Shopping List for Next Year

[farva]

Right, the season is over, so where are the gaps we need to plug?

In the front row, we have pretty a pretty decent starting lineup in Cowen, Whittaker/Charles and Fairbrother. And in Henderson we have a handy back up. But we need a player or two coming on. To be honest, I dont think Longbottem is the player for this (and he is 25 or so anyway). so we need a young up and coming prop. Hooker is covered with both Charles and Whittaker looking good.

In the second row, Sharpe is nearing the end of his career, so one of Wykes and Hocking (preferably Hocking) need to stand up. McCalman is suitable there as an enforcer Bakkies style, but he wont be calling the lineout. So an up and coming genuine lock would be useful (as opposed to a lock / blindside hybrid).

In teh backrow we must be the best endowed club in the S14s. Hodgson, Pocock and Brown are all opensides, but also are excellent as a starting backrow. McCalman, Stanford and Wykes can adequately cover 6/8 should it be needed.

We are set for scrummies. Sheehan had a very good season. Chrisso is gone, but Turner would have displaced him next year. And with Swanepoel we have two emerging scrummies - another strength.

We are in desperate need of an established flyhalf. Hunt may or may not be the long term option, and then there is Kyle Godwin who should be ready for senior games the year after next. And at a pinch, JOC could cover here, but I would prefer him at 12. So we need an established flyhalf to see us through the next 3 years or so. Hill would have been great had he stuck around. And word is Pretorius wants another shot. But I would prefer someone we can rely on making the field a bit more.

In the centres, we have JOC and Inman as the young guns, with Cross still running around as well. Has Tatupu left or is the Otago thing an off season stint? Anyway, we are pretty well set here, especially if Staniforth is nabbed for another year. Plus Cummins can cover at a pinch, and may end up a 13.

In the outside backs, DHP will hopefully start making an impact. And a full year behind Cummins should see him back to where he was last year. Bart is getting on, and so is spanner. Shep is world class if fit, but that is a huge if. And JOC can be used at 15, but in reality he is a 12, so he needs to get to his best position next year. Id like to see another fast young wing, and another genuine fullback picked up.

So there we go, we need:
A young prop for the future
A young genuine lock for teh future
An established flyhalf
A fast young wing for the future
A genuine fullback for the future.

Anyone got any names? Who is in the local comp that could fill these spots?

[jono]

buy out hill's contract.
and i would love to hear whats happening with spanner and the offer he was tabled

[James]

I've spent a fair bit of time thinking about this. We don't really need any new front rowers like you say for the next while plus we have 2 that didn't play for the Force this year off with the U20s so we are suitably covered (Siliva Siliva and Cruze Ah-Nau).

Lock will be a big concern with the departure of Sharpie (assuming he goes- I for one would love to see him stay on as a player for the next 10 years and then another 10 coaching ). So we need someone to replace Luke Jones and there are two good candidates: Greg Peterson a huge unit (~201cm and maybe still growing) who played with Jones in the Australian Schoolboys and plays for Manly in the Shute Shield; Dave McDuling a Sydney Uni lock (195, 112) who is 22 next year. I'd also consider Sitaleki Timani who used to be at the Force (he's been released by the Brumbies and is an absolute beast. There is a lock in our academy who hopefully will be ready to step up in the post-Sharpie era too.

Established fly-half: ??? No practical ideas there . I'm sure something will come up but this one is definitely the big must for next year.

Speedy winger: Clinton Sills? He plays in the 7s- he's supposed to be lightning quick.

Genuine fullback: Hopefully Cam Shepherd will return to fitness and re-sign. I'd love to see Ben Batger or Adam D'Arcy given a look at. Of the two preferably Batger.

There are some pretty talented kids in the Force academy by the looks of things but a couple of them are just a year or two or three off being ready.

[farva]

Siliva Siliva and Cruze Ah-Nau

I have heard these names before but know very little about them. They are in the academy then? And are they capable of being quality S14 players? If so, thats the front row covered.
I had high hopes Luke Jones would stay in Perth as he is a future Wallaby. But I guess game time at the Rebels against bench time at the Force is an offer too hard to refuse, cant really begrudge him there.

[force addict]

cruze ah-nau travelled with JT i think 2 years ago to NZ with the Force as academy kids

[pruc]

cruze ah-nau went to Guildford, plays for kala and has gone through the system. Silvia is a victoria born and bred that was signed by the force at the start of last season plays for soaks. both without doubt future force

[AndyS]

Cruze Ah-Nau has been in the academy for ages, but is still eligible for U-20s?? He must have really showed something young, especially being a frontrower!

[Tazzmania]

I think that if we can keep what we have together we should be well placed, however, with the departure of Gits we saw how hard it was to work without a playmaker until Hill settled in, we need tie this up pretty quickly, and I beleive the most importnat thing we lacked someone with genuine out and out speed in the back line, we have some great well built units, but need someone who can suddenly take off and spark something different as our attacks too often this year were too similar and we battled to break the defensive line enough.

[AndyS]

I'd agree with most of the above.

• We need to be able to see the next young front rower developing, assuming we only lose Dunning. Sounds like it may be in hand...?
• We need to have a look at the U-20s and schoolboy ranks for the next developing lock, but again a developing player is probably adequate.
• If the long term plan for O'Connor is 10 then he needs to start playing there, probably in tandem with Bartholomeusz. If it isn't, then they need a marquee for the next two years while they bring Hunt and Godwin through (and they need to be ready for the step up in two years time).
• Assuming Cross is not going to be around forever, they need to have a plan for identifying or developing a young centre in the Staniforth mould for those times you need a more robust distributing 12 rather than the second playmaker.
• They really need at least one, probably two, young wingers with serious gas. We had a real problem exploiting breaks and missed tackles this year and our kick-chase was patchy at best. We really need some gas-men in the style of Davies at the Reds, with that finish last week.

[Hoolly Doolly]

id have a crack at recruiting nemani ndolo. game time might be enuff to lure the big winger. alfi mafi i am lead to believe has been cut loose by the brumbies and i believe huxley is open to offers.
Id like to see timani back in the squad. he was a near on unstoppable in the ARC.
I hope theres more urgency in developing the local guys in WA. if we keep relying on the other unions we could end up like the highlanders where guys from other provinces not picked up , go south to have a shot get noticed and then go back home.
As much as i felt Hunt wasnt ready to start i felt he should have at least had more time interchanging with hill instead of barthy. this year is wasted oppurtunity for Hunt to gain some valuable experience without the pressure and expectation imo.

[robyn <3]

Longbottom has come through WA rugby ranks and that is why the Western Force was created (to get guys like him through into S14 from the 'rugby wilderness'. Not just for Longbottom). I'm thoroughly disappointed the kid isn't getting more game time. He's looked the goods and we just keep on importing Dunning stuff. It needs to stop and we need some WA talent to come through instead. Cut the ties with Dunning, considering he's not sure he wants to stay and he hasn't made a game without a scrum penalty against him (am I even exaggerating here? Did he make a game without a scrum penalty?) and have Longbottom step up. *Rant over*

McCalmum has been a little firecracker. Potential find of the year. I've got a feeling Crossy won't be hanging around after his current contract, who would come into the centres from the academy?

When JOC was Hunt's age, he'd played for Australia. I'm a little confused at why they're sheltering him like mad.

[BDAVEY]

Marque player 2010 should be a 10/12. but I would liek to wait until all the current players have expressed their committment to the EWF
wHAT ABOUT THE COACH!!!! JM needs to move on now he is only a caretaker bring on David Nucifora

[farva]

Robyn, while I am very pleased that Longbottom has come through the ranks in WA and made his super rugby debut, I just dont think he is up to the standard needed in a starting prop. He is there for cover, but I dont see him being a starting player. I would love to be proved wrong though.

And JOC may have played for Australia at Hunts age, but JOC is a freak! Hunt will get his time, but given many are still nervous about playing JOC at 10, I am pretty sure that Hunt wont get a run there until he has a few years of super rugby under his belt. He has some talent but has no experience, and that is what we need at 10. And on the bench we needed someone who we can rely on at 10.

---------- Post added at 19:28 ---------- Previous post was at 19:28 ----------

And yes, we need a coach!

[PerthGirl]

I read in Saturday's West that a new coach should be chosen early July. There have been 30 applications for the positon and a short list will be decided next week. Also Pretorious is interested in having another crack at 10 and is in talks with the Force, Stanners is expected to decide in the next week and they hope to finalise a decision on Shep soon.

Sorry Andy, I've just read your posting on this in another thread

[robyn <3]

Robyn, while I am very pleased that Longbottom has come through the ranks in WA and made his super rugby debut, I just dont think he is up to the standard needed in a starting prop. He is there for cover, but I dont see him being a starting player. I would love to be proved wrong though.

And JOC may have played for Australia at Hunts age, but JOC is a freak! Hunt will get his time, but given many are still nervous about playing JOC at 10, I am pretty sure that Hunt wont get a run there until he has a few years of super rugby under his belt. He has some talent but has no experience, and that is what we need at 10. And on the bench we needed someone who we can rely on at 10.

But how much of an opportunity has Longbottom been given to prove that he's not up to the standard? Did he have a game of the the bench this season, or am I muddled? With Dunning every game giving away a penalty at scrum time, I thought it was poorly done, myself. During 2009/08 (fuzzy memory) he had a couple of starts and I remember being really chuffed with his performances.

With all the fuss they've made about Hunt, I was under the impression we had another JOC on our hands. I'd have thought once we were out of the running for the title they'd've given people like Hunt and Longbottom a turn and give them the experience they need under their belts.

We do, undoubtly, need another flyhalf though. But I think we're pretty well covered in props at the moment.