Force move in on red-hot Cooper

[shasta]

another one-eyed opinion piece.... spouting all the reasons why cooper should stay.... He really should be looking at why the Force should not take him as i have done

Yes but in reality he's right. I get pissed off with the derision as well. But the fact is Genia and the Qld forwards have been his making and he'd be mad to play outside anyone else ATM. There are a number of 10's out there who would look great with that kind of platform to work off. It would be insanity to let any of them in.

I'd rather see our youngsters come along as things are. Apart from any non Rugby issues he MAY have, nobody can say how well he'll go without who he has around him at The Reds.

[tic]

I just love the open contempt and disregard, if not disdain, these pillocks have for the future of the Force.
I am quite prepared to go on record and say the Force have by far the best junior depth and now, after the season from hell, junior experience of all the Australian clubs.
The Force are set for an amazing ride up the ladder in the next couple of years and are doing so from a far healthier position than the Reds did this year.
Keep the derision coming you twats and see it bite you on the arse in the next couple of seasons.

How so? The Reds constantly have a big junior talent pool to draw from? I think one thing that the Force need to work on is depth, as this year's injuries have shown.

[Burgs]

Who's to say his driver isn't to experience that building of a champion team all over again

[shasta]

How so? The Reds constantly have a big junior talent pool to draw from? I think one thing that the Force need to work on is depth, as this year's injuries have shown.

I'm glad to see the Reds back winning. But you're full of it, mate. Compare the way our inexperienced players have gone this season with some of the surrenders of the Reds over the past few seasons before you presume to tell anyone about what they should do.

[Burgs]

How so? The Reds constantly have a big junior talent pool to draw from? I think one thing that the Force need to work on is depth, as this year's injuries have shown.

What I am saying is that the Reds have had a horror run over the last few seasons while the Force have had an ordinary run. Considering the supposedly shithouse squad we have, we have been in the hunt in most of this seasons matches. If you take results away we have possibly been more competitive than last year. (You'll either get what I mean there or not...)
The season of injuries means that our entire youth platoon has had meaningful exposure, similar to what the Reds had in the last two years, but without a high turnover of contracts still to come.

I'll happily take the following from here to 2012 with a few key recruits added as we go:

1 Cowan, Pekahou
2 Whittaker, Ben
3 Fairbrother, Tim
4 Stanford, Richard
5 Hockings, Tom
6 Hodgson, Matt
7 Pocock, David
8 Brown, Richard

9 Turner, Justin
10 Hunt, Stefano
11 Haylett-Petty, Dane
12 O'Connor, James
13 Inman, Mitch
14 Cummins, Nick
15 Shepherd, Cameron

16 Tyrrell, Ryan
17 Longbottom, Kieran
18 Wykes, Sam
19 McCalman
20 Swanepoel, Mark
21 Tatupu, Josh
22 Rapana, Joelin


Don't take everything as a sledge tic, you are starting to come across like some of our "friends" from Tah Land!

[James]

Such a big deal wasn't made when Berrick Barnes went from the Reds to the Waratahs. Nor when Digby Ioane went from the Force to the Reds. Whether he comes over here or not get over it Eastern States.

Pretty hard to work on depth Tic when our local comp has nothing on that of Brisbane. Give us $2 million a year plus a couple of $500,000 ARU grants and maybe put a National Academy in Perth and we can start to talk on an equal footing.

[BDAVEY]

We need a good 1st 5/8....... I would rather see QC than a has bean blow in next season...... not to sure what Andre would be getting but it must be on par with what QC will be offered.

[James]

Stephen Larkham will be off contract for next year (I think he signed on with his Japanese club for 3 years in 2008). I'd take him over Cooper.

[TOCC]

Such a big deal wasn't made when Berrick Barnes went from the Reds to the Waratahs. Nor when Digby Ioane went from the Force to the Reds. Whether he comes over here or not get over it Eastern States.

your kidding yourself mate, coaches were sacked and board members quit in the fallout of Barnes signing with NSW...

Pretty hard to work on depth Tic when our local comp has nothing on that of Brisbane. Give us $2 million a year plus a couple of $500,000 ARU grants and maybe put a National Academy in Perth and we can start to talk on an equal footing.

maybe when RugbyWA has 50'000 players to arrange games for weekly we will talk about extra funding

[BDAVEY]

What I am saying is that the Reds have had a horror run over the last few seasons while the Force have had an ordinary run. Considering the supposedly shithouse squad we have, we have been in the hunt in most of this seasons matches. If you take results away we have possibly been more competitive than last year. (You'll either get what I mean there or not...)
The season of injuries means that our entire youth platoon has had meaningful exposure, similar to what the Reds had in the last two years, but without a high turnover of contracts still to come.

I'll happily take the following from here to 2012 with a few key recruits added as we go:

1 Cowan, Pekahou
2 Whittaker, Ben
3 Fairbrother, Tim
4 Stanford, Richard
5 Hockings, Tom
6 Hodgson, Matt
7 Pocock, David
8 Brown, Richard

9 Turner, Justin
10 Hunt, Stefano
11 Haylett-Petty, Dane
12 O'Connor, James
13 Inman, Mitch
14 Cummins, Nick
15 Shepherd, Cameron

16 Tyrrell, Ryan
17 Longbottom, Kieran
18 Wykes, Sam
19 McCalman
20 Swanepoel, Mark
21 Tatupu, Josh
22 Rapana, Joelin


Don't take everything as a sledge tic, you are starting to come across like some of our "friends" from Tah Land!

lets look at 2011 first

---------- Post added at 21:15 ---------- Previous post was at 21:13 ----------

Stephen Larkham will be off contract for next year (I think he signed on with his Japanese club for 3 years in 2008). I'd take him over Cooper.

we need youth like to see Grant (Yarpie) over here!!!

[tic]

I'm glad to see the Reds back winning. But you're full of it, mate. Compare the way our inexperienced players have gone this season with some of the surrenders of the Reds over the past few seasons before you presume to tell anyone about what they should do.

OK just a quick comparison (and lets not forget that the recent Reds seasons have also been beset with horrendous injury issues).

After 9 rounds 2010 - Force -115, 10 points

After 9 rounds 2009 - Reds -50, 13 points

After 9 rounds 2008 - Reds -44, 12 points

After 9 rounds 2007 - Reds -89, 7 points.

So even at our injury plagued worst, we still weren't -115 points after 9 rounds. Yes there is a depth problem. There has been some exceptional work done in the past few years in recruiting and developing young ones like Rabbit and Bam Bam. That is the path to follow. Throwing megabucks at one marquis player is just not the answer. Surely you have got that message by now.

[blueandblack]

.... Throwing megabucks at one marquis player is just not the answer.....

and not worth it.

Anyway, finally got to watch the Reds v Bulls match. Tough game that. A touch too many mistakes though. QC needs to practice kicking conversions and penalties a lot more.

Good on the Reds. Am sure they can make it into the finals this year (or perhaps even THE final). Easier to watch than the other two E/S teams.

[shasta]

Surerly you have got that message by now.

Surely you should read what I've said. I don't want to see Cooper come here.

Some nice creative accounting there too. Much more realistic to look at the whole season figures since the Force came into the competition, I reckon. Your having a good season so enjoy it. But don't get too far ahead of yourself

Force: -94
Reds: -504

[tic]

I'm comparing results after 9 rounds in injury affected seasons. Can't get much clearer than that.

Don't get too far ahead of myself? Then look at the Reds results before 2003 - you seem keen to suggest that the Reds are some pathetic basket case rather than a province that has played at super rugby level since 1993, winning 2 championships (Super 10) and playing semi finals in a number of other years (Super 12).

Yes it has been a tough 7 years, but Qld's history before this time was rock solid.

[James]

I'm comparing results after 9 rounds in injury affected seasons. Can't get much clearer than that.

Don't get too far ahead of myself? Then look at the Reds results before 2003 - you seem keen to suggest that the Reds are some pathetic basket case rather than a province that has played at super rugby level since 1993, winning 2 championships (Super 10) and playing semi finals in a number of other years (Super 12).

Yes it has been a tough 7 years, but Qld's history before this time was rock solid.

Yes but this season we haven't played the two weakest teams in the competition (Lions and Cheetahs). Your stats are biased and having played those teams would be a more accurate reflection of how the two teams compare. Especially when you consider in the last round of 2007 the Bulls game blew your points differential six ways from sunday. Not that I disagree with your sentiment.

your kidding yourself mate, coaches were sacked and board members quit in the fallout of Barnes signing with NSW...

I meant a big deal in the media directed at the players, but I see your point. I don't entirely see how Quade Cooper taking a big money deal to play for the Force is any worse than Wycliff Palu only taking a one year deal with the Waratahs because he's going off to Japan after the next world cup. Is anyone going to kick up such a fuss over Palu making a career decision solely based on cash? Is everyone going to chime in and say: "Don't do it Palu, they are evil.", "Don't waste the opportunity of a lifetime for the sake of greed.", "Think about all we've done for you Palu before you stab us in the back." or "How will you be a better player Palu if you are not passing the ball off the back of the scrum to Will Genia? You'd be a terrible player without him."

maybe when RugbyWA has 50'000 players to arrange games for weekly we will talk about extra funding

Tell you what give us the funding first and we'll start cracking on the 50,000 players. What comes first the chicken or the egg? The money has to come first, it always does. Even if not $2 million just something. I want to see depth in WA rugby and I would prefer not to pursue Cooper if another reasonable option were available but I want to see the Force with a competitive playing roster too. Hmmm I wonder what the status of Nick Evans' contract is.