SPIRIT SHOOTS FOR THE STARS IN JOONDALUP

[Hansie]

The most refreshing outcome for me personally is that for years naysayers have pitched our club comp as equal to Sydney 3rd grade at best... I reckon we ought to be proud of our clubbies.

[Reds81]

If the people who've been coaching the Rising are the ones who'll be coaching the Rebels next season they could be very competitive!! Eeek!!

Not sure you can compare the two.

[Reds81]

You have to consider it in the context of who they are playing against. That was pretty much a Rebels A team give or take a couple of players. The Brumbies A team would probably not include more than 1 or 2 of the players the Vikings rolled out. You also have to wonder whether so many back to back games at this point in the year will allow enough time for rest for the Rebels players for the start of Super Rugby in February.

Rubbish! What about all the blokes playing ITM or Currie cup? Are they not professional rugby players?. Absolute crap that fit and able Force players not involved in recent weeks!

[wholetruth]

Am just hoping the Spirit aren't going to fall back to the old kick feet strategy, as per Footes statement about a kicking battle if they need to. God I hope not! They always gain loads more ground when they attack & look stronger. AND IF I SEE ANOTHER BLOODY CHIP KICK...................!!

I wondered what you were talking about until I saw this.

Sydney pack a test for Spirit
Nick Taylor The West Australian
September 27, 2014, 10:34 am

Sydney pack a test for Spirit

Different styles, strategies and game plans will be employed when Perth Spirit clash with Sydney Stars in the National Rugby Championship at HBF Arena tomorrow.
The Spirit will want to unleash their all-Western Force back line. The Stars will be looking to a bulldozing pack which has plenty of international and Super Rugby experience.
The Stars will start with Wallabies props Paddy Ryan and Laurie Weeks and with giant second-rower Will Skelton, who has a point to prove after being dumped from the Wallabies. They will be led by Waratahs flanker Patrick McCutcheon.
They also have US hooker Tom Coolican and Waratahs prop Jeremy Tilse on the bench, but none of that worries Spirit captain Sam Wykes, who leads a pack with just three players having Super Rugby experience.
"It's a good test," Wykes said. "There are a lot of Tahs boys in that team.
"They were the No.1 pack in Super Rugby and, with Will Skelton coming back into their squad, it will be a massive challenge for the tight five. It's a good test for some of our boys who haven't had much Super Rugby experience.
"No matter what competition you play in, you never want that forward pack to get over you."
Spirit coach Kevin Foote is expecting a forward onslaught but said the Stars had plenty of other dangers.
"They have a lot of international experience and are going to ask a lot of questions in the forwards but they move it around as well," Foote said.
"In the centres, they've got (Jim) Stuart, who played Australian under-20, and (Michael) Hodge. He's been in and out of the Waratahs. They've got pace out wide, we've got to be on top of it."
The Spirit will look to counterattack from deep but Foote said patience was a priority.
"If the space is on, we will take it but if we have to go into a bit of a kicking battle, we will," he said.
"We just have to get the balance right between kicking and counterattack.
"We have to be selective. You have to win the kicking battle and then counter from a strong field position."It's about us understanding when it's time to strike."

[James]

Rubbish! What about all the blokes playing ITM or Currie cup? Are they not professional rugby players?. Absolute crap that fit and able Force players not involved in recent weeks!

Maybe. Are those players firing at 100% at the time Super Rugby starts? Who is to say that NZ and South African super rugby teams wouldn't perform better if there wasn't a Currie Cup or an ITM Cup?

We will have to wait and see when February rolls around to see if the Rebels are actually any better than last year or not.

[westies man]

[QUOTE=James;38762 Who is to say that NZ and South African super rugby teams wouldn't perform better if there wasn't a Currie Cup or an ITM Cup?

[/QUOTE]

Surely that's a wind up

[James]

Not a wind up, but should have been better phrased:

For a Super Rugby regular (e.g. who plays 15 odd games a season plus 2 or 3 pre-season games), would they play better if they were rested/allowed a proper pre-season instead of playing week in week out competition through August, September, October?

For a guy like Matt Hodgson, whose body takes an absolute beating, wouldn't you need a couple of months to fully recover and get your body right? Now in Matt's case he probably won't get that. He will end up on the Wallabies Spring tour. But my question is this: Would Matt Hodgson be in better form next season if he went with the Wallabies or stayed home and rested?

[GIGS20]

Would Matt Hodgson be in better form next season if he went with the Wallabies or stayed home and rested?

not based upon anything but personal opinion, I'd go with the former. More play = more better!

[Jules]

How was the match? Good crowd?

[UNCLE BOOG]

Good crowd, great day. Entertaining rugby.

[beige]

How was the match? Good crowd?

1445 was the published attendance.

[James]

1 Melbourne Rising 30
2 Brisbane City 16
3 NSW Country Eagles 15
4 Perth Spirit 11
5 Canberra Vikings 11
6 Greater Sydney Rams 11
7 North Harbour Rays 10
8 Queensland Country 6
9 Sydney Stars 2

Tight ladder. We still play QLD Country next weekend. Then a bye then Eagles away. Need to win both to stay in the finals race.

[James]

1 Melbourne Rising 30
2 Brisbane City 16
3 NSW Country Eagles 15
4 Perth Spirit 11
5 Canberra Vikings 11
6 Greater Sydney Rams 11
7 North Harbour Rays 10
8 Queensland Country 6
9 Sydney Stars 2

Tight ladder. We still play QLD Country next weekend. Then a bye then Eagles away. Need to win both to stay in the finals race.

Here is the poser: Do we roll out our best available team for the remaining 2 games to try to get into the finals or do we continue on with leaving some of our Super players in Perth for away games?

[jargan83]

Have to say that Arena Joondalup is a horrible place to watch Rugby. They should have roped off the Rugby pitch and let people on the oval.

The game was good and entertaining but it seemed like a pre-season game.

[westies man]

Kept a special watch on Will Skelton. I think he is actually too big to have any real impact in the modern game. Parks himself midfield all day and at second receiver carries easy ball's without really doing any damage . Hit no ruck's and has bugger all or no athleticism, don't think he is the messiah everyone think's he will be.