Waratahs 2012

[Gnostic]

This is not a topic, rv, where I would claim any special expertise.

My guess would be that perhaps people reach their speed potential by their early twenties, but for collision sports like rugby they seem not to reach physical maturity before their mid twenties. At what age they could be said to "be at the peak of their powers" would depend on a whole range of factors. With our sport there would be a certain amount of physical degeneration with each season played so that a player who was out injured for a season might have his playing career extended by a year.

We need to recognise that in the professional era players are expected to and do play with injuries that have longer term deleterious impacts on their bodies Against this such players are now better advised on rehabilitation and diet, etc, and this may have the opposite effect. But rehab and regeneration require extended periods away from the grind of training for and playing matches.

This is one reason why I feel that a player like Carter may be yet to reach his playing peak. Because he has been so persistently passed over - not making his Super debut until 2008 and never being picked for Australia A let alone the senior squad - he has had time to reinvent himself each year and he still has the spur of unfulfilled ambition. One of the principal reasons why players top out in my view is not so much their age but rather the fact that they have lost their passion and are simply going around for the money.

From a personal perspective I feel that I went over the crest of the hill at least several years back.

It also explains why some elderly players continue to play such great Rugby at the highest levels, because their passion remains undimmed along with their injury status of course. Here I think of players like Richard Hill.

 

[suckerforred]

It also explains why some elderly players continue to play such great Rugby at the highest levels, because their passion remains undimmed along with their injury status of course. Here I think of players like Richard Hill.

Sharpie....

 

[darkhorse]

Will Timani be back in time for the first game?

 

[Swat]

Two rats won't be back until round 2

 

[Lee Grant]

If the Tahs locks are half way decent in R1. Timani's entrance this year may be delayed. Japan does not get a lot of mentions about preparing a fellow well for Super Rugby, nor for maintaining peak fitness.

 

[tranquility]

Really? I have heard that one thing they do well over there, is train the absolute house down?

I would say most players are fit when they come over, they just need a recuperation period before another long season.

 

[p.Tah]

My guess would be that perhaps people reach their speed potential by their early twenties.

In athletics sprinters peak in their late 20s early 30s. Michael Johnson, Linford Christie, Carl Lewis, Gail Devers, Merlene Ottey for example where running some of their best times in their 30s.

 

[tranquility]

Yeah I agree with that, late twenties is what I have always been told for power development (ie Sprinting).

 

[Blue]

If the Tahs locks are half way decent in R1. Timani's entrance this year may be delayed. Japan does not get a lot of mentions about preparing a fellow well for Super Rugby, nor for maintaining peak fitness.

Peter grant arrived well undercooked at the Stormers from Japan last year and it cost them.

Will be interesting to see what shape Timani is in.

 

[Lee Grant]

Yeah I've heard that story a few times about players coming back from Japan to Super Rugby, but I struggle to remember the names of the players so described.

In my earlier post I meant to indicate that I couldn't remember comments the other way: that they had improved in a pertinent area because of playing in Japan.

 

[mark_s]

If the Tahs locks are half way decent in R1. Timani's entrance this year may be delayed. Japan does not get a lot of mentions about preparing a fellow well for Super Rugby, nor for maintaining peak fitness.

Aren't we going to need two rats for the bench given there is still no sign of vickerman returning? Or am I missing someone?

 

[barbarian]

Aren't we going to need two rats for the bench given there is still no sign of vickerman returning? Or am I missing someone?

Is Greg Peterson ready to step up?

 

[topo]

Saw Peterson at the captains run tonight in Tamworth. He is one massive unit. Kane Douglas and Dean Mumm looking pretty fit too. I think a big off season will see both these guys have a big year. Peterson to get some game time and learn to play with the big boys.

 

[tigerland12]

Anyone else looking forward to the destruction the Tongan boys can cause if they all can stay on the field at once.

 

[fatprop]

The Tahs will have Mumm, Douglas, Peterson & Dennis around early. That is a pretty solid lock selection.

 

[mark_s]

Is Dennis really a 2nd row at super level? I think we are pushing it with Mumm already. I forgot (or more accurately don't know enough) about Peterson but it still sounds thin. I guess we are reliant on Douglas coming back into form or Peterson stepping up (or both) while the other two work their way back into the sqaud.

 

[qwerty51]

Pushing it with Mumm? He's a very solid lock at Super level that has always performed adequately. I don't think we'll ever see Dennis at lock, we only have two international backrowers in Elsom and Palu and Elsom is gone for the first couple of weeks so Dennis will be there. Until Elsom is back we will probably see

4. Douglas
5. Mumm
6. Dennis
7. Alcock
8. Palu

18. Peterson
19. McCutcheon

I doubt Timani will be thrown back in straight away, give him a couple of weeks after he's back. If we do get injuries early on we're pretty much fucked. Cliffy desperately needs to get fit for round 1 because we have no backrow depth if Mumm has to play lock.

 

[fatprop]

Mumm has had a full off season. I expect him to be pretty good actually

Dennis, plays lock a lot for Uni, and pretty well. If they have injuries he can cover lock as well, if not better, than a few of the starting locks at other aus franchises

 

[Gnostic]

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...out-kicking-out-game-plan-20120207-1r56b.html

Michael Foley, who has taken over from Chris Hickey as Waratahs coach, is aware of the public demands, and knows his team must be attractive to watch. But that will not be at the expense of playing mindless, risky football. Kicking has to be part of the game plan.
The team had spent weeks working on a constructive game plan, Foley said before the side left for Tamworth yesterday for Friday night's trial match against Samoa
''Last year we were really attempting to score a lot of tries, but the problem for us was that we would find that plan A would fail, and our plan B was to kick defensively. Since then a lot of the thinking we have done revolves around realising that we are part of the way there,'' Foley said.
''Yes, we really want to score tries. We've worked on that, and we can do that. But what we need to understand is that there is a time, such as if the [opposition] back three are giving you an opportunity, where kicking is actually a really good thing to do to get the ball back. So we've been saying that kicking is not evil, but how we kick is the problem.''

Maybe somebody was listening after all. The Brumbies showed last year that running everything with no thought for kicking is a recipe for disaster. For all the plaudits the Reds get for the attack last year I was am remain most impressed with the balance they achieve and most importantly their execution. The highlighted part says it all for me, execution has been lacking at the Tahs for a long time and my comments last year were to inpire a discussion as to why this was so regardless of who was the coach and who the players were.

I hope that we will see a change in this regard with games plan well thought out and more importantly well executed.

 

[Jethro Tah]

Mods, can the drugs in sport posts be relocated to everything else? The discussion is warranted and insightful but please let it not tarnish a Waratahs thread. Cheers.