• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

Barnes at scrum half?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
RugbyReg

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
not a chance will Berrick play 9. He MAY be back up if McKibbon goes injured, but I think more than likely Mc will start with Swanepoel on the bench.

Berrick is of more value at 12 outside Cooper.
 
Scotty

Scotty

David Codey (61)
Agree with Noddy. Mooney won't make that sort of drastic change after the team playing so well, particularly with Barnes being able to direct it at 12.

Genia is looking more and more like a future long term Wallaby half each time I see him.
 
naza

naza

Alan Cameron (40)
Madness. But hey, while we're all throwing out crazy Bob Dwyer mock selections, let me throw some shit at a wall and see if sticks.

Phil Waugh....to halfback. Crazy ? Let's review. He's 5'9" and built close to the ground, moreso than 5'11" Burgess and 6'1" Holmes, who stand to deliver their passes. I've seen him over the years throw fantastic bullet like passes from the base of the ruck thanks to sound technique and superior upper body strength. What does an Aussie halfback spend most of their time doing ? Going from ruck to ruck extracting the ball from a mess of bodies. Gee, Phil would be a fish out of water there.

What are the positives ? At halfback, he'd give you unparralled defence, leadership, courage, intensity, bucketloads of experience, and be a true 9th forward. He doesn't have much future at openside anymore, not for the Wallabies. Specialist openside cover on the bench is a waste, having a halfback who could cover 7 would be a huge advantage.

What are the liabilities ? Running game. What's wrong with a power running game ? Who says a nippy player at halfback is any use these days anyway. More often the halfback is monstered by much bigger forwards at the breakdown. Wales' Mike Phillips is 6'4". Piri Weepu has basically been 100 kgs the last couple of seasons. Box kicking. Yeah, true. But I can't remember the last time box kicking won us a game. If anything I've lost hair from box kicking. Passing. Brett Sheehan. I mean seriously. If we're going to get an angry little dwarf, give me Phil over Sheehan any day of the week. Phil's work ethic is second to none, if anyone could do it, it'd be him.
 
Pfitzy

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
Christ - naza backing Phil Waugh for something. Has the world gone mad?

Swanepoel? Jeez that's a blast from the past. What is the deal there?
 
naza

naza

Alan Cameron (40)
Are you talking about Candice ?

Candice_Swanepoel_47968cbc2cf6a.jpg


Isn't Swanepoel as common as Smith in Seth Effrica ?
 
Cutter

Cutter

Nicholas Shehadie (39)
naza said:
Madness. But hey, while we're all throwing out crazy Bob Dwyer mock selections, let me throw some shit at a wall and see if sticks.

Phil Waugh....to halfback. Crazy ? Let's review. He's 5'9" and built close to the ground, moreso than 5'11" Burgess and 6'1" Holmes, who stand to deliver their passes. I've seen him over the years throw fantastic bullet like passes from the base of the ruck thanks to sound technique and superior upper body strength. What does an Aussie halfback spend most of their time doing ? Going from ruck to ruck extracting the ball from a mess of bodies. Gee, Phil would be a fish out of water there.

What are the positives ? At halfback, he'd give you unparralled defence, leadership, courage, intensity, bucketloads of experience, and be a true 9th forward. He doesn't have much future at openside anymore, not for the Wallabies. Specialist openside cover on the bench is a waste, having a halfback who could cover 7 would be a huge advantage.

What are the liabilities ? Running game. What's wrong with a power running game ? Who says a nippy player at halfback is any use these days anyway. More often the halfback is monstered by much bigger forwards at the breakdown. Wales' Mike Phillips is 6'4". Piri Weepu has basically been 100 kgs the last couple of seasons. Box kicking. Yeah, true. But I can't remember the last time box kicking won us a game. If anything I've lost hair from box kicking. Passing. Brett Sheehan. I mean seriously. If we're going to get an angry little dwarf, give me Phil over Sheehan any day of the week. Phil's work ethic is second to none, if anyone could do it, it'd be him.
Click to expand...

A few years ago David Hundt, the then Manly coach, tried both Tim O'Brien and George Smith at halfback for Manly. It didnt work at club level and it wouldnt work at S14 level. Nick Mallet played Bergamasco at halfback for Italy a few weeks ago and it was a disaster.

I know naza is just stirring, but too often I seem opinions suggesting that a player can play out of position. Phil Waugh to No. 8 was another recent one. As Mortlock has shown time and time again, he cant play anywhere but 12; Phil Waugh is a specialist 7 (but could have switched to hooker if he had done it young enough I reckon); AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) isnt a 15 (no matter how many times he plays there); God knows the kiwis have learnt that their 15s dont make good 13s...each position is specialised and not all players can adapt to positions close to theirs let alone markedly different.
 
Scarfman

Scarfman

Knitter of the Scarf
And WHERE did you get that picture (in your avatar)? You won't be able to download stuff like that anymore when the government starts its web filtering.
 
naza

naza

Alan Cameron (40)
Cutter said:
A few years ago David Hundt, the then Manly coach, tried both Tim O'Brien and George Smith at halfback for Manly. It didnt work at club level and it wouldnt work at S14 level. Nick Mallet played Bergamasco at halfback for Italy a few weeks ago and it was a disaster.

I know naza is just stirring, but too often I seem opinions suggesting that a player can play out of position. Phil Waugh to No. 8 was another recent one. As Mortlock has shown time and time again, he cant play anywhere but 12; Phil Waugh is a specialist 7 (but could have switched to hooker if he had done it young enough I reckon); AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) isnt a 15 (no matter how many times he plays there)
Click to expand...

I don't recall the Manly experiment. I think it'd be a different situation if Waugh realises its convert or miss out on selection. And yeah, you need to give a guy time to adjust. I reckon those experiments are just players humouring the coach and biding their time til they get moved back to their normal spot. If the player has incentive and is driven, they could do it. I still think my Waugh idea has merit.

As for crazy conversions, Bob Dwyer wanting his NSW outside centre, Luke Inman, to convert to the loose forwards is the all time winner in that department.

Mortlock made the Brumbies as a fullback and Wallabies as a wing.
 
spectator

spectator

Bob Davidson (42)
Scotty said:
Agree with Noddy. Mooney won't make that sort of drastic change after the team playing so well, particularly with Barnes being able to direct it at 12.

Genia is looking more and more like a future long term Wallaby half each time I see him.
Click to expand...
Agree Scotty. Of all the OZ halfbacks he has been the standout this year.
 
Biffo

Biffo

Ken Catchpole (46)
naza said:
Cutter said:
A few years ago David Hundt, the then Manly coach, tried both Tim O'Brien and George Smith at halfback for Manly. It didnt work at club level and it wouldnt work at S14 level. Nick Mallet played Bergamasco at halfback for Italy a few weeks ago and it was a disaster.

I know naza is just stirring, but too often I seem opinions suggesting that a player can play out of position. Phil Waugh to No. 8 was another recent one. As Mortlock has shown time and time again, he cant play anywhere but 12; Phil Waugh is a specialist 7 (but could have switched to hooker if he had done it young enough I reckon); AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) isnt a 15 (no matter how many times he plays there)
Click to expand...

Four more successful conversions:

Richard Harry backrow to front row
Jim Williams from wing to back row
Steve Larkham from fullback to 5/8
Toutai Kefu from centre to number 8

Who suggested those?

For us oldies:

John Thornett from back row to second row to front row.
I don't recall the Manly experiment. I think it'd be a different situation if Waugh realises its convert or miss out on selection. And yeah, you need to give a guy time to adjust. I reckon those experiments are just players humouring the coach and biding their time til they get moved back to their normal spot. If the player has incentive and is driven, they could do it. I still think my Waugh idea has merit.

As for crazy conversions, Bob Dwyer wanting his NSW outside centre, Luke Inman, to convert to the loose forwards is the all time winner in that department.
Click to expand...
 
Cutter

Cutter

Nicholas Shehadie (39)
cyclopath said:
Sure Mortlock can't play anywhere but 12 Cutter? Typo?
Click to expand...

Yep, meant 13, thanks.

naza Mortlock may have made the Brumbies as a 15 and the Wallabies as a winger but he couldnt hold down a spot in either team in either position at the moment. He's too slow to be a winger and he wasnt that good a fullback which is why he was shuffled around.

Biffo said:
Four more successful conversions:

Richard Harry backrow to front row
Jim Williams from wing to back row
Steve Larkham from fullback to 5/8
Toutai Kefu from centre to number 8

Who suggested those?

For us oldies:

John Thornett from back row to second row to front row.
Click to expand...

Biffo I'm not saying it cant work, but Phil Waugh is 29, he is far too old to be learning new tricks. Similarly with Mortlock to 12. In fact, I dont think he has ever had the skills to be a 12.

Larkham, Kefu, Williams and Harry all shifted when they were relatively young. They were all pretty exceptional talents as well.

Scott Staniforth has done well to make himself a genuine 12 option (in my mind) but the selectors dont see him as a genuine 12, they see him as a utility. He is a bloke who should be starting for the Force. I would have him at 12 in front of O'Connor or at 13 in front of Cross.
 
RugbyReg

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
yeah I know he filled in there for the Reds and Wallabies, but I was wondering if he played there before he established himself as a back rower. I played against him at colts and he was definitely a back rower. He was at 6 for Souths with Brendan Cannon at 8. Was always a tough physical game we you played them!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top