Tangawizi
Peter Fenwicke (45)
I agree. So much so that I'd take Leroy Houston back if we could get him. Still only around 27/28 isn't he?
Reds 2015
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T
TOCC
Guest
I agree with Eddie, a ball running back rower is absolutely essential for the Reds in 2015...
FilthRugby
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
I would be looking overseas for a few big back-rowers, similar to that of Potgieter.
I think Jones is on the money.
Though I still would be chasing JOC (James O'Connor). Essential to the Reds backline in my opinion.
I think Jones is on the money.
Though I still would be chasing JOC (James O'Connor). Essential to the Reds backline in my opinion.
T
Train Without a Station
Guest
Timani would be a shit signing. There's a reason a got almost no game time at the Waratahs and has gotten even less at the Rebels.
FilthRugby
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
Reds second and back rows - Height and Weight (team v Rebels)
Simmons: 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) & 115 kg (18 st 6 lb)
Horwill: 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) & 117 kg (18 st 6 lb)
Browning: 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) & 108 kg (17 st 0 lb)
Robinson: 180cm ( 5 ft 11 in) & 97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
Schatz: 190cm (6 ft 3 in) & 103.5 kg (16 st 4 lb)
Reserves:
McDuling: 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) & 115 kg (18 st 6 lb)
Gill: 184 cm ( 6 ft 1/2 in) & 96 kg (15 st 2 lb)
NSW second and backs rows - Height and Weight ( team v ACT)
Potgieter: 194 cm ( 6 ft 4/12 in) & 115 kg (18 st 2 lb)
Douglas: 202 cm ( 6 ft 8 in) & 123 kg ( 19 st 5 lb)
Dennis: 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) & 113 kg ( 17 st 11 lb)
Hooper: 182cm ( 6 ft 0 in) & 97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
Palu: 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) & 120 kg ( 18 st 13 lb)
Reserves:
Skelton: 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) & 137 kg ( 21 st 8 lb)
Hoiles: 190cm (6 ft 3 in) & 102 kg ( 16 st 1 lb)
I think Jones has a very good point. If you look at the Waratahs (leaders of AUS Conf & Super XV) 5 out of the 6 'Second and Back-rowers' are bigger in size. Therefore, as TOCC has alluded, a back-rower with size, power and skill is essential for QLD to succeed in 2015.
Simmons: 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) & 115 kg (18 st 6 lb)
Horwill: 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) & 117 kg (18 st 6 lb)
Browning: 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) & 108 kg (17 st 0 lb)
Robinson: 180cm ( 5 ft 11 in) & 97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
Schatz: 190cm (6 ft 3 in) & 103.5 kg (16 st 4 lb)
Reserves:
McDuling: 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) & 115 kg (18 st 6 lb)
Gill: 184 cm ( 6 ft 1/2 in) & 96 kg (15 st 2 lb)
NSW second and backs rows - Height and Weight ( team v ACT)
Potgieter: 194 cm ( 6 ft 4/12 in) & 115 kg (18 st 2 lb)
Douglas: 202 cm ( 6 ft 8 in) & 123 kg ( 19 st 5 lb)
Dennis: 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) & 113 kg ( 17 st 11 lb)
Hooper: 182cm ( 6 ft 0 in) & 97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
Palu: 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) & 120 kg ( 18 st 13 lb)
Reserves:
Skelton: 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) & 137 kg ( 21 st 8 lb)
Hoiles: 190cm (6 ft 3 in) & 102 kg ( 16 st 1 lb)
I think Jones has a very good point. If you look at the Waratahs (leaders of AUS Conf & Super XV) 5 out of the 6 'Second and Back-rowers' are bigger in size. Therefore, as TOCC has alluded, a back-rower with size, power and skill is essential for QLD to succeed in 2015.
T
tranquility
Guest
We have been speaking about it ad nauseam for months now.
I think we can all agree we need one and probably a couple. However they are not all that common.
Leroy would be worth looking into, but the smoky that could come quite cheaply is Ita Vaea, provided that he is over his health concerns.
I think we can all agree we need one and probably a couple. However they are not all that common.
Leroy would be worth looking into, but the smoky that could come quite cheaply is Ita Vaea, provided that he is over his health concerns.
en_force_er
Geoff Shaw (53)
Given the favours the Brumbies have done Vaea I think he'd have a heart of stone to go elsewhere.
Houston wouldn't be the worst signing, hell at 27 he'd be a good one, but lets remember the Reds weren't great last time he was starting so I wouldn't be touting him as a necessary signing for success.
If I was the Reds, and I was looking for a big number 8 who could start Super rugby, I'd look to the more established PI or Argentinian 8s. Think Tuifua, Levave, Tekori (though equally talented as an impact lock), Talei (also a great leader), or even Leguizamon (if you've got the cash together).
If you're willing to get ballsy, every Aussie Super rugby team is allowed a 36th contracted player who's Japanese. They don't cost much (because it's basically their off season) and they actually have a few big 8s with their starting one being one of their best (though a bit penalty happy). Their starting 8 Ryu Holani is great player and their 2nd 8 Kikutani also used to be good (and their captain) but just isn't quite there anymore.
Just some thoughts. Houston, to me, needs to actively want to come home to be a good signing because he'd need to be on potential starting player money, rather than established starter money, to be worth it.
T
tranquility
Guest
While I love the idea, or even lets call it a "concept" of Leroy playing and training to his capacity, because would be a frightfully good player.
However, I don't think it is that simple. A friend of mine played a few games for the Reds while Leroy was playing, and a story he relayed to me highlighted pretty severe mental "strength" issues that came up during a team heart-to-heart / video session. Sorry to be so cryptic and I do not mean to be malicious in any way shape or composition.
My point being, that I think his problems have been entirely mental - as opposed to just being "lazy" as many have said in the past.
Maybe playing abroad has helped him? Maybe he didn't cope with so much pressure so soon.. Who knows. But if Leroy ever played to his potential output he would be the best Australian Eight by a country minute.
However, I don't think it is that simple. A friend of mine played a few games for the Reds while Leroy was playing, and a story he relayed to me highlighted pretty severe mental "strength" issues that came up during a team heart-to-heart / video session. Sorry to be so cryptic and I do not mean to be malicious in any way shape or composition.
My point being, that I think his problems have been entirely mental - as opposed to just being "lazy" as many have said in the past.
Maybe playing abroad has helped him? Maybe he didn't cope with so much pressure so soon.. Who knows. But if Leroy ever played to his potential output he would be the best Australian Eight by a country minute.
JOC (James O'Connor) has signed a two year deal.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/r...-queensland-reds/story-fnibc7qo-1226971171198
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/r...-queensland-reds/story-fnibc7qo-1226971171198
USARugger
John Thornett (49)
By all reports and the footage I've seen, Leroy is doing pretty damn well for himself up north. If Bath really is looking to play Burgess as a back-rower maybe there's a chance someone could get in Houston's ear?
Laziness has to come from somewhere, and it sure isn't the body. In your 20s every year can feel like nearly a decade in terms of how much a person can change/mature. It'd be no surprise to me if 28-year old Leroy is far, far different from 24-year old Leroy.
@en_force_er
I don't know much about the Asian/PI 8s you mentioned but Leguizamon is a very interesting prospect - although I question whether he's really the right man for the job.
I'm a big fan of the bloke but he's always struck me as more of a Scott Higginbotham than a Wycliff Palu. It's a pretty rough analogy so I'll explain a little further..
JML really excels playing 2 men off the ruck where he can use his athleticism to create opportunities for himself and others but he's also much closer to the 100-105kg neighborhood than he is the 115-120kg neighborhood.
He can do just about everything pretty damn well and the work he does in defense is pretty remarkable. For mine he's one of the best 1-on-1 tacklers in world rugby and is equally devastating going high for the ball/body as he is chopping low and taking the feet out from under a player. He's actually remarkably good at both and having a chop-tackle specialist playing next to Liam could be quite nice.
All-around he's an excellent player but he brings the all-around + some X factor game that Higgers did and not necessarily the Dinosaur-like profile of Palu that we seem to need a bit more at the moment.
Laziness has to come from somewhere, and it sure isn't the body. In your 20s every year can feel like nearly a decade in terms of how much a person can change/mature. It'd be no surprise to me if 28-year old Leroy is far, far different from 24-year old Leroy.
@en_force_er
I don't know much about the Asian/PI 8s you mentioned but Leguizamon is a very interesting prospect - although I question whether he's really the right man for the job.
I'm a big fan of the bloke but he's always struck me as more of a Scott Higginbotham than a Wycliff Palu. It's a pretty rough analogy so I'll explain a little further..
JML really excels playing 2 men off the ruck where he can use his athleticism to create opportunities for himself and others but he's also much closer to the 100-105kg neighborhood than he is the 115-120kg neighborhood.
He can do just about everything pretty damn well and the work he does in defense is pretty remarkable. For mine he's one of the best 1-on-1 tacklers in world rugby and is equally devastating going high for the ball/body as he is chopping low and taking the feet out from under a player. He's actually remarkably good at both and having a chop-tackle specialist playing next to Liam could be quite nice.
All-around he's an excellent player but he brings the all-around + some X factor game that Higgers did and not necessarily the Dinosaur-like profile of Palu that we seem to need a bit more at the moment.
FilthRugby
Nicholas Shehadie (39)
"QRU boss Jim Carmichael is unshakably confident the strong team culture of a well-established club, with four 100-game stalwarts in the ranks, can deliver the supportive environment to get the best out of O’Connor that the fledgling clubs in Perth and Melbourne could not."
Just get big Stan Pilecki to run him up and down Memorial Hill at Sylvan Road if he gets out of line.
All jokes aside, I praise the good work of Reds HQ in signing JOC (James O'Connor). As we know he is a freak when he wants to be and its a good way to finish the season, along with smashing those bloody Tahs in a fortnight.
Just get big Stan Pilecki to run him up and down Memorial Hill at Sylvan Road if he gets out of line.
All jokes aside, I praise the good work of Reds HQ in signing JOC (James O'Connor). As we know he is a freak when he wants to be and its a good way to finish the season, along with smashing those bloody Tahs in a fortnight.
T
tranquility
Guest
Pilecki would scare the fear of rum and cigarettes into both of them if given the opportunity.
Scoey
Tony Shaw (54)
When the rumours first started I thought long and hard about James coming to the Reds and came to the reluctant conclusion that we needed to do something and that as long as he signed for two years or more, I would get on board with it.
Well in the light of the latest reports I can't seem to shake the sick in the guts feeling or the echo in my head that's saying over and over, "oh crap, we've got that douche for 2 years!!"
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Well in the light of the latest reports I can't seem to shake the sick in the guts feeling or the echo in my head that's saying over and over, "oh crap, we've got that douche for 2 years!!"
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Scoey
Tony Shaw (54)
One question I do have though that someone here is likely to be able to answer is, when is he going to be signed from? I thought I read somewhere that his current contract runs until December I think? So he won't get anywhere near a full preseason with us for 2015 will he?
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
T
Train Without a Station
Guest
That's exactly my issue with him. If he was serious about being a team player he wouldn't parachute in halfway through pre-season just to make a few more bucks in between. It's his profession, but he's a young man with a long career ahead and he is the one supposedly wanting to prove he has changed.
Said it before, and believe it to be true. The Reds is the only Super Rugby franchise in Australia with a culture that could accommodate a precocious egotist like The Brand without damaging itself in the process.
For the good of Aus Rugby, one hopes he has learned his lesson and that he will knuckle under and contribute effectively to team goals on and off the field, whilst staying out of the news for all the wrong reasons.
I think that there would still need to be a fair bit of water to flow under the bridge before he once again dons a Gold Jumper.
For the good of Aus Rugby, one hopes he has learned his lesson and that he will knuckle under and contribute effectively to team goals on and off the field, whilst staying out of the news for all the wrong reasons.
I think that there would still need to be a fair bit of water to flow under the bridge before he once again dons a Gold Jumper.
Scrubber2050
Mark Ella (57)
I like the idea of JOC (James O'Connor) on the field fort the Reds. Hopefully his antics are finshed and he has matured in his off-field shit.
At he Force, JOC (James O'Connor) supposedly had little time for RG and probably vice versa applies. How they work together will be interesting.
At the Force JOC (James O'Connor) was the "big dog" and called a lot of shots or attempted to influence selections etc etc. At Ballymore RG is the "big dog" and will unreservedly stamp his authority. He will be assisted at grass root level by a trio of ultra conservatives - Horwill Slipper and Genia. QC (Quade Cooper) is also have imput.
Jim Carmicheal will have the final imput
At he Force, JOC (James O'Connor) supposedly had little time for RG and probably vice versa applies. How they work together will be interesting.
At the Force JOC (James O'Connor) was the "big dog" and called a lot of shots or attempted to influence selections etc etc. At Ballymore RG is the "big dog" and will unreservedly stamp his authority. He will be assisted at grass root level by a trio of ultra conservatives - Horwill Slipper and Genia. QC (Quade Cooper) is also have imput.
Jim Carmicheal will have the final imput
T
TOCC
Guest
I don't think his contract start date is a massive issue, the wallabies players don't return to pre-season until late December either, so he will be returning around the same time as them which could be a good thing, he won't be the big kid in the school yard, the likes of Genia, Horwill, Slipper etc there as well..
In terms of the culture, well to be honest I always think he will be a twat of some form, hopefully it's just reigned in a bit. Look at Buddy Franklin and the Swans, another douche and coincidentally a close friends of JOC (James O'Connor)'s, he is still getting in the headlines off the field but is worth his weight in gold on the field and in marketing/sponsorship/crowds.
Signing JOC (James O'Connor) would be the biggest Reds signing since they signed Wendell Sailor IMO
In terms of the culture, well to be honest I always think he will be a twat of some form, hopefully it's just reigned in a bit. Look at Buddy Franklin and the Swans, another douche and coincidentally a close friends of JOC (James O'Connor)'s, he is still getting in the headlines off the field but is worth his weight in gold on the field and in marketing/sponsorship/crowds.
Signing JOC (James O'Connor) would be the biggest Reds signing since they signed Wendell Sailor IMO
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