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Brumbies 2024

Yoda

Yoda

Watty Friend (18)
Brumby Runner said:
Yoda asked on the Wallabies 2024 thread for thoughts on Noah at 10, Jack D at 15 and Tom Wright back to wing for the Brumbies in 2024.

In my opinion, this would work. With Nic White gone, I think there will be some changes to the Brumbies playing structures with more play centred around the No 10 and a play-making No 15. I expect Noah will get first dibs at the No 10 spot; despite critics here and elsewhere he was the second best performing No 10 in the Aus teams this year and has had some time in Toulon getting a taste of different styles of play. And with a different style of No 9 in Ryan Lonergan he will be more involved in decision making and managing the play than previously. It will be good to see him step up to the new challenges.

Jack Debreczini could be tailor made for a play making No 15. He is reliable under the high ball, has a good long kicking game, is reasonably strong in defence and can run the ball into traffic as well. He has the ability to step into the backline when needed and organise the play.

Tom Wright is a class player. Most here would say he is a better wing than fullback. No matter which spot he is in contention for Wallaby selection, and he will more than fill the bill for the Brumbies again next year whether at wing or 15.

If those changes were to be made, I see Declan Meredith coming into the 23 as cover for both 10 and 15 spots. It would seem likely that Andrew Muirhead and Corey Toole would alternate for the other wing spot while Ben O'Donnell would also be in the mix. So it could all work.

Against all that, is continuity in the playing squad. Really losing only White and Samu from this year's starting lineup, the Brumbies are in a particularly strong position of virtually retaining the same starting lineup for the coming season. It will be interesting to watch how Larkham et al approach the season without Nic White calling most of the shots. If they want to add new dimensions to their attack, then some changes in starting personnel and playing structure can be anticipated, but if they elect to stay with and try to improve on the game plan used this year and last, then there will likely be fewer changes and maybe only Lonergan into No 9 as the sole starting change.
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Nice comments. Thanks.
 
dru

dru

Tim Horan (67)
Tom is an excellent Super 15 and in an Australian context probably a great one. Personally, he'll have to have a great year to return to the starting FB role for the Wallabies but I'm comfortable if Brumbies fans rate him more highly.

More importantly, I'd be greatly disappointed if Lolesio does not return to 10 for the Brumbies. His time in France is a great thing, I look forward to seeing what he does in 2024.
 
W

whitefalcon

Bob Loudon (25)
dru said:
Tom is an excellent Super 15 and in an Australian context probably a great one. Personally, he'll have to have a great year to return to the starting FB role for the Wallabies but I'm comfortable if Brumbies fans rate him more highly.

More importantly, I'd be greatly disappointed if Lolesio does not return to 10 for the Brumbies. His time in France is a great thing, I look forward to seeing what he does in 2024.
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How much do Toulon play off 9?

Was Noah in a Nic White situation there or was he calling the shots more?
 
dru

dru

Tim Horan (67)
whitefalcon said:
How much do Toulon play off 9?

Was Noah in a Nic White situation there or was he calling the shots more?
Click to expand...

Good questions in terms of the nature of Noah's development, but for me whether the answer is Toulon play from 9 a lot; or the the answer is little - both provide good exposure, good experience, more games, and both continue my interest in seeing how Noah goes in 2024.
 
Wilson

Wilson

David Codey (61)
Slim 293 said:
Can anyone with a Crimes account give us the gist of this article...

www.canberratimes.com.au

'I didn't chat to Eddie much': Ikitau's World Cup frustration

The Eddie Jones saga is now over, giving players a new start.
www.canberratimes.com.au www.canberratimes.com.au

I assume Ikitau is joining a long list of players unhappy with Eddie.
Click to expand...

Not massive grievances, ate least not compared to some of the others, though you can never tell how much feeling is in a quote just from reading it:
"I know a few of the other boys are keen to rip in and have a point to prove," Ikitau said. "For me ... I'm just going to do the same thing I did this year - get on the park and play good footy.
"I didn't chat to Eddie much. I was disappointed not to be in the [World Cup] squad and the reasons behind it. I didn't agree with that, but I can't control any of it or what [Jones] was thinking.

"It took me a few months to get over it and it was disappointing. But all I could do was get back, so I did. And now I am just looking forward to playing for the Brumbies."
How does he feel about Jones joining Japan, despite the denials? "I don't know. I guess he was in and out, but it's hard to judge. I'm excited for the next coach to come in, hopefully they do a better job and put rugby in Australia back on the map."
Click to expand...

Rest of the article is just a rehash of everything that happened this year and a bit of pre-season fluff.
 
Brumby Runner

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
With the 2024 season approaching, and an almost unchanged roster at the Brumbies, I am looking forward to another (mostly) successful year for the Ponies. The main personnel losses from 2023 are the Lord, Laurie Fisher, and Pete Samu. Nic White is also nicking off to the Force, but imo he won't be missed as much as the two mentioned above.

Coming in to replace Laurie, in numbers if not in discipline, is erstwhile favourite Brumby and Wallaby captain Ben Mowen to take charge of lineout operations. I expect to see a real improvement in the Brumbies lineout this year over the past two years.

Pete Samu will be replaced within the roster with Jahrome Brown playing a like for like role at 6 or 7, Tom Hooper continuing his rise as the premier No 6 and Charlie Cale likely to be putting severe pressure on any of the backrow spots.

Taking a lead from TSR's model of his preview of the Reds, here are my thoughts on the year ahead:

1. Front Row : still one of the strongest combinations in the competition with Wallabies at 1, 2 and 3 in James Slipper, Blake Schoupp, Lachlan Lonergan, Billy Pollard (1 test) and Allan Ala'alatoa. Allan unfortunately suffered an injury late last year and will probably miss some games in '24, but there are worthy replacements in Sefo Kautai and Rhys van Nek.

2. Forwards : top class second row with Nick Frost, Cadeyrn Neville and Darcy Swain which should see domination at lineout time against most teams. The backrow contains two current Wallabies in Tom Hooper and Rob Valetini. Jahrome Brown will probably start the year at No 7 but will have two excellent players pushing him in Luke Reimer and Rory Scott, while I won't be at all surprised if Cale is in the starting side towards the end of the season.

3. Halves : Nic White has been lost to the Force but will be more than adequately replaced by Ryan Lonergan, although playing a different style of game. Expect to see more play making at the 10 and 15 spots which should benefit the attacking style of game I expect Steve Larkham to concentrate more on this year. Noah Lolesio and Jack Debreczini were fighting out for the 10 spot at the end of season '23, but the joker in the pack this year might be Declan Meredith. Declan was recruited from Cairns last year as a fullback but played most, perhaps all, of last year's JID Cup competition at 10 and I'm sure was awarded the JID Cup player of the year in '23.

4. Centres : this year should see Len Ikitau cement his place as a world class and the premier Aussie No 13. He has all the skills and is probably the outstanding backline defence manager in the Aussie franchises. No 12 is a NZ shoot-out between Tamati Tua and Ollie Sapsford. Ollie is Wallaby eligible through family, I believe, and could come into consideration at 12 for the Wallabies given the lack of many outstanding prospects for the spot across the franchises.

5. Back three : I expect to see Andrew Muirhead (11), Cory Toole (14) and Tom Wright (15) start at the back. It won't surprise me though, if Wright is moved to one wing and Muirhead and Toole battle out or alternate in the other during the season with Jack Debreczini taking the 15 spot during the season. Fan favourite, Ben O'Donnell is a very strong replacement in case of injury or form drop.

6. Player prospects : Billy Pollard at hooker, Blake Schoupp at LHP, Charlie Cale in the backrow, Declan Meredith at 10 or 15 are all players who could catch our eyes in the coming year. Longer term, there are exciting prospects in Tevita Alatini (THP), Liam Bowron (Hooker), Toby MacPherson (Lock), Lachlan Hooper (6/7/8), Lleyton Tuatua (6), Dan Nelson (No 9), Cullen Grey (10), Angus Staniforth (wing/15) and Shane Wilcox (15). Of these, I think Alatini and Staniforth are simply outstanding.

All in all, the side taking the field early on will look almost exactly the same as finished last year. Continuity is a good thing and if Ben Darwin is correct in his view of connections forged through playing together, the Brumbies can be expected to go deep into the Super Rugby competition again this year. In the interests of Australian rugby overall, I hope they, or one of our other sides can take the trophy in'24.
 
TSR

TSR

Mark Ella (57)
Brumby Runner said:
With the 2024 season approaching, and an almost unchanged roster at the Brumbies, I am looking forward to another (mostly) successful year for the Ponies. The main personnel losses from 2023 are the Lord, Laurie Fisher, and Pete Samu. Nic White is also nicking off to the Force, but imo he won't be missed as much as the two mentioned above.

Coming in to replace Laurie, in numbers if not in discipline, is erstwhile favourite Brumby and Wallaby captain Ben Mowen to take charge of lineout operations. I expect to see a real improvement in the Brumbies lineout this year over the past two years.

Pete Samu will be replaced within the roster with Jahrome Brown playing a like for like role at 6 or 7, Tom Hooper continuing his rise as the premier No 6 and Charlie Cale likely to be putting severe pressure on any of the backrow spots.

Taking a lead from TSR's model of his preview of the Reds, here are my thoughts on the year ahead:

1. Front Row : still one of the strongest combinations in the competition with Wallabies at 1, 2 and 3 in James Slipper, Blake Schoupp, Lachlan Lonergan, Billy Pollard (1 test) and Allan Ala'alatoa. Allan unfortunately suffered an injury late last year and will probably miss some games in '24, but there are worthy replacements in Sefo Kautai and Rhys van Nek.

2. Forwards : top class second row with Nick Frost, Cadeyrn Neville and Darcy Swain which should see domination at lineout time against most teams. The backrow contains two current Wallabies in Tom Hooper and Rob Valetini. Jahrome Brown will probably start the year at No 7 but will have two excellent players pushing him in Luke Reimer and Rory Scott, while I won't be at all surprised if Cale is in the starting side towards the end of the season.

3. Halves : Nic White has been lost to the Force but will be more than adequately replaced by Ryan Lonergan, although playing a different style of game. Expect to see more play making at the 10 and 15 spots which should benefit the attacking style of game I expect Steve Larkham to concentrate more on this year. Noah Lolesio and Jack Debreczini were fighting out for the 10 spot at the end of season '23, but the joker in the pack this year might be Declan Meredith. Declan was recruited from Cairns last year as a fullback but played most, perhaps all, of last year's JID Cup competition at 10 and I'm sure was awarded the JID Cup player of the year in '23.

4. Centres : this year should see Len Ikitau cement his place as a world class and the premier Aussie No 13. He has all the skills and is probably the outstanding backline defence manager in the Aussie franchises. No 12 is a NZ shoot-out between Tamati Tua and Ollie Sapsford. Ollie is Wallaby eligible through family, I believe, and could come into consideration at 12 for the Wallabies given the lack of many outstanding prospects for the spot across the franchises.

5. Back three : I expect to see Andrew Muirhead (11), Cory Toole (14) and Tom Wright (15) start at the back. It won't surprise me though, if Wright is moved to one wing and Muirhead and Toole battle out or alternate in the other during the season with Jack Debreczini taking the 15 spot during the season. Fan favourite, Ben O'Donnell is a very strong replacement in case of injury or form drop.

6. Player prospects : Billy Pollard at hooker, Blake Schoupp at LHP, Charlie Cale in the backrow, Declan Meredith at 10 or 15 are all players who could catch our eyes in the coming year. Longer term, there are exciting prospects in Tevita Alatini (THP), Liam Bowron (Hooker), Toby MacPherson (Lock), Lachlan Hooper (6/7/8), Lleyton Tuatua (6), Dan Nelson (No 9), Cullen Grey (10), Angus Staniforth (wing/15) and Shane Wilcox (15). Of these, I think Alatini and Staniforth are simply outstanding.

All in all, the side taking the field early on will look almost exactly the same as finished last year. Continuity is a good thing and if Ben Darwin is correct in his view of connections forged through playing together, the Brumbies can be expected to go deep into the Super Rugby competition again this year. In the interests of Australian rugby overall, I hope they, or one of our other sides can take the trophy in'24.
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Good read BR. I don’t know much about the emerging players but pretty much agree with the rest of it.

A couple of my thoughts to what you’ve written -
- the loss is of Ala'alatoa is a significant one. Even though I think van Nek did very well last year. But, crucially, Ala'alatoa should be back when the whips are cracking and, as in the meantime the other THPs are getting very valuable experience
- the back 5 forwards are outstanding - both individually and as a unit. As a front rower I love the old saying that THP & reserve THP are the most crucial spots but personally the believe it is the locks that are most crucial to delivering titles
- Brumbies have reasonable depth Mckellar and then Larkham were both willing to bring guys in for experience in key games and back them. And they have very good continuity in their squad
- Lonergan and Lolesio are young but have a few years experience and I think are well placed to direct the team around. Crucially both are very handy goal kickers.
- I may be wrong but Fisher gives me the impression he is someone who would happily give up some free time and his IP to the Brumbies if they asked and, whilst I know every coach wants to make their own mark, I don’t think they’d hesitate to get him in occasionally to provide some guidance (most pro clubs regularly get consultants in and I assume the door would always be open to Fisher)

On a final point, when I was considering the outlook for the Reds it occurred to me that there were only 3 coaches I could recall prior to Kiss who had returned from Europe to take up Super rugby head coach roles (but won’t be surprised if my memory has let me down and I’ve forgotten 1-2). Link & Cheika both won titles in their second season in charge. Larkham is the third and has a quality squad at his disposal.
 
Brumby Runner

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
Excellent comments TSR.

Allan Ala'alatoa will certainly be missed in the team, but Sefo Kautai now has a lot of experience here in the THP spot, and Rhys did make the Aus A side from memory, (maybe Barbarians). And then there is young Harry Vella coming through. I haven't seen Harry play but there are good wraps about him. Longer term, I hope Tevita Alatini stays around the Brumbies. I recommend you have a look at the replay of the U19s final against the NSW Tahs. The scrum battle was even until Tevita came on and from then the Tahs scrum just had their backsides handed to them on a plate, usually about 10 - 15m down field, despite Tevita being head to head with one of the brightest young LHPs going around in Jack Barrett. I think we're in a pretty good place with THPs.

I believe Laurie Fisher has already agreed to play a consulting role whenever required. I don't expect he will be lost for good.

They say good things come in threes, don't they?
 
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Adam84

Adam84

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
unless he has swapped sides, he previously played LHP through QLD schoolboys and U19s, Nonggorr was the THP with him in those teams
 
Brumby Runner

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
Received the following in an email this morning.



LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
We’re inviting YOU to be a part of our STAN Sport video shoot!

STAN Sport are coming to Canberra to capture all the excitement ahead of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific Season. This is an exclusive chance for you to be featured in promotional content that will be showcased across various platforms, celebrating the passion and dedication of our incredible fan community.

WHEN: Tuesday, 6 February 2024
START TIME: 5:50pm
END TIME: 8:15pm
CATERING: Light food and drinks provided.
ATTIRE: Wear as much Brumbies kit and colour as you can!
VENUE: Brumbies HQ, Bruce
RSVP: Click Here

Is similar happening at other Super Rugby franchises? Looks like STAN are putting an effort into publicising the start of SR24.
 
The Ghost of Raelene

The Ghost of Raelene

Andrew Slack (58)
Brumby Runner said:
Received the following in an email this morning.



LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
We’re inviting YOU to be a part of our STAN Sport video shoot!

STAN Sport are coming to Canberra to capture all the excitement ahead of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific Season. This is an exclusive chance for you to be featured in promotional content that will be showcased across various platforms, celebrating the passion and dedication of our incredible fan community.

WHEN: Tuesday, 6 February 2024
START TIME: 5:50pm
END TIME: 8:15pm
CATERING: Light food and drinks provided.
ATTIRE: Wear as much Brumbies kit and colour as you can!
VENUE: Brumbies HQ, Bruce
RSVP: Click Here

Is similar happening at other Super Rugby franchises? Looks like STAN are putting an effort into publicising the start of SR24.
Click to expand...
Looks like the Tahs did the same/similar thing this arvo. Hopefully they can get some content out. Big Bash finals start this week then it’s a bit of a dead period for Aus sports.
 
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