Aussie Player Exodus
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The Ghost of Raelene
Tim Horan (67)
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
He's playing overseas therefore must be far superior to anything in country. He's basically Eales.
He's playing overseas therefore must be far superior to anything in country. He's basically Eales.
Sword of Justice
Bob Davidson (42)
The way he was progressing at Super when he was about 22 suggests to me he’s a bit better than some of our current locks but he’s not really in the mold that we need.
We need someone who can ape Skelton and Botha. Coleman could do it a bit and LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) does it occasionally but not consistently enough.
We need someone who can ape Skelton and Botha. Coleman could do it a bit and LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) does it occasionally but not consistently enough.
The Ghost of Raelene
Tim Horan (67)
Feel like Coleman at the point he left and his age at the time was more of a what could have been than Harry. Good footy player but I'd say Frost is better who is similar physically and a year younger and Canham looks like the young buck in that style of player.
Depth in Super Rugby is another story though.
Depth in Super Rugby is another story though.
JRugby2
Arch Winning (36)
Top line for me here is - eh, maybe?
I haven't seen much of him in Japan admittedly but the little I have seen - he'd do just as good as Frost, Williams and co in being Skelton 2.0.
We regularly see that super rugby form doesn't consistently translate to test form, so I find it difficult to draw firm conclusions from that form he showed in the few opportunities he had at super level 5+ years ago to definitively say he's a big loss.
Adam84
Tim Horan (67)
I’d say out of the crop of locks like Blyth, LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto), Rodda and Hockings who were coming through at the time that Hockings was arguably the more athletically gifted/coordinated of that lot.. Whether that translates to a high quality test level lock i guess we will wait and see, i can understand how his style might suit the Japanese club comp though though.
Wilson
David Wilson (68)
Good post from Matt Alvarez on twitter somewhat related to the Hockings discussion:
Guys like Adam Coleman and Rory Arnold also ended up in the 30 cap range, with lots of others below that through the decade - Kane Douglas (19), Sam Carter (16), Cadeyrn Neville (8), Luke Jones (6), Jed Holloway (2 of 12 caps at lock) and probably a few more fill ins.
No one or two of those departures necessarily hurts that much in isolation, nor does losing guys like Hockings and Meafou to other nations, but the sum total of those moves really hurts our ability to build something. We don't lack the cattle at lock, but our planning and development in this space has been poor (surprise surprise). We do seem to be turning a corner a bit with Frost at the core of an increasingly consistent local group though.
Guys like Adam Coleman and Rory Arnold also ended up in the 30 cap range, with lots of others below that through the decade - Kane Douglas (19), Sam Carter (16), Cadeyrn Neville (8), Luke Jones (6), Jed Holloway (2 of 12 caps at lock) and probably a few more fill ins.
No one or two of those departures necessarily hurts that much in isolation, nor does losing guys like Hockings and Meafou to other nations, but the sum total of those moves really hurts our ability to build something. We don't lack the cattle at lock, but our planning and development in this space has been poor (surprise surprise). We do seem to be turning a corner a bit with Frost at the core of an increasingly consistent local group though.
Sword of Justice
Bob Davidson (42)
Damn those numbers are insanely low. Half that list should be 50 cap players. Coleman especially seemed like he just slipped away with a whimper when he could have been so much for the Wallabies.
Difficult to make an argument that Hockings isn’t a big loss when reflecting on the players who haven’t bedded down starting spot but alternatively we could have had Simmons and Douglas as stalwarts. So many Simmons detractors on these pages over the years and now look.
Difficult to make an argument that Hockings isn’t a big loss when reflecting on the players who haven’t bedded down starting spot but alternatively we could have had Simmons and Douglas as stalwarts. So many Simmons detractors on these pages over the years and now look.
Major Tom
Chilla Wilson (44)
Yeah retaining Frost when he was about head overseas was huge.
pissedoffihavetoregister
Alfred Walker (16)
Hockings seemed to have a very slight build when he left, has he filled out?
pissedoffihavetoregister
Alfred Walker (16)
It looks like there is a minimum no of games and then they go overseas to make their long term super. All of those players have done it except williams canham swain and frost as far as i know. They must make decent money. Why don't we get that american kid 7'9", he has to duck to get under the basket. You would only need 1, and he wouldn't have to jump!
Slim 293
George Smith (75)
Losing Rory Arnold as he was hitting his peak was a massive loss…
He and Rodda might have had the makings of a world class lock pairing has they not both left at that point in their careers.
I thought they were one of the very few positives in that dire 2019 campaign.
He and Rodda might have had the makings of a world class lock pairing has they not both left at that point in their careers.
I thought they were one of the very few positives in that dire 2019 campaign.
Red Runner
Tom Lawton (22)
getting him back from NZL pretty key too.
drewprint
Desmond Connor (43)
Missing out on the Reds captaincy seemed like the end for Rodda’s Aus career unfortunately. I recall he threw his dummies out of the cot and it all fell away.
Strewthcobber
Phil Kearns (64)
The rumour I heard was he'd just had enough of dealing with Thorn