Brumbies 2019

[mst]

Dear Brumbies Board,

I know there is about 45 games to go, but it's never too soon to follow Eddie's lead of fixing the performance by "supporting" Buckley. It's not a bad thing as we all win. A quick review, appoint some competent coaches, you cover your ass over the stupid decisions around the coaching appointments, we get a team that will win.

Even better, the supporters will back you all for once!

Cheers.

 

[Getwithme]

Rubbish. Coaches are good enough. Another change in coach would be the worst possible thing for the Brumbies

 

[fatprop]

Rubbish. Coaches are good enough. Another change in coach would be the worst possible thing for the Brumbies

Ponies remind me of the Tahs during the Cheika transition, roosters one week, feather dusters the next

It takes time for the muscle memory to set

 

[Slim 293]

Ponies remind me of the Tahs during the Cheika transition, roosters one week, feather dusters the next

It takes time for the muscle memory to set

Yeah, the right intentions are there........ just need the passes to stick like they did against the Chiefs (although the Chiefs are early contenders for the spoon).

Also, the defence is still a work in progress.

 

[fatprop]

Yeah, the right intentions are there.... just need the passes to stick like they did against the Chiefs (although the Chiefs are early contenders for the spoon).

Also, the defence is still a work in progress.

It is harder to defend when the transition is more fluid.

Be static, keep the ball in front of the pigs, keep within ball two passes of the ruck and defence is easy in comparison - but you just can't leverage opportunities playing safe in attack

 

[RoffsChoice]

Passes won't stick sometimes when you play the style of football we're trying, but this was the same style that beat a better Hurricanes team last year, the same style that flogged the Tahs in Sydney and robbed them of a realistic path to the final, and the same style that killed the Chiefs last week. So, if a game happens when the passes don't stick, I can handle that.

I'm annoyed that we didn't make our tackles, we didn't secure our own ball at breakdowns, and we were totally unable to clear our lines. ​

Every player needs to be able to make their tackles. Defending is half the game and needs to be done right at all times. A team that struggles to defend will generally lose; I know that sounds obvious, but so many teams will disregard defending to try to be a little bit better offensively. ​

I keep rabbitting on about this one, but the Canes-Saders semi final last year was the game that should make this apparent to everyone: you pick players in position, and you never sacrifice defensive stability in order to "fit talent" into your starting lineup.​

Securing the ball at the breakdown should have been easier with this backrow than it was last week, but this was a game where Enever and Fainga'a really struggled. We missed Carter here, and I'm willing to write Fainga'a's showing off as a bad game as opposed to some indicator of his ability.

Finally, clearing our lines. This isn't just kicking to get out of your 22, it's generally how you get out of your half. If you know a team is less likely to defend hard in your half, then this can be running it until your 10m line and putting a clever kick into space. If the opposition likes to fight tooth-and-nail in your half, then you kick it long and deep, trying to find grass. Whatever you do, there should be a plan; even in an "unstructured" playstyle, you should have a spine to fall back on to recover some rhythm.

I expect that the coaching staff is well aware of these things and will work on them during the week. Problem one and two are (hopefully) one-offs, so we shouldn't see any more of it next week. Problem three has been ever-present in all three games this season, and needs to be addressed.

 

[louie]

Serous questions should be asked. That game was handed to them and they were outdone with enthusiasm. Shocking game management.

 

[RoffsChoice]

Copying over from the match thread:

​

Speight has only played 99 minutes this season, all of them against the Rebels. In that time, he has run less than 36m in six carries. He has passed the ball once. He has attempted twelve tackles and successfully completed five, for a success rate of 42%. His errors have directly lead to four of the five tries conceded while he has been on the field. Not only is he not as much of a positive contribution to the team as you would hope, he is often a detriment, making decisions and influencing plays and players in such a way that we are worse for him being on the field than we would be having 14 men.​

​

Muirhead, in 310 minutes, has run 140m in 22 carries. He has beaten eight defenders, made five clean breaks, won four turnovers, made 18 of 22 tackles for an 81% success rate, and, generally, has made a positive contribution to the Brumbies both offensively and defensively.​

​

Most importantly, I see a future for Muirhead with this team. I like his relationship with Banks and Kuridrani. The way he reads the game defensively and picks the right position to be in (be that in the line, sweeping behind it, or covering deep) is a massive asset for the team. His ability to cover for Banks when he comes forward is massive. He makes good decisions. Finally, his pace is comparable to Banks and his work rate is great. The only thing that Speight can match is a relationship with Kuridrani.​

As I say there, I see a future for Muirhead and I don't see one for Speight. Where do other people stand on this?​

 

[Brumbieman]

100% with you, I rate Muirhead very highly. He's just an incredibly natural rugby player. Almost always in the right place, at the right time, has speed to burn, is a tough bastard to bring down and plays well above his weight.

Perfect winger for the style we're trying to play atm. Speight just looks like he's lost his focus - reminds me of a cheetah charging into a pack of gazelle's and getting 'target saturation', seems to have 10 things he's trying to do at the same time and failing at all of them.

Needs to be taken aside and put through some hypnosis to re-set his instinct to just run like George Pell is chasing him.

 

[Slim 293]

Yeah, Speight has been a champion at the club and he's great with the fans, buuuuuuut his decision making has become very poor and he no longer is the attacking threat he was a few years back, and I think Taliauli, Muirhead and Pulu should all be ahead of him...............

It's time to grab some of those overseas riches while he can.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Yeah, Speight has been a champion at the club and he's great with the fans, buuuuuuut his decision making has become very poor and he no longer is the attacking threat he was a few years back, and I think Taliauli, Muirhead and Pulu should all be ahead of him.....

It's time to grab some of those overseas riches while he can.

I agree with all the wing options Brumbies has, Speight moving on after this year and freeing up some salary cap would not be a bad thing. He does not look like getting better and his peak was some years ago and since then steady decline.

 

[Brumby Jack]

Rob Valetini has re-signed until the end of 2021

 

[Brumbieman]

Awww yeeeah. Almost offsets having Arnold driven overseas by Cheika

 

[Braveheart81]

Awww yeeeah. Almost offsets having Arnold driven overseas by Cheika

Ahh yes, if it's the coach who has picked him for all of the test matches he's played is the problem then it makes complete sense to head overseas at the point where you know his tenure as coach will be finished.

How many of Arnold's 19 tests would you say have been particularly good?

Injury, suspension and inconsistency have certainly got in the way of him playing more tests. That said, he's been in the test team for about 40% of the available tests since he debuted which is considerable given the locking choices are substantial now (Coleman, Rodda, Salakaia-Loto, Simmons, Philip, Arnold) plus Skelton and Enever have also played tests in that time period.

 

[RoffsChoice]

Brilliant to retain Valetini. He's nowhere near his potential and still performing very well. I look forward to many years of seeing him in Brumbies colours.

 

[RoffsChoice]

Speight just looks like he's lost his focus - reminds me of a cheetah charging into a pack of gazelle's and getting 'target saturation', seems to have 10 things he's trying to do at the same time and failing at all of them.

Yeah, Speight has been a champion at the club and he's great with the fans, buuuuuuut his decision making has become very poor and he no longer is the attacking threat he was a few years back, and I think Taliauli, Muirhead and Pulu should all be ahead of him.

Backing you up, Slim, it's impossible to ignore everything he's done around the club and for the rugby community in general. How many other players do you know who have paid out of their own pocket to get a hotel for an international schoolboys squad? Or used their free weekends to travel interstate to run water for the Womens' team? Or so many other things. Can't take away from him being a good guy.

 

[Tomikin]

Ahh yes, if it's the coach who has picked him for all of the test matches he's played is the problem then it makes complete sense to head overseas at the point where you know his tenure as coach will be finished.

How many of Arnold's 19 tests would you say have been particularly good?

Injury, suspension and inconsistency have certainly got in the way of him playing more tests. That said, he's been in the test team for about 40% of the available tests since he debuted which is considerable given the locking choices are substantial now (Coleman, Rodda, Salakaia-Loto, Simmons, Philip, Arnold) plus Skelton and Enever have also played tests in that time period.

Get out of the Brumbies Thread where we blame Cheika for everything. If you want to man love there's a Tahs thread, here you either get on board with blaming him for every player lose the Brumbies have. PLUS imagine him taking our favorite son and getting him booted as assistant coach, he never liked us Brumbies.

 

[RoffsChoice]

I don't think Cheika actively dislikes the Brumbies or ignores good players out of spite. I think he, like anyone who has worked with people and gotten to know them, feels more comfortable with players he knows. Half of scouting is reconsiling the visuals of a player's performance with their stats, and a head coach will have achieved that for their own team before they ever look at anyone else. So when Cheika is looking for form players, half the work is already done for players he coached with the Tahs.

To echo what I've previously said about Fardy leaving, I beleive that Arnold's departure could have been prevented if he had more Wallabies appearances, but I don't believe he is leaving because he feels excluded from the national team. I think Arnold has been one of the best locks in this country for about two years, and that he is one of only three locks to form a good partnership with Coleman (the others being Rodda and Philip); these two things would be my deciding factors in picking a Wallabies lock over that period. However, the opportunity to experience a completely different culture and to be paid more money is incredibly difficult to turn down.

Any player could kick out the wrong way in their sleep and tear an ACL, and that could be the beginning of the end of their career. There are professional development opportunities that these guys sacrefice in order to be a professional player, and, much as we'd all love to do it, and much as the clubs try their hardest to encourage off-field development, most will be fifteen years behind the rest of the working population by the time they retire from the game. So I never begrudge the players for getting paid. As To'omua said when he left:

Asked what attracts Australia's talent to Europe, To'omua was frank. "The money, it's there," he said.
"Then there's the lifestyle and opportunity that is something different. Give anyone in their work a chance to earn good money in a new part of the world, most people would take it.
"I get to play at a big club in England and that's exciting. To be fair, you see a lot of guys coming back after not long and it's not quite what they thought it would be.
"Playing for Australia is an amazing opportunity and there's a lot here as well, so I think we'll remain competitive. The cycle will never end, it's tough. But it's the global marketplace."
.........
"It's up to [the players themselves] if they want to commit to playing for Australia or [get paid to play overseas]."

Source: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...es-coach-stephen-larkham-20160705-gpytk4.html

 

[Dctarget]

Bloody awful luck to Valentini with his most recent injury. But he'll come good, this is a great read about him.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sp...e_IBo-RtnNaFUIkZGQ1njgz3zHgz5pbQCFAjTahr2__5Q

Sounds pretty humble and dedicated to Aus rugby. Canberra is lucky to have him.

 

[RoffsChoice]

I'll simply say, on the Reds game, that we were tame in possession and fragile in defence. Missed tackle count may not be high, but you can only miss tackles you attempt, and they were finding gaps all over the field. Our offence was non-existant. I want Speight dropped and I want Lilo to be benched in an attempt to spark him back into form.