Western Force to welcome back Cameron Shepherd and Napolioni Nalaga for clash with NS

[travelling_gerry]

By Dale Granger The Sunday Telegraph April 08, 2012 11:05AM



Returning ... Shepherd will be back in the Force line-up on Friday night. Source: Justin Benson-Cooper / News Limited
Western Force will welcome much-needed backline experience to their squad this week with Fijian flyer Napolioni Nalaga and Wallabies utility Cameron Shepherd returning from injury for Friday's derby clash against New South Wales Waratahs.


The Waratahs are coming off a bye this weekend but will still be stinging from the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Force four weeks ago in Sydney, where the home crowd booed their shamed heroes off the field.

Force captain David Pocock played down the significance of the Force's 21-20 triumph in Sydney and the revenge factor, saying his team would have to prepare for a fierce battle irrespective of recent history.


"Every Australian derby is a big one. It's pretty personal - you know the guys pretty well and we expect nothing less than a pretty fired up Waratahs team. You can be sure of that," said the ace Force fetcher.

A fit-again Nalaga and Shepherd give Force coach Richard Graham a battle-hardened edge, absent in the Perth club's rookie backs and exploited by a Chiefs side fielding five All Blacks backline stars that swept them to a 20-12 win on Friday.



Coach Richard Graham was a lot harsher on his inexperienced backs than Chiefs counterpart Dave Rennie, who said the Force had improved substantially from their last effort - a 19-46 annihilation by the Hurricanes.

Graham praised his forwards and the team's "outstanding defensive effort", but lamented that the backs brought "no balance to our game".

Rennie admitted the Force had "frustrated" his side.

"We had the wood on them when we had the ball in our hands, but we were not accurate enough and turned the ball over a bit and spent a lot of time defending," he said.

"The boys had to make a lot of tackles and worked hard right to the final whistle.

"It's not that easy to win here and the Force are a lot better than a few weeks back."

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/su...-1226321388502

[Tazzmania]

At long last, a "bit" of depth to add to the backline. With Dellit back to fitness as well I think we will at least have a few more backline options. Not sure how we would line up but expect the backs as follows:

9) Sheehan
10) Harvey
11) Shepperd
12) Dellit
13) Cummins
14) Nalanga
15) Mafi

Bench backs:

Holmes , Seymour, Sidey and depending on the split Stanely or Waru

[Burgs]

"a Chiefs side fielding five All Blacks backline stars that swept them to a 20-12 win "

WTF? Tool.



For better or worse, I think he will stick with Stanley at #12, but agree with the rest of your line up Tazz.
RG has shown he isn't one for "radical" change and with two ins already I think he will want the rest stable.

[Burgs]

Actually, having also read the other thread and tossed it around a bit, I can see:

9 Sheehan
10 Seymour
11 Nalaga
12 Harvey
13 Cummins
14 Mafi
15 Shepherd

20 Holmes
21 Dellit
22 Wara

Answers two issues we have, we are screeming for a bigger boot at Fullback and, with emergence of the Badger at #13 we can re-focus on two play makers.

Undecided who is the better all around player, but I feel Seymour is the better Flyhalf.

[Tonkar]

I am just a bit mistified with all the praise for Nalanga at 11 by so many... He has played 3 games and got injured...
I found Wwarra hungry for ther ball in all his games where Nalanga held his position on the wing...
We saw the best home try this season from Seymour and Warra combining with that cross field kick
He has played some tough games and seems to work well with Honey B when we have ball in hand the young backs seem to throw it around...
Make Nalanga earns his spot give him 20 mins playing time in the 2nd halve which would make him an impact player and tell him play well you might get a start


In all credit the team last week played the best I have seen in a long time and to play that well against a full strenght Cheifs side and hold them out was the making of weeks to come
The cheifs feilded a great team and the boys rattled them the cheifs made mistakes coze they showed they were uncertian of there oppennets...
Good teams like the cheifs make errors when they are rattled when they play useless teams they get high scores

Our boys rattled them..

[terrycobner]

I am just a bit mistified with all the praise for Nalanga at 11 by so many... He has played 3 games and got injured...
I found Wwarra hungry for ther ball in all his games where Nalanga held his position on the wing...
We saw the best home try this season from Seymour and Warra combining with that cross field kick
He has played some tough games and seems to work well with Honey B when we have ball in hand the young backs seem to throw it around...
Make Nalanga earns his spot give him 20 mins playing time in the 2nd halve which would make him an impact player and tell him play well you might get a start


In all credit the team last week played the best I have seen in a long time and to play that well against a full strenght Cheifs side and hold them out was the making of weeks to come
The cheifs feilded a great team and the boys rattled them the cheifs made mistakes coze they showed they were uncertian of there oppennets...
Good teams like the cheifs make errors when they are rattled when they play useless teams they get high scores

Our boys rattled them..

Regarding napolioni nalaga
Check out YouTube to see what he's capable of given the ball. I don't recall any decent passing move involving him in the first 3 games. Bring him into the line in Centres if nothing else to create some go forward. Our tactics in the games he has played have been useless. When the backs have the ball we've got to focus on bringing him into the ball at speed in whatever position .
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[Ecky]

...plus he's the marquee player, so he's going to be picked in the run-on 15 whenever he is fit. Let's hope things gel and he gets heaps of ball in space so we can all marvel at what he can do in a blue jersey.

Wara has been a great find as a replacement, so we know we have great cover for the outside backs.

Similarly, Shep is going to be pretty much first pick when fit. Sadly this has not been that often, but he is a great player whose skill and experience are unquestioned. If he stays fit for the rest of the season then this will allow so much more flexibility to the selection staff.

[palitu]

oh if only he would...

[Happy]

crossing my fingers for you Cam!!!

[brokendown gunfighter]

yeah,there is the rest of this week's training & the captain's run to get through first

[GAFFA]

any info on when Wykes is due back and whats the go with whitiker?

[Tonkar]

Regarding napolioni nalaga
Check out YouTube to see what he's capable of given the ball. I don't recall any decent passing move involving him in the first 3 games. Bring him into the line in Centres if nothing else to create some go forward. Our tactics in the games he has played have been useless. When the backs have the ball we've got to focus on bringing him into the ball at speed in whatever position .
Posted via Mobile Device

I do understand some of what you have said here but I would have thought having a senior player out side on the wing he could have come in looking for work like Mafi and warra have done.. in the past few games.. we do pay him big money to help junior players adapt to the plays and read a game like you said come in and assist ...Show your worth I do see him more in the centres than a wing and I have seen him play top 14 in 2009 and yes he is very good with the ball...

I am still very much of the opinnion that you we need to keep players hungry and dont kick some players in the teeth by bringing in the big names ...
Go back to 2006 James Hilgendorf and Brock James were young and learning did us pround but RWA wanted results and got the princess in and what happenned they left and became very good players and the princess did not take us to higher levels

Just my version and i realise a lot of folks will not agree but please comment as i would like to hear people views

[Sheikh]

I thought in the first match Nalaga did stay outside too much, but then started to come inside to try and get a bit of ball, when he realised that he wasn't going to get much service on the wing. Plus, he'd been out of rugby for a while and was probably feeling his way back into the game/testing his fitness/working out the speed of the game vs what's used to in France.

I want to see him have a run of games in a side which can get him some ball (either inside or on the wing) before I bag the guy, because I reckon he's got the potential to become a monster. His injury happened at just the wrong time (assuming that it's a coincidence that we improved just when he got injured!)

[Tazzmania]

i but RWA wanted results and got the princess in and what happenned they left and became very good players and the princess did not take us to higher levels

Lets not forget with Gits and Mitchell we had our highest two finishes to date, mid table rather than bottom table where we have been without them.

While Gits did not have many supporters he gave everything in each and every match for us and was best on ground in most appearances. I for one would be happy to get a similar player(s) back again, this is a fifteen man team sport but it needs at least two play makers to spark the results we all crave for.

[Nipper]

I don't recall any decent passing move involving him in the first 3 games. Bring him into the line in Centres if nothing else to create some go forward. Our tactics in the games he has played have been useless. When the backs have the ball we've got to focus on bringing him into the ball at speed in whatever position.

I agree - the games he played in were the ones where the attack was pretty narrow and one-dimensional. Since he's been out, they've gotten much better at getting the ball wider and being a little more dynamic. Definitely will like to see what he can do with a little ball in space.

However, I do think that Wara has done fairly well and shouldn't get dropped. Nalanga should have to earn it - come in at half or 60 minutes and show what he can do (esp. against a tiring defense).

As for Shep, same deal. I still love to watch his sideline conversion for their first home win. But, "What have you done for me lately?" It's rather harsh, but he hasn't done anything on the field in well over a year, and shouldn't get selected on long past performances. If he's fit and firing, then earn it in the same manner - come on as a sub and show your stuff.

Harvey has been solid, scored a boatload of points and basically saved the team's ass or kept them close in every game he's played. That performance needs to be rewarded - and unless Shep comes on and kicks everything in our own half and more, then it's a no-brainer.

This is professional footy, and you can't select a guy because he's been a loyal servant - he needs to perform (and that goes for both Nalaga and Shep).