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Another bitter sweet movement, like Tim Samson, Kyle has been great to get us to where we are and has been enormous for the club.
However with the likes of Bayley Kunzel and hopefully Poolman in the future, the 12 position looks locked up and that is really where he belongs. He has done well for us at 13 but is not a genuine 13 and we need a bigger bodied 13 to help us move to the next level.
He has been a great clubman and always has time to engage with the fans and is one of the last to leave the field each week. On the upside he gets to move on his own terms and I am sure Lyon will enjoy having around the club.
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
Hear hear.
13 has certainly been a bit of a bogey position in recent years hasn't it?
Hopefully his departure will generate an opportunity for somebody to convincingly make the jersey theirs
C'mon the![]()
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A poster on GAGR is suggesting that Tiaan Falcon is a possibility to follow Simon Cron to the Force.
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
To not flog the list thread.
Has fainga'a been confirmed?
Also Rodda signed onto 2024
https://wallabies.rugby/news/izack-r...-rugby-2022228
Just looking at TIF's signings thread, in the list, there are 18 players who are contracted till the end of this season (not counting WTS players, who might revert to WTS contracts next year)
6 have already signed on elsewhere and the rumour is a dozen leaving
Basically that means 1/2 our off-contract players are out the door. Now some of that is unsurprising/expected but that's a pretty big number
Who would be the 6 you want to see upgraded?
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From the WTS/EPS upgraded
Bo Abra
Ollie Callan
Alex Masibaka
To see re-sign
Tom Robertson
Feleti Kaitu'u
Tim Anstee
Kane Koteka
Bailey Kuenzle
Toni Pulu
Nick Taylor speaks about a clutch of Junior Wallabies joining us next year.
You would have to sumise they may be somehow connected to Simon Cron, he was the junior Wallaby coach in 2017 and I thought it would be good to have a look at his squad at the time.
Looking at the squad a number of have gone well and some have faded as you would expect.
With a number already contracted, running my eye over the team, the only worthwhile potential acquisitions may be:
Hockings (Brother played for the Force and lives in WA, also left Reds with Rodda)
Maddocks (Never sure what you get with him, blows hot and cold but I think better than what we have as a fullback)
Wright (However cannot see him leaving Reds other than for overseas contract)
this was his squad:
SQUAD
Prop
Harry Johnson-Holmes, NSW
Harry Chapman, NSW
Vaauli Faamausili, Victoria
Dan Matthew, NSW
Hooker
Tom Horton, NSW
Efi Maafu, Queensland
Sama Malolo, Western Australia
Lock
Harry Hockings, Queensland
Angus Blyth, Queensland
Ryan McCauley, NSW
Darcy Swain, ACT
Backrow
Lachlan Swinton, NSW
Angus Scott-Young, Queensland
Reece Hewat, Queensland
Liam Wright, Queensland
Angus Allen, ACT
Scrumhalf
Harry Nucifora, Queensland
Ryan Lonergan, ACT
Theo Strang, NSW
Flyhalf
Hamish Stewart , Queensland
Jack McGregor, Victoria
Centre
Tony Hunt, Queensland
Nick Jooste, ACT
Dylan Riley, Queensland
Len Ikitau, ACT
Wing
James Ramm, NSW
Jayden Ngamanu, Queensland
Fullback
Semisi Tupou, Victoria
Jack Maddocks, Victoria
Food for thought!
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
Oh, did you read the "clutch of Junior Wallabies" comment that way.
I thought it was a reference to the young guns we picked up from the Ponies this year (Pasitoa, Kuenzle, Tapine)
Wasn't sure whether any of them were actually junior Wallabies, but was also too lazy to do the research
C'mon the![]()
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Will be interesting to see which approach we take
a) raid the other aussie teams (e.g. Faingaa plus others)
b) try get players back from overseas (e.g. Kerevi, Hockings, McMahon etc)
or
c) try and get some more Kiwi's and saffas. Personally I like this option, they would have to be players not in contention for All Blacks, but maybe a little younger than Kahui and Thrush. There are some very good kiwis playing in Japan and probably a lot in the ITM cup that would be better than some of our existing players.
I know the team should be producing Wallabies eligible players but there is not enough depth for a whole team of that IMO
13 has been a problem. I''d really like Hodgo to approach Curtis Rona, if available. Every time I've watched Irish this year he's been one of their top performers. Ollie Hoskins has gone well also and has pretty much cemented himself in the their starting pack. But does that translate well to Super Rugby? Adam Coleman is a no-brainer, but like Rona his price-tag would have a fairly large number on it.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David