Coaching Options for Qld Rugby

[Ash]

I thought that, at least mid season, we had most of our first choice team available, especially prior to Cooper's injury. I remember that Ant and Gill in particular had a particularly stop start season due to injuries, and we bled fullbacks, but apart from that I thought we had periods where most of the team got on the park. Last two games, in particular, were diabolical in terms of injury though.

My memory is not the best of last year, and that's how I like it.

I remember 2011 well, though.

 

[Braveheart81]

The Reds won three of their first six games last year so it did take a while before things unravelled.

 

[Strewthcobber]

8 losses in a row from round 7 with just about the full team which killed the season, but that included 3 x 3 point losses to the Force, Brumbies and Rebels at home.

Got beat up by some kiwi teams in there as well...........

 

[Floggn']

The Reds won three of their first six games last year so it did take a while before things unravelled.

Had to take a while until RG got his influence over the team!

 

[Ash]

Surely the performance in the Brumbies game has placed immense pressure on Graham.

 

[boyo]

Tick, tock, tick,tock

 

[TOCC]

I actually thought some of the passages tonight in both defence and attack were some of the best they had played all season.

 

[Parse]

That's only because they didn't drop the ball every time TOCC

 

[TOCC]

no i actually believe there was a bit of structure in the attack at times tonight, I've been very critical of the back-line this season not offering Frisby any ball runners, but i think there was a bit more variety in the back-line with players actually running lines and changing direction.. there were only glimpses though, there was still plenty of pointless backline moves..

 

[Ash]

As I posted in the match thread, I still saw the Reds just shoveling on the ball in attack. One inside pass that I can recall all night, no changes of angle, no offloads (that I can recall, that is).

So easy to defend against.

Meanwhile, the Brumbies, when they stepped up a gear, had multiple runners and options, and changed angles and channels, and took inside options. The Tahs against us were the same, but they added in plenty of offloads.

The Reds attack looked better, but Larkham from round one is still right: it's not Super Rugby standard.

 

[ChargerWA]

If the Reds had shown a discernible game plan in 2014 before the injury crisis then Graham would be on surer footing.

I'd think it a 30% chance he will get the boot in the next 2 weeks. The injury crisis has given him the cover he needs.

But really the QRU honchos should be looking at his time at the Force. Pretty much identical in lack of game plan and inability to get player buy in. That starts to show a pretty damning pattern over a long period of time.

 

[RedsHappy]

If the Reds had shown a discernible game plan in 2014 before the injury crisis then Graham would be on surer footing.

I'd think it a 30% chance he will get the boot in the next 2 weeks. The injury crisis has given him the cover he needs.

But really the QRU honchos should be looking at his time at the Force. Pretty much identical in lack of game plan and inability to get player buy in. That starts to show a pretty damming pattern over a long period of time.

Charger: I sincerely admire your rugby foresight: you've been telling us what fate would befall us once we'd hired him since pretty much the day Graham darkened the QRU's door.

 

[TOCC]

Realistically I don't think he will get the sack in the next 2 weeks...

They have the bye next weekend in Rd 6 and then they have Quade, Holmes, Simmons, Turner and possibly one or two others returning for Rd 7. McCall has already said they are going to give RG the benefit of the doubt and allow him to get some of the players back form injury.

I think those players will come back in Rd 7, Reds will beat the Lions relieving some pressure, the real test will be the match against the Rebels in Rd 8 when they are supposed to also get Karmichael and Jeremy Taulagi back.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Thought Ant Fainga'a lifted his defense tonight compared with his pretty poor efforts last week.

 

[RedsHappy]

I dont think he will get the sack in the next 2 weeks.

They have the bye next weekend in Rd 6 and then they have Quade, Holmes, Simmons, Turner and possibly one or two others returning for Rd 7. McCall has already said they are going to give RG the benefit of the doubt and allow him to get some of the players back form injury.

I think those players will come back in Rd 7, Reds will beat the Lions relieving some pressure, the real test will be the match against the Rebels in Rd 8 when they are supposed to also get Karmichael and Jeremy Taulagi back.

What % of paying Reds' fans do we think are mugs enough to believe this rubbish that 'the 600 caps of injured players experience we're missing' is truly the heart of these endless Reds' debacles and structure-less and attack-less matches followed by a retinue of cliched, hollow and incredible excuses every week?

10%, 20%, 30% max.? It surely won't be 50+% judging by the pissed off and angry fan comments in my section of the Suncorp stands.

 

[TOCC]

What % of paying Reds' fans do we think are mugs enough to believe this rubbish that 'the 600 caps of injured players experience we're missing' is truly the heart of these endless Reds' debacles and structure-less and attack-less matches followed by a retinue of cliched, hollow and incredible excuses every week?

10%, 20%, 30% max.? It surely won't be 50+% judging by the pissed off and angry fan comments in my section of the Suncorp stands.

Whether we like it or not thats the reality of the situation, QRU won't sack RG in the next 2 weeks... RG will get the opportunity to coach against the Lions..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChargerWA]

Charger: I sincerely admire your rugby foresight: you've been telling us what fate would befall us once we'd hired him since pretty much the day Graham darkened the QRU's door.

I appreciate the support RH, but I will also admit I think I had it wrong at the time as to why he wasn't successful at the Force.

At the time I believed he was a poor recruiter and thought he backed himself too much to get the best out of players who weren't good enough to execute his game plan. In hindsight maybe the players weren't the major problem and his game plan was. But I also believed he couldn't recruit well because Perth can be a hard sell and he's not that magnetic personality like Cheika and McKenzie or that thoughtful personality like Larkham that makes you believe he has the secret to success.

 

[gel]

Altthough we showed more structure tonight in patches than any time this year it doesn't really amount to that much considering what we are comparing it to.

The result tonight was still an abomination and if the QRU are serious about the reds being competitive there is only ever one option with regards to Richard Graham (and Meehan) and that is for them to be fired.

Wait till the good players are back, or not, it won't matter. People seem to forget he has had YEARS to show something and he has never done so - and tonight was no different.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I was at the game tonight. I sat right behind the sticks so I got a good view of how they were playing. All game all that I saw was:

1. Genia (who was absolutely ponderous at the back of the ruck) take 2 steps sideways, then pass without actually committing a defender - who would then drift across in D
2. Frisby take 2 or 3 steps laterally, then pass without committing a defender - who would then drift across in D.
3. The same again from the next in line.

It appears the plan was get the ball to somebody and hope they could just magically break a tackle, them of course the 2 or 3 defenders that had been able to drift and cover too.

I honestly cannot possibly understand how they had hoped to try and score tries from their play.

It appears to be purely about individual brilliance creating something out of nothing.

The regression in players is concerning.

If Graham was a good coach, he would be able to take 23 club rugby players and turn into a competitive outfit that was able to play well as a team to at least look barely super rugby standard, fairly without being challengers.

It is actually the opposite, where experienced super rugby players are looking like club rugby players.

RG was fairly given a fair run. It's time to look beyond him for the future now.

 

[Train Without a Station]

And based on the scrum and line out tonight, Stiles has no case for the job.