Tahs pick up Force & Red's discard.

[travelling_gerry]

Elsom's role awaits recruit






Bret Harris | February 03, 2009


Article from: The Australian

FORMER Queensland Reds and Western Force blindside flanker Luke Doherty has agreed to terms with NSW Waratahs for the Super 14 season.

Doherty has secured a release from his Japanese club to join the Waratahs but will miss their first game of the season against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
He is expected to be available for the Waratahs' second game against the Chiefs in Sydney.
A genuine jumping option, Doherty has the potential to take over the lineout role of former blindside flanker Rocky Elsom.
The Waratahs had originally planned to replace Elsom with a foreign player, but when they could not find a suitable candidate they turned their attention to Australians playing overseas.

NSW second-rowers Dean Mumm and Will Caldwell are hoping their combined talent will cover for the loss of Wallabies lock Dan Vickerman.

Vickerman was a tower of strength at the Waratahs for five years until he decided to continue his education in England at Cambridge University.

Mumm is looking to take over Vickerman's crucial role as the lineout caller, while Caldwell is aiming to supply the physicality the South African-born forward contributed in the tight play.

Although he is keen to play blindside flanker, Mumm is more than happy to pack down in the second row for the Waratahs.

"I like six because it adds a bit of freedom, but I like second row because it gives you greater involvement in the lineout," Mumm said.

"I called the lineout last week (against Fiji) and I think I'll be calling them this week (against the Brumbies).

"Hopefully, I'll do a good enough job that they will give me the nod further down.
"It's obviously added responsibility. It's more about preparation and those sort of things.

"That's why Vicks was so good. He was so precise about his preparation in the week leading up to the game.

"That's why his ability to read lineouts was so good. That's an aspect that I have to increase. If my preparation is as good as Vicks, then hopefully my role will be as good as his."

Caldwell was relishing the prospect of taking over Vickerman's role as the hard man of the pack.

"With Vicks leaving, it opens a spot for that hard-nosed, aggressive player doing the tighter, harder stuff. And I think my game has over the years progressed into that role," Caldwell said.

"We have to step it up and get that mongrel mentality back in the pack that Vicks insisted on, in his own way."

Mumm and Caldwell will test their second-row combination when the Waratahs play the Brumbies in a trial in Sydney on Thursday night. The Brumbies pack will include Australia second-rowers Mark Chisholm and Peter Kimlin.

"That's going to be a good test for us, particularly (in the) lineout," Mumm said.
"They have four pretty good lineout forwards in (Mark) Chapman and (Stephen) Hoiles as well as Kimlin and Chisholm."

NSW coach Chris Hickey confirmed five-eighth Kurtley Beale and hooker Adam Freier would start against the Brumbies after coming off the bench against Fiji.
Beale is competing with Daniel Halangahu for the No10 jersey, while Freier is battling with Wallabies teammate Tatafu Polota-Nau for hooking duties.



http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html

[TOCC]

nice spin on the title....

[travelling_gerry]

Better?

[JediKnight]

I seem to remember someone posting recently about the Tahs being the only Aussie side that develops its own talent......or maybe I was dreaming!!!

WJ, maybe you can enlighten us on why the Tahs are having to resort to picking up 'Reds & Force discards' (add in the Brumbies to that if we include Scott Fava) to have a chance of avoiding mid-table mediocrity in 2009!

[waratahjesus]

scott fava would be a nsw junior, dont know much about luke but im pretty sure the force didnt develop him!

[waratahjesus]

to have a chance of avoiding mid-table mediocrity in 2009!

isnt this a force recruitment tactic?
if not it should be, you could double your membership with honesty!

[James]

isnt this a force recruitment tactic?
if not it should be, you could double your membership with honesty!

You could double your membership by going out and giving a random person one free membership.

[The InnFORCEr]

You could double your membership by going out and giving a random person one free membership.

And you'd also have someone to play with at GTT instead of just playing with yourself

[Happy]

[James]

That would be some party. Maybe if they were really lucky Tah-Man would come along.

[waratahjesus]

i dont think you can hassle tah man!
do you even have a mascot?
tah man is mega funny, he is meant to be a parady and he has done what he was brought into, increase child memberships.
due to his involvement last year, we actually have a dedicated family membership end and a party end this year. Tah Man has been a very good thing!

[waratahjesus]

You could double your membership by going out and giving a random person one free membership.

little secret, no one in nsw in any sport gives a hoot about season memberships!
while you guys do exceptionally well, and why subi has payed a part in its decline, during super rugby season, no one in sydney really wants to watch the south african teams, we have a large kiwi population that come along to watch there teams and we turn up in large numbers for the local derby. it happens all over the comp in many countries, im not saying its causing the decline of your membership, but i know alot of sydney siders consider what home games are on before commiting.

also a friday night in sydney means, if you finish work at 5.30 outside the city, your lucky to make it to the gates half an hour before kick off due to the crapness of our government, even people who work in the city barely get there on time!

[JediKnight]

i dont think you can hassle tah man!

Is that what he told you over breakfast?!?!

do you even have a mascot?

No, we don't need to resort to such pathetic behaviour to cover for the shortcomings of our team.

we actually have a dedicated family membership end and a party end this year

What happened to the Tah Patrol? Have their numbers declined at the same rapid rate as the membership of GTT?

little secret, no one in nsw in any sport gives a hoot about season memberships!

sums up everything bad about NSW supporters!

no one in sydney really wants to watch the south african teams, we have a large kiwi population that come along to watch there teams and we turn up in large numbers for the local derby

so what you're saying is that NSW rugby 'fans' don't actually want to watch the Waratahs play....they're there to watch the opposition?!?!?!

it happens all over the comp in many countries

not in the West, where the real rugby supporters are

also a friday night in sydney means, if you finish work at 5.30 outside the city, your lucky to make it to the gates half an hour before kick off due to the crapness of our government

if you worked harder during the week you might be able to do what most people do...take a late lunch on Friday and head straight to the game

[waratahjesus]

Is that what he told you over breakfast?!?!
nah, we had brunch

No, we don't need to resort to such pathetic behaviour to cover for the shortcomings of our team. you should, then you wouldnt see the shortcomings


What happened to the Tah Patrol? Have their numbers declined at the same rapid rate as the membership of GTT? the Tah Patrol would be at the party end, not in the family zone!

sums up everything bad about NSW supporters!
not really, we average pretty good crowds, we just have other sports on at the same time, do you honestly believe if your at mes next year and an afl game is on at the same time there is no supporters at the rugby who follow the afl enough to have to choose which game they go to?


so what you're saying is that NSW rugby 'fans' don't actually want to watch the Waratahs play....they're there to watch the opposition?!?!?!
no, but nice spin! if you look at your own numbers the crowds fluctuate according to the opposition! even SANZAR have identified this which is why JON talks about having an extra round of australian matches each year to increase crowds and revenue

not in the West, where the real rugby supporters are
well, you can argue this, if the west is full of real rugby supporters then channel seven would show international games live, as it stands the ratings are so poor in the west they couldnt be bothered. old movies rate better. you do have good rugby supporters but you dont have alot of them!


if you worked harder during the week you might be able to do what most people do...take a late lunch on Friday and head straight to the game

some of us do, i get fridays of games off so i can start drinking early, but not everyone has the ability to negotiate there hours! i work for myself so its fine by me. but sydney is a very big city and nto the five minute bus ride perth is! it takes time to commute around its beauty! (and its shite!)

nicely played jedi, i await round 2!

[James]

tah man is mega funny, he is meant to be a parady and he has done what he was brought into, increase child memberships.

If I was a child I would enjoy watching Tah-Man. It would be nice for them to know that at least their lives won't turn out that bad.