I'll go out on a limb and guess it would be about money...
I get the impression that the high performance people from RA who visited during the year were impressed with what they saw: coaching, facilities, opportunities, etc. That and possibly the Force have the resources to top up what RA can fund, unlike every other franchise.Originally Posted by todd4
I’m no mungo expert so question for those that are here (you know who you are) - he plays 2nd row in Mungo, could he play as a flanker in union or will he just purely be another centre option?
In the press releases about white, Donaldson and Tupou, they mentioned that the first 200k of wallaby contracts need to be paid by the club.
I assume that not many clubs had room in their contract or interest in taking him on.
Honestly if Shasta is right and 13 is his spot, I think Spink will be blowing the place apart by 2025 and we wouldn't have room for a transition player, but I'm not anywhere near Simon crowns coaching ability.
Maybe it's just McLennan preparing for a surreptitious move to the tahs when they axe the force.
C'mon the
Reality, most likely money. Most likely buttering a potential investor in RA or proving to a potential investor they can "Share".
Fantasy, the realised they absolutely F****ed up in 2017. They saw a lot the players leave Aus rugby. They finally realised it wasn't the Force costing Aus Rugby. That they finally brought ABs west and not only sold out the stadium but won. That the participation numbers in the state isn't worth ignoring. There is potential here. It's not in competition with RL. The SOB are awesome. The academy, the now coaches like Thrush and Holmes. The Opportunity!!!
But most likely trying to befriend Mr Forrest (money)
I reckon, how awesome is he.
But from listening to Cron's interviews, he wants depth and competition.
As long as they aren't journeymen looking just for cash. I'm in
Good question Ox. Not sure how much RL positional play you know but the description of 2nd rower is as redundant as "scrum". They are mostly described as "edge forwards" nowdays. They defend and generally carry 3 in. They are fairly frequent try scorers. He usually plays on the left and will maybe need to work on his left to right pass. At 6'2" and 102kg he's a little bigger and possibly more athletic than Kano so maybe 8/blindside but with only 2 years GPS Rugby a decade ago he'll have some catch-up work to get through. Strong ball carrier/tackle breaker.
To GIGS' point where I said 13 most likely; it's the hardest to defend which is another negative for an inexperienced Mungo. Depending a on his left/right pass ability 12 could also be a maybe.
Last edited by shasta; 28-09-23 at 17:44.
At 6'2" and 102kg he may be a little bigger and possibly more athletic than Kaino, but I would seriously question whether he is as hard into and through contact. He has probably never needed to be...take the tackle, set up the next play. I hope someone takes him aside as soon as he lands and makes the point that he has an opportunity to show what he could have done if given the chance to show what he really had in the tank.
Wouldn't busting tackles be the same regardless of whether you're playing league or union?
C'mon the
I'd be inclined to lean into this new "Utility" role rather than trying to get him to specialise, at least in his first season.
I can see him as a handy Backrow, but also was a gifted 12-13 at Scots.
If Rugby is moving towards 6-2 and 7-1 Benches then he may well be the Australian version in the making.
One thing he will bring is experience of high performance environments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtP3tfKwf7s
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Not from what I've seen. And not a question of capability, more of attitude. There seems to be a tendency to treat it like a 'down' in the NFL...lay down, and use it to get everyone set up for the next attack. Has crept into Australian Union a lot too IMO, with players happy to run directly into a tackler rather than attack weak arms and shoulders and try to power through, or stay on feet and get the offload away. One of the biggest differences between Australian and NZ/PI rugby, for mine.
Pretty much. In either game, if you don't break through you either try to offload in the tackle or take it to ground and recycle. Where "wide backrowers" in RL score tries is mostly by running an inside line against a sliding defence close to the goal line. Running at the gap, not a defender. If he does end up here, Burgs might be on the money with the bench utility idea.
This popped up on my YouTube feed. While we're talking about the value of paying big sums for RL players, it's interesting to listen to a bloke who has coached both games at elite level. His take on the Sam Burgess experiment is exactly what I've always thought.
https://youtu.be/m0IMG5YRSFE?si=i4k3hf9miZ_XMTad
Excellent Sports Chat with Matt Hodgson on SportsFM giving an update on a wide range of issues going forward.
Any news on the following staying for 2024:
Sifa Amone
Isi Naisarani
Henry Robertson
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote