; the Tahs had one in Beale but Link was the last coach to properly recognise his value and now he's gone. The Rebels are just discovering what having a great 10 can do for you. The Force have a pack that could take the comp but are on the bottom because they do not have a game-controlling 10.
So, the very first thing the Tahs have to do is find a great 10. Foley may be it, he would definitely be worth trialling for an extended period now the chance of playing finals is gone. Play Barnes at 12 to nurse him through, or maybe 15 where Barnes has more time to read the game. But the search has to start now, we've got nine months to get it right before we are off and running again.
The second thing we need is an attacking coach who knows how to work with that 10. I was ecstatic when Gaffney came on board this year because once upon a time he knew how to run a backline. But our backs have looked totally unstructured this year, everyone is an individual trying to win the game by themselves. Either Gaffney has been choked off from the backline coaching (doubtful but possible) or he should retire gracefully and grow vegetables in the back yard. The backline has been a disgrace considering the talent available (and yes I know about the injuries). Its not a lack of desire, some of those guys would bleed for the team. But great backlines don't just happen, they are coached to happen.
Put a game controlling 10 and a well-coached backline with the Tahs pack and we would be killing it.
