Mitchells short straw

[JediKnight]

i was thinking more along the lines of a leg tackle because hes just broke through our lines. lote runs from the other side of the field and gets him about 15m from the try line.
anyway this leg tackle breaks his tibula and fibula. which is extremley painful... also it would have to be his kicking leg just for the irony.

Lote'll get confused as to which leg to break as JW can kick equally well with either foot!!!

[jono]

BOTH!!!
i was gonna say compound fractures. but thats a little too sadistic and i cant wish that on anyone. its not cool to see your leg bones comming through your skin. been there done that.

[James]

I'd put Drew in with Lote and have ACC cover the bench (between Huxley and ACC they can cover the whole backline satisfactorally). Give Lote a little credit though (he only deserves a little though)- as much as I dislike him he will have a big game against England. Who cares who scores the tries as long as tries are scored, huh? Admittedly against Canada he wanted a bit of the glory and selfishly tried to go himself but didn't make it but its not like he is mincing it up with bad handling over the line like Our Cam (poor guy I felt so sorry for him). The fact of the matter is he is generally a marked man and the opposition focus more on him than anyone else and that is what creates the opportunities for nippy little guys like Drew.

I would very much like to see Sheps back into the action but sadly I think his World Cup is over. He still doesn't seem 100% mobile and with Drew in form and ACC and Lote as Connolly's golden boys he'll probably not get another chance.

[chook]

Cam is well out of place there. Lachie Turner would have been the wise option. I guess the selectors just aren't as smart as me though. Not their fault I suppose.

[travelling_gerry]

Hang in there Chook...you might land one yet....

[chook]

Might do, probably not enough burley used though, plus the fishfinder shows only a few fishies on the TWF reef right now.

[jazza93]

when drew comes on he will make a huge impact. its a good move when you have alot of good wingers in the team. there must be a reason for it, maybe an injury or knuckles has a plan.


he doesnt pick his team randomly and leave people out for the fun of it.

Stop telling him how to do his job when you have absolutly no idea. i think he knows a little more about rugby then most people on this website.

[chook]

when drew comes on he will make a huge impact. its a good move when you have alot of good wingers in the team. there must be a reason for it, maybe an injury or knuckles has a plan.


he doesnt pick his team randomly and leave people out for the fun of it.

Stop telling him how to do his job when you have absolutly no idea. i think he knows a little more about rugby then most people on this website.

Who are you and what have you done with Jazza ?

[Jehna]

Stop telling him how to do his job when you have absolutly no idea. i think he knows a little more about rugby then most people on this website.

Jazza!?

Well...if he leads us to a 3rd world cup victory without starting Drew then I'll gladly announce to the world how wrong i was...hell i may even start a worship Lote club....

[chook]

hell i may even start a worship Lote club

I will hold you to that counselor!

[Jehna]

I will hold you to that counselor!

I'd expect nothing less

[Jehna]

I guess that hyper-extended toe really took the fear out of him...ever other injury will be nothing now...

_______________________
I was scared of getting hurt

By Darren Walton and Jim Morton
October 06, 2007

ADAM Ashley-Cooper has revealed the secret to his stunning rise to prominence with Australia in 2007.

A candid Ashley-Cooper has confessed to not having the necessary bottle to play for his country until this year.

“To put it simply, I was scared, just playing conservatively,'' the 23-year-old said after confirming his priceless versatility value to the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup in France.

“I didn't want to injure myself. I didn't want to make mistakes.''

With injuries ravaging the Australian backline during the pool stages, Ashley-Cooper played three different positions - wing, outside centre and inside centre - in three games to help pilot the Wallabies to the quarter-finals for the sixth successive World Cup.

His worth to the team in France continued his watershed 2007 after playing all seven winter Test matches in Australia.

Before this year, Ashley-Cooper's only Test appearance was a surprise, last-minute inclusion against the Springboks in Perth in 2005 after injuries had taken apart the Australian backline.

His selection for Saturday night's quarter-final ahead of Drew Mitchell - the competition's leading tryscorer - was a slightly contentious one - but another show of faith from the Wallabies selectors.

Coach John Connolly and fellow selectors Michael O'Connor and Scott Johnson have been sold on Ashley-Cooper since his match-turning performance against the All Blacks in Melbourne in June.

They love his power and reliability, which was never more evident than when he smashed past three New Zealand defenders to inspire Australia's comeback victory in the opening Bledisloe Cup encounter.

“This year I've got a nothing-to-lose attitude. I've taken that attitude into each game and it's come off,'' he said.

“Maybe experience with what I've learnt in the last year (has helped).

Maybe it's just that fear factor. But I got a lot of confidence with that attitude (from the Brumbies) and then took it into (the Test fold). “There's no need to change if it's working even when playing for your country.''

Ashley-Cooper also had a “thanks Bez'' message to Berrick Barnes for taking the heat off him in France.

Had 21-year-old Barnes not been the last selection in the Australian squad, and then not proven the revelation of the tournament with a couple of important starring roles as Stephen Larkham's five-eighth replacement, the spotlight would have been on Ashley-Cooper as the youngest member in the Wallabies fold.

Ashley-Cooper said it was nice to fly under the radar at the tournament.
“The significance of the World Cup sunk in as soon as I got over here but definitely the build-up to the quarter-finals just raised significantly,'' he said.

“There's a bit of pressure, but I enjoy the challenge.''

AAP

[JediKnight]

AAC needs a big dose of HTFU.

[OMS]

I think Mitchell has shown up the "Golden Child" and the ARU/knuckles are embarrassed, a cheaper but more potent undergrad has come up trumps. Maybe it is to restrict Mitchells time on the field, but hes on the bench- just in case.

[JediKnight]

IMHO, Drew did more in 20mins than AAC did during his 60mins on the pitch. Along with the tactical errors, AAC gave away some stupid penalties and generally looked out of his depth.

Hopefully the new coach will select players on their ability & form rather than some dodgy Eastern States' boys club.