Waratahs - post-season think

OK, thank god that's over. Although now I have no-one to boo for 7 months. I might start booing the wife's cooking and the kids' homework.

Any sensible, rational analysis on offer? Or shall we just go ahead and tear our hair out (cyclopath is excused from this).

If anything, they look worse live than on TV. Then you can see the piss-weak effort that goes into chasing kicks, getting back in defence, and re-aligning the attack. If you are a back, there's simply no excuse to not go flat chat - you are supposed to be fit.

Apart from effort, the main thing that distressed me this year was the lack of imagination in attack. I have played in fourth grade subbies sides with more ideas on first phase. How you can you be a professional football side, get the ball on first phase, and look like it's your first game of rugby ever? No run around? No skip pass? The only thing resembling a "move" I saw this year was the inside ball from Barnes to a forward, which was OK, but got predictable. New attacking brains trust urgently required.

Anything else? We could make a list and send it to Axel.

(And waju, you know more about the working at Tahland than anyone else on here. Please please make a constructive criticism, rather than excuses).

They did look like they move in slow motion, during the warmup they were really just kicking the pill to each other until toward the end when they did a couple of quick drills.

Barnes didn't have any options cause the guys outside him never gave him targets to pass too. Too many lumbering forwards in the backs when he needed one of their fast blokes running onto it.

These valid criticisms reflect a crap attitude.
That's what needs addressing - but it's too late for 2013...unless there is going to be some serious house cleaning that we haven't heard about.


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Last night there were three things that stood out to me with Waratah's backline:-

1. Barnes was injured. In my mind during most of the warm up he favoured one leg and I would go as far as say he was limping. Could not believe it was happening and that he was going to play.

2. The timing / execution of the backline was poor most of the time and appalling at others. I was sitting behind goal posts and the number of times I saw supposed experienced Wallaby players bumping each other or running unintentional lines of obstruction was laughable.

3. Playing such an inexperienced halves combination probably had the Tahs on the backfoot from the start. You got to start these guys at some time but I thought not the time to start both.

I'm not going to lay the boot into the Tahs, as much as I'd like but I thought some decisions before and during the season were baffling to say the least.

If the rumours of the players wanting an 'easier' pre-season are true, then they only have themselves to blame. Contrast that to the Brumbies who were flogged by Dean Benton.

The decision to appoint an 8 man leadership group then pick a captain from outside that group would have others confused and their authority undermined.

The selection of Grayson Hart as a starting halfback against the Brumbies last week was a strange one considering McKibbon and Pretroius B.I.G. were there for the majority of the season. Looked a lot like the last chance Saloon picking Hart.

At times it looked like the players weren't on the same page when they played. E.g. Outside players not aware of a kick being made which meant no chasers.

If the Tahs are serious about making Pat McCutcheon a captain in the future, then why did they sign Hooper who plays in McCutcheon's position?

Pre-season, wrote on this site that Gaffney would be a disaster. He is rubbish. How he survives anywhere is beyond me as he still has Bob Dwyer and Eddie Jones telling the press in a mutual wank how good he is.

Gaffney talks a good Xs & O's game but he cannot coach players.

The entire team coaching staff must go. They are a disgrace.

I agree wholeheartedly.

The problems identified are all real, but there also problems the Tahs team fully understand. Several times this season they have said the exact same thing only to ad a positive to the end of it and have people criticize their inability to see the problem. The question upon seasons end that we should be asking is why wasn't it addressed during the season and the answer is simple.

The players gave up as the organisation had given up.

The team played the exact same way the board played, with a lack of communication and urgency. The pieces of the jigsaw were there but there was a complete lack of urgency to put them together, no one gave a shit about the beautiful picture at the end and in doing so it became about going through the motions.

Growden hit the nail on the head a fair few weeks ago that if you go and watch training there was no joy whatsoever on display. The guys never had fun, never bonded and when things didn't work out game one that only got worse. Jake whites comment of the brumbies being closer cos they have nothing better to do in Canberra than hang out rings very true.

Foleys major problem was he expected the status quo from last year, he believed as a couple of the assistants did in my opinion that the team that the core squad from 2011 that made the finals with so many injuries would lay a platform that he only had to tinker with to achieve more. When it didn't I believe it caught him by surprise. I still rate foley as a coach, it's up to him now to mold something in an image he creates.

Offseason also has to result in a player with x-factor being recruited, I don't know who that is or were their coming from, but the breaks kurtley and burgess used to make usually resulted in at least one extra try, one extra try was the difference of a very fine margin.

Scarfy - lastly, I have never made an excuse for my team, only offered balance to counter a level of assassination that reached fever pitch and veered off the realm of reality. I believe in fact, it should factor in to both sides of any discussion.

Who was responsible for giving the player who has spent more time on the sidelines wrapped in bandages since King Tut? Who made him captain? How many minutes did he play this season?

Not many minutes, but in his position Dave Dennis was probably close to the Tahs best player and became a capped wallaby. So you can't really say it cost us all that much. He was made captain by a player vote, followed by foley recommending him to the board. Elsom is mocked quite a bit for his injury record in recent years but if you go and watch training or stand near the sidelines and watch the boys talk to him (wallaby level to) he commands a great deal of respect amongst the player base.

In case anyone from Tahland, other than Tahman, reads this forum let me make it clear that WJ is talking about an indefinable quality when he writes of "x factor"...he does not mean a "has been"

Or someone who was on 'X Factor'

Why would they address their attitude? They know they can bludge the entire super season and still get picked for Australia.

Maybe the Tahs need to bring in a consultant to ascertain the complex problems - maybe Stephen Hawking ?

Hawking could definitely help to find the black hole theorised to exist near Tah HQ that only appears to feed on player talent and enjoyment.

It's a shame that internationals start so soon, think all the Tahs players could do with a month or more right away from rugby. They need to losen up and have some fun.