The impending Hooper vs Pocock Dilemma

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I think people are selling Hooper way too short. As good as Pocock is on his own, it's the combination with Hooper that we saw last year that would terrify opposition teams. Michael is blindingly fast (I mean, seriously, seriously quick) and is able nail blokes on or behind the gain line with such monotonous regularity that Poey must love been able to get to the breakdown second and consistently pilfer the ball. Likewise, Hoops uses that pace and understanding of running angles and supporting lines to regularly make big metres in that wider channel. Again, Poey gets to hammer the breakdown on the front foot and then involve the big dogs like Fardy, Sio and Moore to make follow up metres around the ruck. The combination is a dream for the halves because they get the pill out in front nearly all day and if I'm Izzy I'm running to wherever our two opensides are lining up, because you know that more times than not you'll get an offload in contact that gets you away again.

 

[Viking]

Not sure how anyone can doubt either Hooper or Poey after last years efforts. They were BOTH nominated for player of the year. Poey probabaly almost winning if it wasn't for a superb DC grand final effort.

If both are avaliable they will both be picked again and most likely first picked on the team. The rest will be picked to accommodate them. Not the other way around.

Until McCalman, Vaea etc become IRB nominee worthy then Hooper and Poey have nothing to worry about.

 

[Brumbieman]

Not sure why this is even being debated.

It's just the bench that needs balancing now.

 

[Brumby Runner]

True, the immediate issue is the bench, but 2017 must also be in the mix because we can't afford to have our heads in the sand about the loss of Pocock for a year.

 

[cyclopath]

True, the immediate issue is the bench, but 2017 must also be in the mix because we can't afford to have our heads in the sand about the loss of Pocock for a year.

Might be why Cheika has been lobbying for Gill to change his mind!
There will never be a "like for like" replacement for Pocock, which can be a problem in the same way that NZ had issues when McCaw was out, in that the balance into which he fitted was always altered with another, no matter how good they were.
In any event, there are quite a few back row options that Cheika will look at, and I suspect the 2017 version will be a different style of composite back-row again. Partly because he seems to think ahead, and look at changes, but partly because it will have to be.

 

[Brumbieman]

That said, Liam Gill made Hooper look shit on the weekend.

If Pocock is gone next gear, i'd love to potentially see Gill and Vaea team up, they'd make one hell of a backrow.

Australia A backrow....?

Holloway
Gill
Vaea

 

[Brumby Runner]

I think that would work.