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Season Pre-View: Western Force
New season. New captain. New fly-half. New expectations. What will the Force bring in 2012?
Form in 2011
2011 was an odd season for the Force and also one of a fair bit of disappointment. Sure we finished off better than 2010, but we certainly didn’t reach our potential. Suprisingly for a team in 12th place, we were really only belted twice: Once by the Waratahs in Perth and once by the Stormers in Capetown. You could also add the Sharks game, however we performed considerably well for a team down to 14 players for 60 minutes. Every other game was hotly contested- we led in most of them coming into the final 10 minutes. If just a couple of those games had gone our way, the season would have a completely different feel to it.
The pre-season injury to Willie Ripia didn’t help and neither did David Pocock’s knee injury a few minutes into his second game of the season. But in a long competition, injuries happen and you have to learn to deal with them. Probably the best way to describe the season would be disappointing but not disheartening- we are capable of winning more often.
Comings and Goings
It has been another season of fairly high turn-over for the Force. The highest profile loss is James O’Connor to the Melbourne Rebels. The pundits have talked up his departure as being a cause to write off the Force. Perhaps they are right- but the Force did score 9 competition points in the three games that O’Connor didn’t play. Given the job O’Connor was doing of alienating himself from his teammates and Force management, his departure became the only option. The other star back that has moved on for 2012 is marquee New Zealander, David Smith. Smith took a while to get going last season, however his try-scoring form in the second half was impressive. Possibly the most significant loss in the off-season is the recent resignation of Willie Ripia. Ripia had been stealing from team mates to pay off his gambling addiction and his position became untenable. While Stannard is a preferable option at 10, Ripia was valuable depth in the squad in a position the Force does not find itself well stocked. Giant centre, Mitch Inman, has also left he Force for Rebels. Inman was decent for the Force but is no great loss. Mark Swanepoel, who filled in admirably for Brett Sheehan late last season, has joined the Crusaders to be in their wider training squad. A handful of second string backs have also left the Force- Tom Hockings, Jono Jenkins and Tevita Metuisela were not re-signed for 2012. Finally, there has been a bit of movement amongst the fatties. Matt Dunning and Tim Fairbrother have both left for Europe. The pair were great for the Force last season and they provided a very solid scrum for the first time in Force history. Paul Alo-Emile also leaves the front row for the Rebels. He was not capped for the Force last season. Mark Batholomeusz has retired from rugby having played no part in the Force’s 2010 season. Ryan Tyrrell also retired due to neck injury, however he has since played rugby in the UK. All in all, thirteen players have left the Force since last year.
With the new squad cuts, these guys have been replaced by 8 new players. The most well known of these is Wallabies tighthead Salesi Ma’afu. Fatty Ma’afu was in fine form for the Wallabies in their most recent three tests. He should be equal to Fairbrother or Dunning. Joining Ma’afu in the front row is Tetera Faulkner. Faulkner is a good loosehead prop who has represented Australia in U20s and is ready for the step up from club rugby. The other addition to the pack is ex-Waratahs backrower Lachlan McCaffrey. McCaffrey is a promising 6 or 8 who recently enjoyed winning the Shute Shield with his team Eastwood. New backs include former Rugby League starlets Will Tupou and Jordan Rapana. Both played rugby as teenagers and were keen to return to the better game. The Force also snared former New Zealand U20 and IRB Junior Player of the Year nominee Winston Stanley. Stanley is a talented centre who will make a good addition to the Force midfield. The big marquee coup, however, was the acquisition of rampaging Fijian winger Napolioni Nagala. Nagala was superb in French rugby before personal issues caused him to take a rugby sabbatical. His signing is a bit of a risk, but if it pays off, will be great for the Force. The Force have also signed Ben Seymour from Manly in the Shute Shield.
Players to watch out for...
I am really excited about the signing of Winston Stanley. He is ready for a full time Super Rugby gig. Although he is likely to play mostly 13, he is exactly the kind of inside centre we need in Australia. He combines the size and strength of a guy like Pat McCabe but with a greater skill set (he knows what the word pass means) and some kicking ability. At the very least he should be a serviceable player for the Force- at best he could be a contender for the Wallabies this year or next. Hopefully at 13 he will be able to unlock some of our powerful outside backs and sharpen the Force’s attack.
The Strengths
We come into the 2012 season with a good front row, a very good second row (as long as Sharpie stays fit) and an excellent backrow. In the pack at least, we are capable of mixing it with any team in the competition. We could use a little bit more ball running ability, however our set piece and breakdown ability both earn big ticks. There is some good leadership amongst the Force squad. Both Nathan Sharpe and David Pocock have captained the Wallabies. There are also numerous on field leaders- Matt Hodgson, Sam Wykes, Nathan Charles, Kieran Longbottom and James Stannard. Hopefully this ever developing leadership will help us to win some of the tight games this season.
Slowly but surely we are becoming more and more self-sufficient. There are two local players in the senior squad and one in the EPS. We’ve also recently had a handful of front rowers play for the Australian Schoolboys as well as a handful of other players. 2011 was our best year with 5 representatives between the main team and the ‘A’ team. Now this may not exactly be a strength this season, but it is something to look forward to for WA rugby fans and if they all play with the same passion as Kieran Longbottom, these guys will be future stars.
The Weaknesses
For the last few seasons our backline has just been a mess and this year is no different. No specialist fly-half with any experience. Cameron Shepherd unavailable once again. Few players who are particularly threatening and capable of making something out of nothing. Maybe these guys will have their fairy tale moment of cohesion and go on to an excellent season, but only the most diehard fan could believe that would happen. Hopefully, if things hit rock bottom we will at least see Richard Graham throw the die a bit with some selections- Cameron Shepherd at 10 or 12 for example. Much more likely we will see lack of penetration, miscommunication and poor execution costing try-scoring opportunities and invariably wins. Our options in kicking are severely limited. It’s time Richard Graham started working towards building a backline.
I could go on for a while about our lack of depth in key areas but it would be easier just to summarise it by saying that our depth sucks.
The Prediction
This season shouldn’t be looked upon with high hopes. The plan should be: Be reputable, don’t capitulate, work hard to recruit some decent backs that can do the job in the long term, and prepare to make a proper fist for it next season. We’ll win games. We have a better squad than a handful of team in the competition. But the realistic goal should be getting out of the double figures in ladder position, especially as injuries will make this season tough at times. I figure Dave Pocock’s injury misfortune is used up and he’ll play out the whole season, and that will certainly help. Sharpie’s last season should also see him provide us with a few highlights. We’ll take just enough of those close matches to finish an acceptable 10th.
