O'Connor officially off to Rebels

[tic]

Our backs have had the luxury of a fairly consistent forward platform to work with this season - the way it was distributed was lacking till seasons end - thanks Chuckie. Will JOC look on with envy next season ...

I rate your forward pack very highly and agree that JO'C enjoyed some nice space this year, because of their hard work. Front row still needs better depth.

[James]

We had arguably the second best scrum in the Australian conference. Pretty sure only the Waratahs ever really troubled us. Otherwise it was either fairly even or our advantage.

Dunning and Fairbrother are big losses sure, but Longbottom showed against the Rebels he can cope on either side of the scrum at this level, Ma'afu is fairly average in my opinion but has potential if he gets fitter and I'd wager he is more likely to over here. Cowan had a fairly good year until his injury. Faulkner is pretty well set for the next step up.

We could use a bit more depth but I think it will still be a weapon for us, and certainly not a weakness. Do any of the Super rugby sides have great depth? The Brumbies were shown up a fair bit this year, the Rebels are losing Yoda for next year, the Reds' scrum was their biggest weakness and as good as Slipper and Daley are, they need to be scrummagers first. The Tahs will probably have the most depth, but they will also be losing Al Baxter.

[Burgs]

I think Ma'afu may be about to develop a love-hate relationship with a Mr J. Ladder James

[Rex Messup]

Great to see the QLDers in. Win the comp lads
Shame about the Origin.

O'Connor? Who cares?????

I'm sure Beale and O'Connor will add significantly to their stocks and capabilities. (rabbles)

I didn't think their pack was too bad actually. Some real quality there thanks to generous recruiting laws. Tidy back row, real depth at lock, front row that gets parity at worst.

I think the Rebs will do well next year. They have some real quality in the backs now.

For us......JOC is now the opposition and we'll belt him. His best is in front of him and that's sad for us.

We need to worry about our own backyard. JOC is yesterday's hero.

"There's only two types of people that will stay on this beach.....those that are dead and those that are going to die" - Omaha Beach Normandy landings 1944

The Force - no fear, no limits, no regrets

If you're good enough, you're old enough.

Onward and upwards

[TOCC]

No, I wasn't aware that it was official. The balance of my comments stand.

Odd considering the main point of your comment was that JOC signed with a team who didn't have a coach for 2012, when in fact they did.....

Let's not let emotions blur the facts....
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[tic]

Odd considering the main point of your comment was that JOC signed with a team who didn't have a coach for 2012, when in fact they did.....

Let's not let emotions blur the facts....
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Geez your a self righteous twit. The main point of my comment was to critique his justification of moving to a franchise to win a rugby title.

Also noting that you conveniently ignored the balance of my comments in subsequent posts.

Do you believe that JO'C has moved to melbourne for all the right "rugby" decisions.

Hmmm?

[palitu]

you reds boys should be over them oon at the moment! you're killing the reds vibe over here!

[mudskipper]

Hmmmm - so who might be telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about this?

If the WF weren't such a nice bunch of guys and girls, their first instinct might be to have their lawyers trawling though this stuff, perhaps with the odd thought of correction or remedy for libel in their minds?

But that's only a personal opinion of course.

The Truth will be somewhere in between what Vern said and JOC comments. It does sound more realistic than Vern’s account. He seemed overly eager to get to the press before JOC... ... why do that to the kid?

[brokendown gunfighter]

The Truth will be somewhere in between what Vern said and JOC comments. It does sound more realistic than Vern’s account. He seemed overly eager to get to the press before JOC... ... why do that to the kid?

Reid had to give an explanation of why the offer was withdrawn
simple really

[The InnFORCEr]

Reid had to give an explanation of why the offer was withdrawn
simple really

He was the only one who had to make comment in fact, RugbyWA withdrew the offer.

James (his lawyers/fathers/who evers they were) comments should only have been about his decion to go to Rebels, otherwise it sounds like a case of sour grapes on his part that RugbyWA swept the rug from under his feet for mine.

[James]

RugbyWA wanted to sign O'Connor. They weren't going to shoot themselves in the foot over nothing. I think Vern's account seems the more realistic, but then as a Force fan, you would, wouldn't you?

[mudskipper]

otherwise it sounds like a case of sour grapes on his part that RugbyWA swept the rug from under his feet for mine.

JOC has nothing to be sour about… Sounds like Vern with intent targeted JOC before he could publicly comment as his hands were bound waiting for the ARU. It was a cheap shot...
on a man child who couldn't strike back...

What it has done is save JOC from having to publicly announce to the Force fans himself...

[jono]

it sent the message that james' lawyers tried to call the EWF's bluff, but EWF had the balls to say that nobody is as good as the team.

[AndyS]

Yeah, I'm sure you are right Muddie - no doubt the Force management were all about finding a sneaky way to wriggle out of securing O'Connor's signature.

If they hadn't wanted him, all this would have happened four months ago. It is that time-frame that makes the O'Connor version a bit dubious. As he presents it, it was about the rugby and that he wanted to stay. But then it fell over because the Force wasn't interested in recruiting really good outside backs or offering David Pocock another contract - yeah, that sounds likely, who'd want to do that after all?

In the end it was the duration. He made no bones about wanting one year, the Force made none about wanting two. My guess is that his lawyer got cute and tried to load the contract with enough clauses that he could sign for two and get out after one, the Force weren't that stupid and then just got sick of it all.

That, or he was just upping the ante having been given a better offer. That is certainly how it looks when he immediately goes off and signs for two years somewhere else. Maybe Melbourne has committed in writing that they will get Pocock next year, but my guess is that it is just money - nominally less, but with much more third party. If so, I genuinely hope it works out better for him than it did for Giteau. Some interesting parallels with our second year, nonetheless.

[TOCC]

Geez your a self righteous twit. The main point of my comment was to critique his justification of moving to a franchise to win a rugby title.

Also noting that you conveniently ignored the balance of my comments in subsequent posts.

Do you believe that JO'C has moved to melbourne for all the right "rugby" decisions.

Hmmm?

No need to resort personal insults, I was merely fixing your mistake.... You should be thanking me!
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