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Nick Taylor
Saturday, February 18, 2017 9:53AM
Western Force need no motivation to confront what is likely to be a daunting 2017 Super Rugby season.
After several underwhelming years they will be battling on and off the field with talk of their existence being on the line following a competition review.
Off-field conversations have shifted towards support of the club following the campaign to become financially self-supporting through the “Own The Force” fan buy-in campaign and a $1.5 million-a-year deal with the Road Safety Commission.
That deal is the biggest 12-month sponsorship ever signed by an Australian Super Rugby franchise and has a further three-year rollover renewal option.
On–field, new coach Dave Wessels, at 34 the youngest ever coach in Super Rugby, is out to silence the chatter.
“We have got to earn the right for people to take us seriously, to convince people we deserve a future in Super Rugby,” he said.
“We can’t stand there cap in hand. We’ve just got to perform better and I think we’ve got the building blocks in place to do that.”
Wessels knows plenty about the challenge of being in charge of a club that has never made the finals, having been an assistant at the Force for the previous four years.
He knew he was losing players such as centres Kyle Godwin and Junior Rasolea, back-rowers Steve Mafi and Chris Alcock while hooker Nathan Charles, scrum-half Alby Mathewson and midfielder Ben Tapuai were among those who were released.
Their departures cleared salary cap space and Wessels made some smart buys in a squad with a host of new faces.
He has recruited players such as Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, NRL star Curtis Rona, tough centre Billy Meakes from Gloucester, experienced prop Ben Daley, Brumbies utility Robbie Coleman and rookie back-rower Isi Naisarani who is tipped for a big future.
“We have some absolutely world class players,” he said.
He has also gathered plenty of coaching experience around him with Alan Gaffney and Joe Barakat, while giving Shaun Berne his first big coaching break.
Wessels has concentrated heavily on fitness and skill levels in the long lead-up to next Saturday’s kick-off against the Waratahs in Sydney.
His side looked impressive in its only senior trial, beating Melbourne Rebels 27-5.
“We’re happy where we are at but sometimes the best-laid plans are fantastic until you get punched in the mouth.”
Coach Dave Wessels.
The Force will be confident going into the opening game despite losing captain and Wallaby No.8 Ben McCalman and possibly veteran flanker Matt Hodgson to injury.
But Wessels is quick to stop anyone getting too carried away, reminding them that they beat the Hurricanes 28-0 in the 2016 pre-season but went on to win only two matches.
“We’re happy where we are at but sometimes the best-laid plans are fantastic until you get punched in the mouth,” Wessels said.
“We’ve got to be tough on ourselves leading into the first game. The proof will be in the pudding next Saturday.
“It will all come down to our mindset when we go out there.
“When the bell goes and the two fighters come out that’s when it really matters.
“We are very fit. We’ve put a lot of time and energy into skills and we are starting to create opportunities that in the past we weren’t able to create.
“Our challenge is to finish every single one of those opportunities because in Super Rugby those opportunities are few and far between.
“We have to go out there with the mentality that we want to win. That may mean taking risks along the way but we will try and play expansively and let the ball play at the right time. The result matters but the way we play and the attitude with which we play is as important.”
PREDICTED FINISH: 12th
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-u...-ng-b88390099z
Last edited by volvo; 18-02-17 at 20:32.
All the usual negatives in the first paragraph. What will make Taylor start any article about the force on a positive note. "underwhelming" "daunting" "off field talk of their existence" all in the first para. Why not start with some of the positive stuff about the sensational level of support for the team ie the bolstered finances and the new players, young enthusiastic coach and change in attitude. With friends like this hack at the West who needs enemies.
remember his is writing to a mainly non rugby readership,so it is quite pertinent to give the background of the Force's woes leading into the rest of the article
Thank you BDG
Taylor never misses an opportunity to put in the negative boot and usually upfront. That is because he is a typical pommie tabloid hack. He could include that sort of negative context somewhere else in his articles instead of trying on the well worn tabloid hack tactic of appealing to the lowest common denominator and whip up negatives and scandal. As I said who needs this sort of friend.....
maybe he is under editorial directions on his content?
Nick's articles in recent years have become increasingly damaging and quite frankly boring. All of his articles have a common (cookie cutter) pattern; negative statement at the start presumably to grab the readers attention, a bunch of old and usually half related pieces of history to pad the article out and he finishes with the point he was trying to make.
Most of Nicks articles would be a paragraph in length if you filtered the chaff out.
Hes supposed to be a rugby man; you wouldn't know it.
Someone at Wanneroo needs to get him in a headlock behind the change rooms and tell him a few home truths.
I am really a Palmyra troll.
Agree with you there. I've met him a couple of times and he has always been supportive. Don't forget he is not the Force spin doctor and puts it as it is. Actually I saw a piece in the Slimes at my deli this morning where he had a very positive story with Cheika. Didn't buy the paper and can't find it online. Anyone else got it?
yep-the article was largely a series of quotes from Cheika who was confident the Force will perform much better this year(hard not to,really)
You guys want the truth? You can't handle the truth!
OK, OK, someone else used that line first.
What is wrong with Taylor's article?
Is there any factual inconsistency with the truth contained in the first paragraph?
And isn't the rest of the article simply a regurgitation of favourable comments and quotes, which, quite frankly, exude a confidence which objectively it is difficult for a non partisan Force zealot to share?
I wish the Force luck, and hope they do exceedingly well this year, but can't accept a mentality which pillories a journalist for doing his job in an honest and dispassionate manner, allowing the Force's proponents to express fulsomely their dreams, wishes and desires in the article.
And hey, Political BS, what gives when a typical North Country Englishman such as yourself descends to calling a fellow Englishman a "pommie" in an intentionally abusive and derogatory manner?
Even a partisan force zealot like myself has difficulty arguing against what nick has put in the first paragraph.
Writing for the West, it's important that he give all the background for every rugby story he writes. That's because 75% of his readership will approach the story knowing nothing about Rugby.
C'mon the![]()
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It's not that the article isn't factual - clearly it IS factual. It's more the way he portrays those facts, and the decision to lead with the negative rather than the positive. That's all. Why not start with, "there has never been a better time to be a Western Force supporter!" - to coin our politician-in-chief ;-)
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
Why not start with, "there has never been a better time to be a Western Force supporter!" - to coin our politician-in-chief
Because that is the job of the Force media man and sites like this - not his.
Alison. I took it to be. Here's the Situation so far, followed by heres the news.
You can't really complain about a journalist reporting facts in an article, and overall, the article is fair and as positive as it can be without being biased
C'mon the![]()
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