Reds 2014

[Set piece magic]

Why are so many Reds fans upset in the previous pages? Yes its disappointing when you're team loses and I was disappointed in that way, but you have to understand that for Australian rugby to succeed there needs to be a revolving door of success and that empires need to rise and fall and rise again.

For the Tahs', they are in URGENT need of money through crowds and playing the enthralling brand of rugby they played on Saturday will do that, the only question is how long it will take rusted on fans to come crawling back. For the Reds, they have an awesome financial position (at least in comparison to the Tahs'), 31k members with their revenue SORTED for the year. You need to look at it from an ARU perspective

I still expect the Reds to have a good crack at getting into the finals and to be a good team this year, but its imperative that teams like the Tahs' and Rebels have barnstorming, fan consuming runs to the finals.

That's why for me that loss didn't really 'hurt' at all. If your passion is Australian rugby you would have loved the style of rugby on display, the fact that the Tahs' REFUSED to kick penalties in a massive fuck you to boring rugby etc. ALso 9 offloads in the second try!!?? that was fucking fantasty rugby. Imagine what 80k people at a final would do for NSWRU finances...

I am holding out for an all Australian final this year at homebush in front of 83500 people as a Reds fan and if that offends the tribalists on here then you simply can't look objectively enough at Australian rugby's financial and cultural position.

 

[Braveheart81]

BH, I think they made the right call. Not offering Higgers more enabled them to keep Schatz, Quirk and Gill. Would he have been worth keeping if it was at the expense of 2 of those players?

Time will tell. Quirk and Schatz are probably the most comparable of the three because they are 6 and 8 which is the same position as Higgers. They're four or five years younger than Higgers so we need to see how they develop. I can't imagine Quirk and Schatz were being paid much at all in 2012 when Higgers announced he was leaving.

I don't know whether the timing exactly matched up (it was close though), but perhaps the Reds would have been better off not lifting their offer to stop Genia going to the Force and instead keeping Higginbotham.

Obviously a very tough choice and akin to deciding which of your children you love more.

 

[suckerforred]

I am holding out for an all Australian final this year at homebush in front of 83500 people as a Reds fan and if that offends the tribalists on here then you simply can't look objectively enough at Australian rugby's financial and cultural position.

Can we have it else where?

 

[Sandpit Fan]

Can we have it else where?

Suncorp will do nicely

 

[Sandpit Fan]

I do wish we had let one or two of the younger guys go if it allowed us to make room for Higgers (I honestly don't remember the details around why he was let go so if I'm saying something stupid here be gentle). Samo was always leaving because of age but we really let Higgers go as he was blossoming into a great Super 15 back rower that not only lead with his actions but changed the entire dynamic of our pack with his play. 20/20 hindsight, I guess.

There was a Wayne Smith article recently (link here), which makes it sound like part of the reason he left was that he was looking for more of a leadership role at the Reds.

I get the feeling that even if the Reds had found a few more dollars down the back of the sofa, he may have been on the way anyhow. The extra bucks are a bonus.

On the subject of Higgers, it cracks me up to see the same people who though he was a lazy seagull at the Reds now shouting his praises from the rooftops. Never mattered how many times anyone said that's how Link wanted him to play!

 

[Ruggo]

For all the talk of size, funny enough it was one over the smaller Tahs packs in recent times that served it up to us.

Size and weight don't mean shit to me. It is about how the player uses what he has.

Quirk last year at the start of the season was showing shitloads of mongral with ball in hand. I would love for him to find that instinct again. This year he has been a pest at the lineout at 2. Been very disruptive on opposition ball and safe on ours, very much like Higgers has been for the last few years.

Shatz is a workhorse but he does need to find some killer instinct in his game.

Reds have a pack of outstanding workhorses but need that abrasive streak.

 

[SouthernX]

There was a Wayne Smith article recently (link here), which makes it sound like part of the reason he left was that he was looking for more of a leadership role at the Reds.

Higginbotham is playing himself into Wallabies captain contention. If this was a main reason that he left then it's paying off because Mowen will be gone, Horwill was demoted by Link & that leaves it a wide open job to captain the Green & Gold.

 

[Gnostic]

For all the talk of size, funny enough it was one over the smaller Tahs packs in recent times that served it up to us.

Size and weight don't mean shit to me. It is about how the player uses what he has.

Quirk last year at the start of the season was showing shitloads of mongral with ball in hand. I would love for him to find that instinct again. This year he has been a pest at the lineout at 2. Been very disruptive on opposition ball and safe on ours, very much like Higgers has been for the last few years.

Shatz is a workhorse but he does need to find some killer instinct in his game.

Reds have a pack of outstanding workhorses but need that abrasive streak.

Couldn't agree more. Jason Robinson always springs to mind when people go on about big wingers and centres and fullbacks etc etc.
Robinson was a far better player than most of the truly big wingers many of who neglected to really develop their skills.

In the forwards one the best ever Scottish props was Tom Smith who didn't even crack the ton for weight, yet he was good enough to be a B&I Lion is memory serves.

Size is good but I will take skill and attitude any day.

 

[RugbyReg]

a bit of strategic maneuvering by the QRU. Nice work. I believe the Tahs (or NSWRU?) started something similar as well earlier this year?

Parliamentary Friends of Rugby in Queensland was today launched by the Treasurer of Queensland, the Hon. Tim Nicholls, and Queensland Rugby Chairman, Rod McCall, at a gathering of Parliamentarians and Queensland Rugby representatives at Parliament House in Brisbane.

The Parliamentary Friends of Rugby in Queensland group has been formed as a bi-partisan group for all Members of Parliament to support and actively engage with the sport of Rugby across Queensland.

Mr Nicholls said he was honoured to be the inaugural Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Rugby in Queensland group.

“Rugby has formed a part of the state’s sporting fabric for 130 years, and our government looks forward to partnering with Queensland Rugby to highlight the game and enrich the Rugby experience for the families, players, supporters and volunteers who gain so much from the sport,” Mr Nicholls said.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Members to further the valuable work being carried out by Rugby clubs in their electorates and across the state.”

With over 259,000 participants, 17,000 volunteers, 500 schools and 200 clubs, Rugby has a significant reach across Queensland.

Queensland Rugby Chairman Rod McCall said: “Rugby in Queensland is growing year on year and Parliamentary Friends of Rugby in Queensland will connect Members with the people running and playing Rugby at all levels, from the grassroots to the elite.“

“This group will help to raise the profile of Rugby in the Queensland Parliament and we’re pleased that the Hon. Tim Nicholls, who has been involved in grassroots Rugby for many years, is the Chair of this new group.”

St.George Queensland Reds captain James Horwill, vice-captain Will Genia, James Hanson and Ben Daley attended the event along with Queensland Reds Coach Richard Graham, and discussed the Reds ambitions for the 2014 Super Rugby season.

Mr John Hathaway, Member for Townsville, is Vice-Chair of the group and Ms Verity Barton, Member for Broadwater, is the Women in Rugby Ambassador.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^^ Think the QLD Premier played a sport other than Rugby during his time in the Defence Force. Be nice if he did.

Why are so many Reds fans upset in the previous pages? <snip>

I still expect the Reds to have a good crack at getting into the finals and to be a good team this year, but its imperative that teams like the Tahs' and Rebels have barnstorming, fan consuming runs to the finals.

Me too. On their day, the Reds playing roster is extremely capable with the only real relative weaknesses in the jumpers < 6. Nothing seen in the previous weeks has convinced me that my original assessment of the potential of the Reds was inaccurate.

Like the Canterbury Crusaders, the Reds Machine can take some time to get going. Have faith. Keep calm and buy tickets.

 

[emuarse]

To right he did, Hooper out pointed him in so many areas.
I saw Gill tackle and that is it - Gill topped the tackle couldn't but ball in hand, ball distribution, pilfers, and leading by example he was well behind.

Possibly because there was little for him to feed off owing to a benigh forward pack going backwards.
If Gill had been in Hooper's spot for the Waratahs & vice versa, I wonder how he'd have looked then.

 

[emuarse]

I wish we could play these pricks again next week. The fucking condescending bullshit that is filtering in from south of the border is enough to make me steer clear of this forum for a good while. I would rather any-side beat them, than listen to the dribble. The club and supporters are so fair weather, and obnoxious and it is the reason why the club will crumble. Thank heavens when it does.

Nice trawl there, Tranquility

 

[emuarse]

So much angst.everybody love everybody.

Also do I need to remind people that the last time we were flogged in such a fashion, we won a premiership?

But the angst is needed. If we just smiled and said all's well, then are we true supporters/believers of the Reds.
There is no point in denying what took place hurt the fans, not to mention the players.
But without angst, then there won't be jubilation when the wins occur.

 

[Dave Beat]

Possibly because there was little for him to feed off owing to a benigh forward pack going backwards.
If Gill had been in Hooper's spot for the Waratahs & vice versa, I wonder how he'd have looked then.

Fair call, agree. we have 3 awesome 7's and I am not critical of any of them. I made my reference because people have banged on about Gill (rightly so) so I was just putting it out there that Hoops had a far more complete game than Gill that night.

Each of our 7's bring something different - G Smith brings the full bag of tricks though.

 

[the sabanator]

In relation to size, Australian rugby has a size problem, not just the Reds. The Tahs have a few big bodies, but their reliability remains an issue. Skelton can't get through 40 minutes, Potgieter remains an unproven commodity, Palu gets injured very easily. Over the course of the entire season I'm quite happy with our backrow, which really has the potential to gel and become a complete whole rather than the sum of three parts it feels like at times. They're all young, so there are many more offseasons to pack on size to come.

Quirk just needs to capture the rage more often, Schatz does need to play a bit bigger at times, and Gill needs to work on his ball handling (to get nitpicky).

 

[Ash]

Schatz seems to play below his weight, he needs to up his ante. It's good to see Schatz over the ball at ruck time, but would like to see him do some more damage with the ball in hand or tackling.

 

[No4918]

Let Gill and Quirk do the defending and Schatz develop some sort of running game. Horwill is the best we have and has been below his best for a couple of years now. If guys aren't troubling defence the backs are rarely going to have overlaps to exploit. Hopefully this is why CFS is being bought in as well.

 

[Ash]

Hopefully we'll be seeing Browning getting a few opportunities mid-year for that reason.

 

[tigerland12]

Schatz seems to play below his weight, he needs to up his ante. It's good to see Schatz over the ball at ruck time, but would like to see him do some more damage with the ball in hand or tackling.

I think he plays more as a blinfside than the modern 8.

Read, Higginbotham, Vermuelen, Palu, Picamoles....all have some sort of X factor about them.

Shatz is a good player, but he needs to up his game. If he can't, Browning should be given a go sooner rather than later.

 

[the sabanator]

At his rampaging best Quirk is the best runner in the Reds pack. Haven't seen that as yet this season though.