Western Force Front Row ??

[pieter blackie]

We have the following options to select a front row from Who do you think it will be?? :

Ryan Tyrrell 0 Super 14 Caps
Ben Whittaker 3 Super 14 Caps

Pekahou Cowan 22 Super 14 Caps

Nic Henderson 70 Super 14 Caps
Kieran Longbottom 5 Super 14 Caps
Tim Fairbrother 58 Super 14 Caps
Matt Dunning 90 Super 14 Caps

My starting front row will look like this:

1.Matt Dunning
2.Ben Whittaker
3.Nic Henderson

Pek Cowan replace Ben at the 60 min mark
Tim Fairbrother replace Nic at the same time
Kieran on the bench for any unforeseen issues

[Burgs]

We have the following options to select a front row from Who do you think it will be?? :

Ryan Tyrrell 0 Super 14 Caps
Ben Whittaker 3 Super 14 Caps

Pekahou Cowan 22 Super 14 Caps

Nic Henderson 70 Super 14 Caps
Kieran Longbottom 5 Super 14 Caps
Tim Fairbrother 58 Super 14 Caps
Matt Dunning 90 Super 14 Caps

My starting front row will look like this:

1.Matt Dunning
2.Ben Whittaker
3.Nic Henderson

Pek Cowan replace Ben at the 60 min mark
Tm Fairbrother replace Nic at the same time
Kieran on the bench for any unforeseen issues

Using Dunning and Cowan to cover #2?

I think I would be looking at:

1. Matt Dunning
2. Ben Whittaker
3. Tim Fairbrother
16. Ryan Tyrrell
17. Pekahou Cowan

60 min Pek to LH and Dunning to Bench
70 min Dunning to TH and Fairbrother to Bench
The reverse depending on who performs better after a break rather than continuous play, Dunny may go looking for a pie with a ten minute break...
The slightest niggle and Henderson is in for the next match.

Hookers as required but aim for 70/10 in rotation if they prove to be very close in standard.
As much as I want to see Ryan do well I have really high hopes (expectations?) for Ben, in a similar way as I did a few years back for Genia, stay tuned...

[pieter blackie]

Using Pek as a utillity front row replacement is the way to go I think

[Burgs]

Seems they were pretty underwhelmed by his Hooking game on the Spring Tour?
Would be great if he is up to it but I'm not convinced he is yet.

[James]

What I don't get is Nic Henderson at tighthead- he's a specialist loosehead. I'd play:

1. Pek Cowan
2. Ben Whittaker
3. Tim Fairbrother

With Dunning and Tyrrell on the bench.

[Burgs]

He does play both sides though James, just more LH than TH.

[Cookie]

I thought that pek did a good job at loosehead last year and dunning has improved with experience,Fairbrother for the bench and who ever can throw the straightest out of ben or ryan for the hooking berth.

They will need cowan to cover hooker, if the other two struggle,but he prefers to play LH.

It isnt that easy to swap between these two roles.

[GIGS20]

What I don't get is Nic Henderson at tighthead- he's a specialist loosehead. I'd play:

1. Pek Cowan
2. Ben Whittaker
3. Tim Fairbrother

With Dunning and Tyrrell on the bench.

I'm with James

[James]

He does play both sides though James, just more LH than TH.

I'd be pretty confident that Fairbrother, Dunning and Cowan would be better at TH than Henderson.

[Burgs]

Absolutely agreed, at least on Dunning and Fairbrother (he has had more exposure than Cowan who has had virtually none) however, that is not to say he hasn't and cannot play TH. If Shepherdson was out (during a match or not selected) he would often swap sides.

[SleazyWineBaas]

Fairbrother has his eye on the wallaby tighthead. He has graduated from a very very tough school. That'll dead set do me. he gets the nod at tighthead
Dunning to start at LH
Whittaker to get a crack. By all reports he could be anything. Give him a go at hooker
Pek and Longbottom on the bench

[blue]

For me it would be:
1. Dunning
2. Tyrrell
3. Fairbrother

16. Whittaker
17. Cowan

During the trial games the fwds have been more dominant when Tyrrell is on the park.
Plus his age and hardness will be better suited to the start of the game than Whittaker's.
I be bringing Whitaker on at about 60 mins.

[GIGS20]

I would think 40 minutes from each hooker until one grabs the spot definately.

There would also be room for some "horses for courses" to go on.

I'll wager the better thrower isn't the better scrummager!

[James]

I guess I should adjust my line-up to Dunning over Cowan simply on fitness rather than hypothetical preference. I like Cowan's effort and aggression in broken play/at the breakdown plus Dunning's red card wasn't exactly endearing. In a proper game that would have me pulling my hair out.

[farva]

Fairbrother was struggling to get a gig at NPC level let alone Super 14 level, so the jury is still out as to whether he would start for the Force, especially with Dunning there, who is quite a good prop regardless of the crap that people give him.

So I would go with

Cowen
Whittaker
Dunning

Tyrell
Fairbrother

And depending how the players were holding up, Dunning could move to 1 for Cowen, with Fairbrother to 3, or Fairbrother to 3 for Dunning.

And the Tyrell / Whittaker question is really down to whoever performs best prior to games.