I'm suddenly feeling a tad more confident about this next match!
Fair dinkum, if a mob of Queenslander redneck cattle molesters can get bored in a "cow town" then there is something very wrong! I am now starting to repress the memory of having supported them in the past!!!
Seriously though, what a joke that they would even let such a thing be attributed to them in the press, just a true indictment of how crap their year is turning out to be and I have a sneaking suspicion that they will be reaching for the excuse book again by Saturday night.
From professional athletes this is an embarrassment.
Cow town: Reds bored in Hamilton
Monday, March 6, 2006
The Reds have cited pre-match boredom in the New Zealand provincial city of Hamilton as one reason for their sub-par Super 14 performance against the Chiefs.
The Queenslanders slumped to their fourth successive loss last Friday night when the Chiefs proved far too strong with a 35-17 victory.
It was by far the worst showing of the season for the Reds who had won plaudits in prior losses to the Waratahs, Crusaders and Blues.
But they lacked intensity against the Chiefs and skipper Chris Latham pointed to the match day preparation as a factor.
While the coaching staff organised a game of tennis and Latham went for a walk, many of the other players spent their day in Hamilton in bed or watching television in the hotel.
"We had three very high intensity games at home and this was our first game away in what would not be the world's most exciting town," Latham said.
"There's not really that much to do and I think our preparation certainly was different to what individuals do to prepare here at home.
"If we were here in sunny Brisbane, there's a lot of things to do and a lot of places to go and get out and get motivated and get moving.
"Stuck in a hotel lazing around just counting the hours till we can get out and get playing certainly wasn't the best preparation."
Hamilton, 130 kilometres south of Auckland, is New Zealand's fourth largest city and like Brisbane a river flows through it - the Waikato.
Popular with migrants, the city boasts a population of about 140,000 and is host to the Waikato Museum of Art and Culture, which has one of New Zealand's best preserved Maori war canoes.
The lush and fertile Waikato region is a noted dairy farming area.
While the delights of Waikato escaped the Reds, they plan to do more to ensure they are better prepared when they head to South Africa for three Super 14 matches later this month.
"As a senior player group and as a management group we've got to make sure that, one, we've learnt lessons from that and we can move forward and, two, make sure the less experienced players and junior players are aware of what's required in preparation when we're away from home," Latham said.
Reds want revenge on Force
By Steve Connolly
March 6, 2006
REDS coach Jeff Miller wants revenge on the Western Force for the grief the new Australian Super 14 franchise caused Queensland last season.
The Perth-based team led by former Reds Test lock Nathan Sharpe fronts Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night in a must-win game for the Queenslanders.
The Reds will go into the game without in-form back rower Hugh McMeniman, who is out for one match with a shoulder injury.peA loss to the Force will humiliate the Reds and burden them with the unwanted tag of Australia's worst Super 14 team.
After starting the season with four straight losses, Miller today acknowledged the Reds were under pressure to perform against the competition's cellar dwellers.
But Miller said the Force had given the Reds plenty of motivation.
Eight Queensland players joined the Force and the WA franchise's recruitment drive, which included announcing Sharpe's signing while the Reds were in South Africa, was a major distraction last season.
"I know from an organisational perspective we really want to perform well this weekend given the grief that was caused last year through the negotiation period right through Super 12," Miller said.
"Personally I'd like to see us win and win well."
Miller said the extra pressure this weekend could be a blessing for the Reds – disappointing last start 35-17 losers to the Chiefs.
"There is a fair bit of pressure and expectation on the team and I don't see that as being a bad thing," he said.
"I think if you use it in a positive way, hopefully that will lift us to the level of intensity that we need."
The Reds have adopted a more low key marketing approach to the clash with the Force than they did when they hosted the Waratahs and former Queensland winger Wendell Sailor in game one.
"Big Dell sells – Sharpie ... there's not much to say about Sharpie," said Reds fullback Chris Latham.
Latham refuses to concede Queensland's season is sunk despite the 0-4 opening.
"The Crusaders have done it, I think Auckland went 0-3 and did it so there's no reason why the Queensland Reds can't do it," he said.
The Reds will decide later this week on the fitness of centre Julian Huxley who has a swollen ankle.
Regular captain John Roe, lock Mark Connors, fly half Berrick Barnes and halfback Nic Berry also need to get through training in the next couple of days to be considered for selection.
Former international Ben Tune and fellow winger Peter Hynes are available despite both just playing half a game for Queensland A during last Friday's 55-7 flogging from NSW A in Sydney.
