In our quest for perfection from our Golden Boys, we seem to be focused on the little bits we need to do to achieve the greatness that we all know our Men In Gold deserve.
For all the inherent issues in the team, we are No 2 in the World at the moment. We have beaten The Darkness, and the boys, whilst somewhat inconsistent, have the confidence and potential to go all the way next year at RWC. We have also beaten the ex #2, and on the high Veldt no less.
There is tons to work on between now and then. Like it or love it, we are stuck with Dingo and most of the current tranche of Wobs. In many instances there is no viable fit alternative. Injuries and unavailability’s are a fact of life, and while having no TPN or Cliffy impacts on our performance, we can do nothing about it apart from wish them a speedy recovery to full fitness.
There are structural and managerial issues for JON and Dingo to sort out with Club Wob, and let’s hope that these can be resolved before the point of no return for RWC 11.
Footy is a cruel mistress. Look at the Ping Pong GF this year, one week a tie and arguably it should have been a St Kilda victory. The next week the Saints were absolutely flogged by a rampant Magpie mob. What changed in that week between GF's? Everything and nothing.
So what if the bloody Soap Dodgers beat us at home in a game that doesn't really matter in terms of RWC. Sure we've gotta put up with all sorts of rubbish from them at work, and in the pubs and clubs. If life was so good over there, why do so many of them want to emigrate here? I digress.
What’s to work on?
On Field Leadership and Game Plan Management – How do we work out when Plan A is not working and do we have the ability to switch to Plan B or C?
Decision Making – Linked to above – when to take quick taps & when not to; when to kick for touch vs kick for goal; when to emulate King Ritchie’s breakdown/tackle rules - what is the best part of the field (and game) and in what tactical situation should we commit professional and cynical fouls.
Individual Skills -
The basics - Tackle, Pass and Catch. Some need to work on these. ‘nuff said. Is this Dingo’s problem or the individual’s?
Maybe some private tuition is needed (funded by the players or player managers themselves, and conducted in their own time). Parents and students do this all the time to increase their chances of successful outcomes in exams, at school and uni. Why can’t individuals take more individual responsibility for achieving the standards demanded by the National Coach? It is their job after all. They are in the entertainment business.
Small Group Skills. Don’t just leave it up to individuals to save us with consistent but random acts of inspiration, such as Bam Bam at the tackle contest, Gilbert simply being Gilbert, etc. Better communication between small groups such as Kicker and Kick Chasers, Thrower and Jumper/Lifters, Ruck/Maulers and Runners.
Strength vs Weakness. Linked to the game plan. Work out what our strengths and weaknesses are. Play to our strength and not our weaknesses. Avoid the opposition strengths and target their weaknesses. Not only is this a Team issue, but individuals need to know and understand themselves and their individual opponents strengths and weaknesses.
All players need the confidence and mental agility to know when their opponents are targeting their particular weaknesses, and have strategies to do something about about it. Give the opposition credit for doing their homework on us. If you want a one dimensional limited contest game then try mungoball. Rugby is Chess to Mungoball’s Checkers.
Discipline. Goes without saying. 14 players vs 15 players is always a big ask, even if it is only for 10 minutes, and even if the temporary absence is one of the players many pundits write off. It is still one less pair of arms and legs on the oval.
It doesn’t take much effort to kick the ball through the sticks to earn 3 points from a penalty. It might be as boring as batshit but it is still 3 points. Unfortunately the history books do not record the Batshit Index from the game. They simply record the winner being defined by the team with the most points when the referee blows fulltime.
Learn from King Richard of the Darkness. Infringe where the consequences from a possible penalty are minimised. Be aware that the sacred Cloak of Invisibility worn by King Richard allows a +2 infringement avoidance bonus. Note that the bonus is only effective against IRB referees, and seems to have no effect on video recording equipment. :lmao:
Do we have the ability to turn things around?
Absolutely. In the good old days, the Army turned civilians into Officers equipped with military skills and the leadership skills necessary to lead their platoon in warlike operations in around 3 months. There is no reason why JON and the ARU boyos can not do the same with Rocky and provide him with the necessary leadership and decision making skills.
If Rocky is not the man for the job of Captain, then who else? There does not appear to be an overwhelming list of suitable candidates for this role.
Same with Dingo, If not him, then who else and is there sufficient time to do this before RWC without severely impacting on our RWC11 preparations?
If it is at the assistant coach/specialist coach level, who comes in, and are they available? Should we be taking an entourage the size of Clive Woodward’s 2003 mob across to NZ next year? Can we actually afford it? I have heard that the rivers of gold are not flowing particularly swiftly into the Golden Lake in the basement at HQ ARU in St Leonard’s.
Bottom line, the victory by the Soap Dodgers should be seen as a minor setback in our overall campaign for RWC glory. In many aspects we were comprehensively outplayed and the scoreline represents a thumping, but in reality, with a couple of bits of luck at critical points, the game would have not only been significantly closer on the scoreboard, we could have won this bugger. IMHO I reckon that we could have achieved victory whilst still displaying the most of the miserable defence in certain channels, and rather aimless kicking game we saw at times on Sunday Morning.
I still really hate losing to the Poms.
