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Wallabies 2024

Derpus

George Gregan (70)
I suspect Hooper will be as good (or better) an 8 as Valetini and I have always thought V was a better 6 than an 8. Jed Holloway was an excellent 8 forced into the row and then as a 6. We need to use players where they are best and not use them to fill holes.
What's this obsession with playing players out of position suddenly at test level?

Petaia has been playing and performing pretty well at fullback all season? Great lets throw him in at 13.

Fuck me.
 

Wilson

Michael Lynagh (62)
So you're saying he has the ability to use some late footwork and actually execute the draw & pass unlike any of our current pack?

Wilson still has a really high ceiling to his play. Hoping a change in coach (not saying Thorn was a problem) might be a bit of a restart for him.
I think we fall in a trap of asking a lot of our young players, partly influenced by our lack of depth/struggles to keep it in Australia, and then are very quick to write them off when they don't arrive at the international stage fully formed. This is particularly an issue in the forwards where they need time to grow into their frames and playing against others who have. Harry Wilson is a classic for that - he's only 23 at this stage and is arguable well ahead of where you might expect an 8 to be at that age. Absolutely he has more work to do and room to improve his game, but there also no reason to expect he won't continue to improve year on year for some time to come.
 

rugbyAU

Nev Cottrell (35)
What's this obsession with playing players out of position suddenly at test level?

Petaia has been playing and performing pretty well at fullback all season? Great lets throw him in at 13.

Fuck me.
Ikitau and Paisami were injured and we needed Kellaway at FB or in Jones opinion he for what ever reason wasn’t good enough to make the 23 against Fiji and Georgia

Kerevi and Foketi are specialists 12

that only leaves Perese
 

The Ghost of Raelene

Andrew Slack (58)
I think we fall in a trap of asking a lot of our young players, partly influenced by our lack of depth/struggles to keep it in Australia, and then are very quick to write them off when they don't arrive at the international stage fully formed. This is particularly an issue in the forwards where they need time to grow into their frames and playing against others who have. Harry Wilson is a classic for that - he's only 23 at this stage and is arguable well ahead of where you might expect an 8 to be at that age. Absolutely he has more work to do and room to improve his game, but there also no reason to expect he won't continue to improve year on year for some time to come.
The fact he's 23 shocks me. Bursting onto the scene doesn't always help. Were still talking about Frost being let develop but he's 24. Tom Hooper is 22 but have semi written Wilson off.

Wilson has the frame and the athletic ability to be anything. Hopefully he's like a lot of the anglo boys and he fills out from now until 27-28 and he has an extended prime over others who seem to flame out.
 

The Ghost of Raelene

Andrew Slack (58)
Obviously dependant on the Super Season but if he continues to develop Flook should be in the 23 for the Wallabies every game next year.

Really hoping to see some of these natural footy players come through like Flook, Jorgenson over the prototype battering ram like Perese.
 

stillmissit

Chilla Wilson (44)
Reply
So you're saying he has the ability to use some late footwork and actually execute the draw & pass unlike any of our current pack?

Wilson still has a really high ceiling to his play. Hoping a change in coach (not saying Thorn was a problem) might be a bit of a restart for him.
I think Hooper has a lot of upside and has the ticker for a good international, he gets through a ton of work. We can watch him over the next couple of years and see what happens. I suggest there is little apart from the try he scored of his stepping ability but we seem to have little of it in the whole squad.
Wilson can step, I suggest he has been trained by Thorn to just run hard into the opposition and that ain't good for an 8 who needs to use his skills. Bobby V, Gleeson and Wilson and others are all playing pseudo RL players.
 

stillmissit

Chilla Wilson (44)
What's this obsession with playing players out of position suddenly at test level?

Petaia has been playing and performing pretty well at fullback all season? Great lets throw him in at 13.

Fuck me.
I suggest Hooper has not set a position yet. IF he is playing out of position as you suggest, what position should he be as he has played 7,8 and 6 for Christ's sake!
 

stillmissit

Chilla Wilson (44)
Regarding changing positions of players in the Wallabies. It is a sign of desperation from a coach as they go searching for a winning team as opposed to building one......
 

Members Section

John Thornett (49)
Totally disagree, he's not a battering ram but his footwork makes him highly effective

"Too small" always seems to ignore the fact Ardie Savea & Kwagga Smith are two of the most effective forwards on the planet. And Michael Hooper was hardly a giant

Well when he starts turning balls over as much as Hopper, Kwagga, Marx or even McReight or Wilkin i'll put my hand up & say I was wrong.

Anyway we have a whole SRpac season to see how players go, picking a team now is pure guess work. He could have the best season of all & get the start v wales
 

Derpus

George Gregan (70)
The fact he's 23 shocks me. Bursting onto the scene doesn't always help. Were still talking about Frost being let develop but he's 24. Tom Hooper is 22 but have semi written Wilson off.

Wilson has the frame and the athletic ability to be anything. Hopefully he's like a lot of the anglo boys and he fills out from now until 27-28 and he has an extended prime over others who seem to flame out.
Guy still has 10 years good rugby in him.
 
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