*If* the Season is a Write Off - What Should the Force Do Now?

[Darren]

I say *if* - I [personally] don't think it's a write off yet, and I doubt a season can really be entirely written off until the last game is played...

Anyway, *IF* it is a write off - where to from here?

• Bench everyone over 28 and give the young guys a go?
  
• Throw some WA lads into the deepend and give them 8 weeks to learn how to swim?
  
• Persist with current line up and trust it will click
  
• Change the whole game plan?
  
• Wing it week to week?

[Bronski Beat]

I say *if* - I [personally] don't think it's a write off yet, and I doubt a season can really be entirely written off until the last game is played...

Anyway, *IF* it is a write off - where to from here?

• Bench everyone over 28 and give the young guys a go?
  
• Throw some WA lads into the deepend and give them 8 weeks to learn how to swim?
  
• Persist with current line up and hope it 'clicks'
  
• Change the whole game plan?
  
• Wing it week to week?

All of those things, start by taking the expectation off and rebuild. Put JOC in at 10!!!!!!!!

[jono]

number 3. with a few tweaks

remember the whole "i have faith" thing.
can we get that banner back up?

[GIGS20]

All of those things, start by taking the expectation off and rebuild. Put JOC in at 10!!!!!!!!

OK bronsk, I accept that you're only being consistent and haven't pushed for Hill ever, but seriously, give him a game or two to prove himself......you won't lose anything against the Tahs anyway, they've got the edge on our tight five, which is all we've got (at least on paper)

[slomo]

I say *if* - I [personally] don't think it's a write off yet, and I doubt a season can really be entirely written off until the last game is played...

Anyway, *IF* it is a write off - where to from here?

• Bench everyone over 28 and give the young guys a go?
  
• Throw some WA lads into the deepend and give them 8 weeks to learn how to swim?
  
• Persist with current line up and trust it will click
  
• Change the whole game plan?
  
• Wing it week to week?

to be fair coach, is there a game plan?... personal changes due to injury is no doubt a massive contributor to the ladder position we find ourselves in, but i still believe relieving JM of his position will also give the players a boot up the arse, put it this way if Mcisaac (just using him as an example ) comes in half way through the season and gets more wins in the second half of the season than mitch did in the first half .... does that make him a better coach, possibly not, but he would have had the wins on the board and points in the bank, if they continue to play in the style that they are the membership will almost certainly drop, there are less corporates since our move to MES, the money and fan base has to be there for our franchise to survive...

that concludes my last rant about JM until the end of the season,

onwards and upwards.... lets stick it up the tahs on saturday!!....

[prop53]

Well win or lose i will stick with the Force. Whats the point of changing now lets keep focused on the rest of the season and see then where we finish as team not a position.

[Darren]

as team not a position

Wise words

[normie]

Option 3 - "Persist with current line up and hope it 'clicks' "
with a dash of option 5 "Wing it week to week"
meaning:
The current line-up is one that will transform with the return of injured players (and possibly {gasp} the loss of current players due to injury) and; the team selected will consist of the best available inform players who will play each game as it comes.

The 'blooding' of young'uns will occur; somethimes gently, sometimes in at the deep end!

[James]

There are three absolute musts for the Force next season:

1) Get a hooker who can throw. Local, Marquee, Development player I don't bloody care but we'll never win unless Cowan and Tyrrell learn to throw it straight (nothing personal I like those guys but you have to be honest).

2) Re-sign David Pocock. He's our future. Hodgson is a gem but Pocock is only a year or two off being the World's greatest 7. He would attract other players in the future.

3) Get a fly-half who can string two games together. Go hard for Lucas or Cooper or Lealiifano or Toomua or Beale (yes I'm that desperate). If not one of those guys get another marquee- a good one this time. Probably should have been more skeptical about Pretorius but you have to be optimistic and you'd've thought he'd used up all his bad karma.

The rest will fall into place around those three.

[welshrugbyfan]

1) Get a hooker who can throw.

This isn't posted at you James but let's give the kid a break. First start in a Super 14 game and he throws a few bad ones.

He's as strong as an ox and battled well at scrum time against a team with quality forwards.

How did any of you go in your first super 14 game. First grade? Second grade?

Ever even played?

[James]

How did any of you go in your first super 14 game.

I was great in my first Super 14 game. Robbie even told me he wanted me to play for the Wallabies. Ohh god I'm starting to sound like Action Hardcore.

No fair enough your right give Tyrrell a chance, that was more aimed at Cowan who's throwing hasn't seemed to have gotten any better since the Brumbies game. Looks like Cowan is going to be out injured for a while (he looked in a lot of pain when he came off) so it'll be a good chance for Tyrrell to show that that was a one off. I stick by what I said though- regardless of whether he turns it around we still need another experienced hooker.

At one point I saw Hodgson put his body on the line to clean up the ball off an overthrow only for it then to be called not straight. That must be pretty devastating.

[welshrugbyfan]

I was great in my first Super 14 game. Robbie even told me he wanted me to play for the Wallabies. Ohh god I'm starting to sound like Action Hardcore.

No fair enough your right give Tyrrell a chance, that was more aimed at Cowan who's throwing hasn't seemed to have gotten any better since the Brumbies game. Looks like Cowan is going to be out injured for a while (he looked in a lot of pain when he came off) so it'll be a good chance for Tyrrell to show that that was a one off. I stick by what I said though- regardless of whether he turns it around we still need another experienced hooker.

At one point I saw Hodgson put his body on the line to clean up the ball off an overthrow only for it then to be called not straight. That must be pretty devastating.

We need a Mealamu or similar here for Tyrrell to work under. You will learn to thrown in straight my Padowan.

Pek should stick to where's he best, prop.

2 is our only forwards problem and its an easy fix in the off season. $$$.

Our real problem is in the backs.

[fulvio sammut]

In the words of the immortal song, "Pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and start all over again.".

Palmyra has become quite good at it of late.

[BeeJay]

How did any of you go in your first super 14 game. First grade? Second grade?

Ever even played?

There seem to be a hell of a lot of patronising, sanctimonious, holier than thou comments on this site, as though if you haven't played first grade rugby or are not intimately involved in grassroots rugby, you can't bloody well know what you are talking about, and have no right, even if you are a diehard fan, to comment on how you think the team is going or what you think can improve our lot.

C'mon WRF, Pieter et al - we're all in this together and all want the best for the Force. Sure it will take time, but can't we have a friendly natter about it in the meantime??

[James]

We need a Mealamu or similar here for Tyrrell to work under. You will learn to thrown in straight my Padowan.

Pek should stick to where's he best, prop.

2 is our only forwards problem and its an easy fix in the off season. $$$.

Our real problem is in the backs.

I don't know about Mealamu. He's a great hooker but he isn't reknown for his line-out throwing either. I agree with the sentiment though. Pek should return to being a prop. There are a lot of top props going around (where were they all 2-4 years ago?) and he's losing ground against them.

We should probably wait a game or two to see how big a problem there is in the backs. I mean all the pre-season preparations the team did were thrown in to chaos with Pretorius gone, Shepherd yet to play, Bartholomeusz only playing one game and a bunch of rookies desperately trying to plug the gaps. It doesn't surprise too much that defense is flimsy and attack is disorganised.