Trial: Reds v Rebels - Friday 14 February 2014

[twenty seven]

[quote="Jimmy C, post: 569909, member:
Give the guy a chance people!!!!![/quote]
Why?????
Haha - sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

[Tex]

 

[Scrubber2050]

My take on the game - short and sweet

First half - Reds scrummed well, forwards just OK
Second half - Reds scrum belted, forwards poor

First Ha;f - Backs were terrible
Second Ha;f: Backs more terrible

Hope QC (Quade Cooper) is OK but shit he did nothing last night

Anyway congrats to the Rebs - they played well with intensity whilst the Reds seemed to be just off the pace

 

[Penguin]

There we have it, the first loss and people are already starting to call for Graham's head and saying "I told you so"..

Unfrikkenbelievable isn't it. It's unQueenslandian I tells ya!

 

[Scrubber2050]

Nah, Queenslanders are well balanced and incredibly objective in their views.

Nothing wrong with RG - he's fantastic, The Reds are the best team in the world. How's that for objectivity from a non-biased Queenslander - of course from a subjective POV

 

[Ruggo]

For almost the entire game the Reds display was one of the poorest I've witnessed since 2009. It was as though the team had re-formed from a long and indulgent vacation just last Wednesday. Merely as one example: I think the Rebels won at least 5/6 scrum penalties in an uninterrupted sequence!

Anyone whom downplays the Rebels quality of game tonight is biassed. They were clearly superior to the Reds in virtually every facet of play, through all of 80, more or less. Their aggressive defence and ball-stripping technique was exceptional, they knew when to attack either centrally or wide, and when to play safe, their error rate was remarkably low, and their back line provided both consistent intensity and generally very sound execution and impact. They looked like a very well coached team; the Reds looked like a poorly coached team, I'm sorry, it has to be said and I hope it's only once I say it in 2014, but I doubt that hope.

I see above the cheerleaders are well and truly out for R Graham. "He's saying all the right things, seems like a beaut bloke and we beat the Chiefs in a trial match." I said for all of 2013 from Day One I considered this a high-risk, potentially disastrous call by Link and the QRU board. I want to be wrong - what I saw tonight gave me nothing towards that want.

This is opportunistic at best.

Time to get over it. Woody and the Reds are the one package now. Have a dig if we start the real season with a string of losses or something but after a trial loss and a week out from the season proper. It really is time to get behind the team and just be excited that the rugby season is back.

 

[gel]

It's interesting the takeaways we have from a game depending on which side we support. When I saw the Rebels just get pipped by the Reds in 2012, everyone complained about what a terrible game it was, while I saw a riveting encounter that had me on the edge of my seat. And so it goes with this game I guess, this reporter had a very different impression from you:

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/s...rss&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Yeah, I read that one as well. The eye of the beholder and all that.

Have a read of what I wrote in the rebels thread, and you will see that it is quite easy to discuss just a couple of minor points and it can come across quite a bit different.

Anyhoo, for those that weren't there and enjoy a whole last half of rugby where the only points scored are through a lone penalty goal because of endless scrum resets, scum penalties, ruck infringements and knock ons, kicks out on the full and passes to no one in particular or forward, then you obviously missed one hell of a rugby match.

For me - it was not even up to trial performance level I am afraid.

(rebels were clearly superior - no doubt, but it was all relative).

I won't comment or reply further as I have occupied the thread enough. Sorry.

 

[tranquility]

Sounds like a terrible night at the office.

Having watched the video above it's fairly clear its a trial game.

Liam Gill's pick and go break and then chip ahead, is lovely rugby but I highly doubt it would have a go at that in the season proper. Same too with Bryce Hegarty putting the grubber through.

Lachie Turner's miss on Tom English was disastrous and means that he will not be playing fullback anytime soon.

Good luck to the Rebels!

 

[TheBigDog]

Good win by the Rebels, the Reds really only looked dominant for the first 10mins from where I was and after that seemed to turn off.

What really turned me off though was the facilities at Ballymore. An hour before main game kickoff and already massive lineups for the toilet and drinks. Not enough facilities in use/available, plenty of staff though, cheers to the co-ordinator who decided each counter needed three people to serve a beer instead of opening more registers. Anyway, I love the place for all the memories it holds for me so hopefully if the QRU decide to host anything else there they sort things out a bit more first.

 

[HJ Nelson]

Some photos from the game at this link

This is probably my favourite

 

[Lee Grant]

suckerforred has written a blog on the game here:

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/reds-v-rebels-trial-ballymore/

Thank you SFR.
.

 

[RedsHappy]

This is opportunistic at best. Time to get over it. Woody and the Reds are the one package now. Have a dig if we start the real season with a string of losses or something but after a trial loss and a week out from the season proper. It really is time to get behind the team and just be excited that the rugby season is back.

Needless to say, I disagree. I have absolutely nothing to 'get over' thanks very much.

The notion that mature debate on these types of threads requires fundamental Reds supporters like me to '........get behind the team and just be excited.......' is one of the premises re rugby commentary that I find most logically ridiculous and, far worse, strategically dangerous in that it implicitly encourages the type of blind support of any respective rugby elite on the grounds of some schoolboy-like notion of 'we must be loyal and positive' vs an approach that permits robust critique and the assessment of those appointed to run critical components of our rugby system. It's not as if Aus rugby elites - coaches and executive management - are as a recent species deserving of large doses of 'benefit of the doubt'.

Whatever, I endured precisely this type of put-down in bucketloads when, years back, I saw the warning signs re Deans' mediocrity and that of his emperor patron so fortunately I have experience to guide my patience, which always helps.

Moreover I stand fully behind my assessment of many bad omens from Friday night's Reds performance - after 4 months of concerted preparation, and a whole new coaching group etc., the Reds looked very poorly composed, prepared, lacked essential intensity, showed truly awful handling skill (a trait that blighted their 2013 season) and completely lacked any form of integrated playing style under pressure (of a type they should have predicted), or discernible game plan.

We'll soon know if this is all but an aberration or the clues to something far deeper in management and execution. Given the paeans of praise I heaped on Link through most of 2010-11 and ditto J Carmichael for longer periods, I am all too ready to admire and applaud coaching and managerial excellence when I see clear evidence of it. Background problem for me re R Graham is that I've seen no such evidence of such outcomes from him for his entire rugby coaching career to date. I hope that all changes for him from this point on.

 

[tranquility]

I hope that all changes for him from this point on.

Lets all take a leaf from Ernest's book and speak a little more succinctly shall we.

It's not a matter of avoiding "robust critique" however it is a matter of showing some fortitude. RG will have new ideas, that take longer than a pre-season to knuckle down.

RG's coaching is very hard to be appraise as he has never had the cattle that he has now to work with.

Fair enough if you want to be skeptical, but where does that leave you when we start winning games?

From my point of view, nobody on here or anywhere else for that matter is trying harder to get it right more than RG and the crew. For that, they deserve my complete support and patience.

 

[I like to watch]

Wasn't RG their coach last year?
Was there a discernible difference in their style of play?
I think they have been the most affected by the late start of the Spring tourists.
This is exactly why teams play trials,no one loses the comp during the trial period.

 

[tranquility]

RG was primarily the defense coach last year.
Most other responsibilities fell to Link and Jim McKay.

 

[Ash]

It's still a trial, we'll wait for the season for the real gnashing of teeth or hailing the coach(es) for whatever teams.

I still recall the Reds winning all their trials during those dark years in the mid-2000s, including trials against the Brumbies, only to get reamed in the actual comp. NZ teams are classics for struggling in trials then shaping up for the season.

 

[daz]

Terrible lack of respect shown by the Reds, supporters and the ground commentators towards the Rebels.

I agree it was not the best spectacle in terms of ball control, but it was still a thrilling contest between two teams trying to have a final hitout before the big show.

Make no mistake, both teams would have wanted that win.

Not a single mention by anyone that the Reds were beaten by a better team on the night. It was all "we lost this, the Rebels didn't win it".

Well, they did. And for a game without points on the line, it felt fucking great!

The ground announcer called us the Melbourne Storm twice that I heard. Tool.

Sitting on the hill in my Rebels shirt and watching the boys walk away with 3 from 3 pre-season games, especially one being at Ballymore, was very nice. Well worth flying up for. (Thanks Cat for the ticket!).

And good job by SFR to balance drinks, her notebook and the slippery slope of the hill to put together a match report. I was about a metre from her and it wasn't easy to see the action.

 

[gel]

Not a single mention by anyone that the Reds were beaten by a better team on the night. It was all "we lost this, the Rebels didn't win it".

Bull-fucking-shit!!!

I haven't read any comments on here stating that the reds lost it. Everyone here (including me) have said that the rebels were clearly the better team on the night - we just used different words and filled out the story of the night from their own perspective.

My comments in particular are directed at the state of the match being dire (for a number of reasons - one of which was handling which even you alluded to).

I have stated a number of times now that the rebels were clearly the superior team.

The fact that the game was played poorly by both teams does not mean that the rebels (or the storm even) didn't deserve the win, or that the reds took the game easy, or that the reds lost the match. What it means is that the standard of the game was poor. End of statement.

Why do all the rebels supporters need the reds fans to say "omg that was the best game evereerere!!! I can't believe how well the reds played, they were electric, but the rebels were a completely different level and went on to win in a thrilling manner with ecstatic running rugby the likes of which will never be seen again!!! Omg, gush!!!"

Well, I won't be saying that because it didn't happen that way.

The reds stunk. The rebels were clearly better, but still a long way short of what I have seen them play before (vs bulls and saders for example), and therefore were still on the nose.

There is a small section of hell reserved for the very very wicked and chatty halfbacks where this match is shown on endless repeat for all eternity.

The rebels were clearly superior in that match against the reds and thoroughly deserved the win without a shadow of a doubt. The reds did not lose the match.

 

[daz]

Settle precious. Deep breath.

I was referring to the people at the ground.

Thanks for the reply though. I do enjoy hearing from my fans.

Damn. Where is that fucking fishing icon?

 

[Lee Grant]

Nice banter guys.

But on a more serious note even though we Reds and Tahs fans may have been miffed that our teams lost to the Rebels in the trials this year, and may have discounted their efforts, we have some very sneaky hopes for them in Super Rugby this year (but not against our team thank you).

Carn the Rebs.
.