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Five Minutes with Richard Graham
I went over to Force training this morning for question time with Richard Graham. Good fun. No Frost/Nixon though. Unfortunately, Justin Chadwick from AFP beat me to reporting most of what was said (and asking most of the questions- I only managed the one so sorry if I didn't get the chance to ask the ones you'd suggested) but what the hell....
?: How is the team shaping up?
RG: We're really happy at this time. Pre-season is all about establishing a foundation for the season. To that end, I'm really pleased. The discipline within the group at training has been excellent and sets us up well going into the new year.
?: Can you compare this program to previous years?
RG: No, I can't because I wasn't here.
?: You said you wanted players to take ownership of this
RG: I just wanted them to change the expectation of themselves and each other. So everything (in the pre-season) has been accountable and there have been no hiding places. Particularly for the younger players coming into the program, it's probably been the most challenging thing they've ever done physically and mentally. The senior players have also found it quite difficult.
?: Have you already reached the level (of) the Wallabies coming back in early January, or will they have to step up to what they're coming into?
RG: There is no doubt that's your benchmark. The benchmark is international rugby and certainly for this group I think they'll challenge some of the Wallabies with what they've done over the last 8 weeks. The important thing for the Wallabies to do though is come back in and make sure they raise the bar and (that) this group continues to grow.
?: Who has been a stand-out so far?
RG: Difficult to point to one standout. I'm really pleased with the younger guys. Someone like Paul Alo-Emile who has come here having not been in a professional program before and (you) just have to look at him physically- the condition he's in- to know he's worked hard.
JC: Cameron Shepherd has had a lot of injury runs over the past few years. How's he going? Is he set for a good year?
RG: Yeah, he is. He's probably in the best condition he's been in for a number of years. I think that it was important for him personally that he didn't go on that Wallaby tour; that he had a period of time where he could regain confidence really in his body as much as anything. That's physically again someone we're really pleased with.
JC: Has he been doing everything that the other lads have been doing?
RG: Absolutely everything. (He) hasn't missed a session all year.
JC: How is Willie Ripia fitting in?
RG: Ten is a difficult position. You only have to look at the teams that've won and the correlation between that and the 10s that they've had. Willie's a really good player, (he's) fitted very well into the group, and he'll give us some good direction.
JC: Is he ready to take that role for the full season?
RG: He's now played 4 years of Super Rugby, 40 Super Rugby caps. So he's established himself at this level of football. As I say, he'll be very good for us going forward.
JC: Do we have back-ups in case he gets injured?
RG: At this point we're looking at JO'C (and) Gene Fairbanks as two guys who will cover us there.
JC: Are you bringing in any more lads? Or is the squad full?
RG: Looking at the moment for one more player. Probably looking for an inside back. It's a position that I want to make sure we get right and I'm not going to rush into it so we'll continue to look across the other Super squads and academies. See what's available and then we'll make a decision.
JD: What is the back-up plan for Sharpie?
RG: Well again we're fortunate there that Tommy Hockings has been around for a number of Super seasons. Sam Wykes- again a guy we're really pleased with his work through the pre-season. Established himself in the Sydney competition as the premier line-out caller for his side. And the Benny McCalman played a number of times last year as a lock. That area of our side is not really an area I'm worried about.
JC: Back on Shep, obviously his preferred position is fullback, but will you ease him back as a winger?
RG: At this point James (O'Connor) has played outstandingly well on the wing for the Wallabies. I have no concerns playing Shep or James at wing or fullback.
Just a few other notes: David Smith was on crutches. Mark White said he had rolled it a couple of days before but it was fairly minor. Cruze Ah-Nau had twisted a knee and was training in a brace. Things looking better for Justin Turner but it is hard to tell when he'll be back with the kind of knee injury (ACL?) he had. The rest of the squad looked good. Mark White also said we were unlikely to see any development tours for the Force 'A' what with 6 games with the Rebels 'A', Perth Gold, and West Harbour.
I hope you've enjoyed it. I also hope it answers a few of the questions that have been on your mind. I'll try to get over for some more in the new year. Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas.
