2013 On the Road and Thoughts of ANZAC Day

This year we face a draw with even more travel that ever before. The last week we have traveled from Perth, via Auckland, to Wellington; now we are in Sydney before we go on a road trip to Canberra to play the Brumbies. We then head home, via Melbourne, for the Reds game. Before heading back to Auckland for the Chiefs. Then finally returning to Perth to face the Sharks who will have traveled less than us to our own home game.

I raise the factor of extensive travel not as a complaint, rather as a fact that needs to be thoughtfully considered and managed.  Considering that we have also just reached the halfway point of the season, which poses it’s own challenges, this is a difficult time.

The Force coaching staff will need to draw upon the entire playing squad in some form or another to manage the bodies from week to week. Travel, work load, fatigue, niggling injuries and unfortunately more significant injuries will all contribute to 22 selection and match minutes. Every player wants to be in the 15 and at least 22 every week. It is the coaches call to take into account form and feedback from the medical, strength and conditioning staff.  It is a serious business involving many professionals working together to field competitive teams week in week out.

We are fortunate that this year I am confident in the depth that we have built.  Having already debuting many players like Mick Snowden, Rory Walton and Junior Rasolea with great success.  We have also been tested in depth in both second row and hooker with a long lay offs to both Hugh McMeniman and Nathan Charles.

We have already seen the rewards of well-managed rotation with players like Richard Brown and Pek Cowan playing some great rugby after a week off.  This week we have the option to welcome back both Kyle Godwin and Ben McCalman who have had a week to recuperate.  Fans and players alike hate player rotation, but it is a necessary evil that we must tolerate to survive a long Super Rugby season.

With another local derby this weekend I am looking forward to matching up against the Brumbies’ George Smith. Besides our old heads battling it out at the breakdown, it is also going to be great to watch another key match up; the battle of the new kids on the block – Kyle Godwin possibly lining up against Christian Leali’ifano.  Both players are in great form this year and if they continue to perform at this level it is only a matter of time before we see both of them in Green and Gold.

With the Brumbies being the top team in the Australian conference, let’s hope our form of playing our best rugby against the best teams continues. A win in the Nation’s capital during ANZAC day week would be a great feat.

I hope in the not too distant future that the ARU will follow in AFL’s footsteps with games on the ANZAC day public holiday. Games between each Australian and New Zealand team

would be a great spectacle and be an emotionally charged battle each year. While it has been spoken about before, perhaps soon it will be a reality.  It is an event that is particularly significant for our two nations and battles between our two proud wartime allies would surly rival the Australian only AFL event. With 2015 marking the 100th anniversary of the landing in Gallipoli perhaps the ARU could make preparations to launch the games then?

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