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Dear All,
I have thoroughly enjoyed the past couple of years on the TWF website. I have found it to be funny, informative, enlightening, engaging and occasionally frustrating.
2010 appears to have a very different flavour. Recently the GayFL, Mungo and ‘Tah humour has gone and been replaced by a negativity that has usually only been voiced by a few, very few, members.
This disappoints me and I find the lack of understanding after Round One somewhat suprising.
To be fair there are a few who are attempting to be positive but the bulk of what I am reading is from frustrated supporters looking for scapegoats (Harris, Mitchell, Dunning etc). Stop looking, none of these guys have a vested interest in looking crap.
In reality the first game was a fairly ordinary game of footy. The Brumbies were below what they should have been but realistically before kickoff the chance of the Force staying in touch was slim at best. And yet with 15 minutes to go the game could still have been won.
I don’t have the benefit of seeing or even reading about the Pre Season games but I doubt in any of the 3 PS games that a backline similar to that that took the paddock last week was used.
The forwards were good, without being brilliant, and worked hard (actually appeared to work harder as the game progressed).
From my perspective the backline needed leadership to control structure going forward and back. That leadership could really only have come from Cross. He did play well but he didn’t run the backline, who else was going to? Bit players? A gifted 19 year old? I suspect that the game plan was (after the loss of backline leaders) to play last years aerial game as a way of getting/staying out of trouble. It almost worked through some outstanding kicking by O’Connor.
I agree that without a solid #10 that the season could be a shambles and without a good #10 everybody else will suffer, forwards (need the ball in front of them) and backs (need decisive ball to run on to). Young James O’Connor may yet be the answer, who knows? God knows he showed maturity beyond his tender years the other night.
I’m starting to waffle again and get off the point of this post, which is;
Shit times are shit for everyone, it is how we deal with that sets us apart.
Good players will play well, good supporters will support well.
Carn the Force
P.S. Booing at Rugby Union games is fairly new and generally a sign of ignorance. Crusaders supporters have done it for years and I hate it with a passion. I remember the ABs playing Munster (or one of the Irish teams) on an end of year tour game a couple of years ago. Silence when we kicked (unnerving) and applause when things were done well. Fabulous.
P.P.S. I remain as solid a supporter as I can from Christchurch and will go to Queenstown to watch the Highlanders game. And I want to continue to enjoy the humour of Gigs20, BDGF & Burgs, the info from The Coach, the banter from Muddy, the hardman SA perspective from Blackie and the excellent contributions from the younger supporters.