Force still best for O’Connor: Mitchell

[tdevil]

Source: The West
Force still best for O’Connor: Mitchell

10th June 2009, 7:00 WST

Western Force coach John Mitchell yesterday urged new Wallabies starter James O’Connor to consider fact rather than hype when deciding on his Super 14 future.

O’Connor, named to start at fullback for the Wallabies against Italy in Saturday’s Test match at Canberra Stadium, is the subject of a fierce tugof-war between the Force and the Brumbies, who intensified their recruiting bid this week despite public utterances they had laid off the teenage sensation.

The Force dismissed as a smokescreen a Canberra Times report claiming the Brumbies had given up chasing O’Connor. The story quoted Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan saying the club had “moved on” from pursuing O’Connor.

“I’m actually working pretty firmly on the basis that he will stay over there,” Fagan told the newspaper.

Although the Force are cautiously optimistic about retaining their young star, they remain wary of the Brumbies who capitalised on the Wallabies’ presence in Canberra to buy O’Connor dinner last Sunday.

As the only Australian side to have claimed a Super rugby title, in 2001 and 2004, the Brumbies suggest their superior program is the main reason so many Test players are attracted to them.

Force insiders believe the Canberra team’s recent recruiting blitz is more about money than method, given the Brumbies haven’t been in the finals for the past five years and they have struggled to produce new Wallabies since the Force’s formation.

Since the Force entered Super 14 in 2006, they have produced nine new Wallabies: Cameron Shepherd, Tai McIsaac, Digby Ioane, David Pocock, Richard Brown, Ryan Cross, Matt Hodgson, Pek Cowan and O’Connor. In the same period, the Brumbies have provided four: Julian Huxley, Ben Alexander, Guy Shepherdson and Peter Kimlin.

“If you are serious about advancing as a player, you’d have to think we provide the better development,” Mitchell said.

Whereas the Force used to have by far the greatest number of players with third-party deals — largely a result of the Australian Rugby Union’s lack of start-up support leading to Firepower’s largesse with other people’s money — the Brumbies have assumed the mantle, with Wallabies flanker Rocky Elsom rumoured to be the latest beneficiary of a supplementary sponsorship.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans challenged O’Connor to show added maturity and awareness in his first Test start.

“He’s clearly a talent but you need more than that from this point on, so that will be his challenge,” the coach said. “His decision making will become the priority because you can’t play the game as an individual.”

DAVE HUGHES

[Burgs]

Well done Dave

[sandgroperrugby]

Gee qoutes from actual rugby people how refreshing was getting used to pure speculation and rumours from other journos

[mudskipper]

mmmmmmmmm..... The Wests Smokescreen detective Dave Hughes has unmasked the Wallabies were dinner guests of the Brumbies while visiting Canberra......

........further shadow play with wishful appeals from the Coach in the West... What a scoop…... journalism with cutting edge insights…

[travelling_gerry]

[Flamethrower]

Since the Force entered Super 14 in 2006, they have produced nine new Wallabies: Cameron Shepherd, Tai McIsaac, Digby Ioane, David Pocock, Richard Brown, Ryan Cross, Matt Hodgson, Pek Cowan and O’Connor.

Could also add the Force converted Giteau into a mature, team leading 10.

[robyn <3]

Agreed

[normie]

ditto.

---------- Post added at 10:41 ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 ----------

Could also add the Force converted Giteau into a mature, team leading 10.

...also, proved beyond a doubt, that Drew's place is on the wing...

[lara93]

all these articles on JOC are making me so confused!
i swear the players should just write them, they actually know whats goin on!

[Hoolly Doolly]

Could also add the Force converted Giteau into a mature, team leading 10.

A point thats always overlooked by "them" at the other end of the country!

Could also add that by coming to the force enabled players like staniforth, mitchell and valentine to get back into the wallabies fold.

Brumbies are the new waratahs.

[bouncingballs]

you could also ad that larkham taught giteau ten, as giteau was his apprentice and that shepaard had already been selected while playing for the waratahs in a wallaby training squad (he may have actually had game time) or that pocock and oconnor had been identified and joined the reds accademy before being poached on big money deals!

but hey, if you want to be overpayed then tell the "others" how to run there rugby!
then go to the wasteland of the west!

at least the forces fans buy there own bullshit, cos the cost to ship it across to the east would be far to high!

long live the mighty brumbies!

[travelling_gerry]

Thank you Waratah Jesus.

[Sheikh]

you could also ad that larkham taught giteau ten, as giteau was his apprentice and that shepaard had already been selected while playing for the waratahs in a wallaby training squad (he may have actually had game time) or that pocock and oconnor had been identified and joined the reds accademy before being poached on big money deals!

but hey, if you want to be overpayed then tell the "others" how to run there rugby!
then go to the wasteland of the west!

at least the forces fans buy there own bullshit, cos the cost to ship it across to the east would be far to high!

long live the mighty brumbies!

Any idea how many kids go into the academies and never even make it to Super 14, yet alone Wallabies? The got no help setting up, so trawlled the other clubs academies, looking for talent and giving them game time before anyone else would; thereby accelerating their progress.

Although, given your standard of spelling - TROLL!

[Hoolly Doolly]

you could also ad that larkham taught giteau ten, as giteau was his apprentice and that shepaard had already been selected while playing for the waratahs in a wallaby training squad (he may have actually had game time) or that pocock and oconnor had been identified and joined the reds accademy before being poached on big money deals!

but hey, if you want to be overpayed then tell the "others" how to run there rugby!
then go to the wasteland of the west!

at least the forces fans buy there own bullshit, cos the cost to ship it across to the east would be far to high!

long live the mighty brumbies!

So thats why we went into last world cup fluffing about with gits at scrum half and an unproven Berrick Barnes was Bernies back up and how even the ARU requested the Force use gits at either 9 or 12 but Coach Mitchell insisted the Force would use him at 10 where he initially struggled but eventually flourished.

You sir can keep all the bullshit on the east coast where it belongs.

[rahrahgirl]

So thats why we went into last world cup fluffing about with gits at scrum half and an unproven Berrick Barnes was Bernies back up and how even the ARU requested the Force use gits at either 9 or 12 but Coach Mitchell insisted the Force would use him at 10 where he initially struggled but eventually flourished.

You sir can keep all the bullshit on the east coast where it belongs.

the ARU requested were to play a player? or Connely did? cos he wasnt coach after 07.
larkham was flyhalf he got injured. Gts was 12 and played some nine as an understudy to gregan so we could go into games with an extra forward on the bench. he was used to cover more than one position so having barnes step in made more sense.

Giteau played ten in juniors and at the brumbies he often swapped with Larkham, yes he wasnt a fully fledged flyhalf but he had some training there. the force have helped him come into his own at 10, but to take full credit for it is a bit rich.

Also the force were given a grant from the ARU, yes it was minimal, but the ARU didnt do "nothing!". the lack of suport is that they didn't put in place a strategy to move talent. The Force is n perth cos the corporates put the money in. there was no reason for the ARU to throw millions in if companies offer to do it for you, that would be bad business!

also, can you not use the bs word in future, if your point is morally high, then your just sinking to there level by using it.