15 April 2008

A New Coach for the Brumbies

| Ingeegoodbee
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Tim Gavel on 666ABC has just run a story that Andy Friend (currently head coach of the Harlequins in the UK) has been appointed to take over the coaching role from Laurie Fisher for the 2009 season.

I guess that there’ll be more news over the next couple of hours as the Brumbies management have yet to hold an official press conference.

[Ed. Foxsports have this speculation over the appointment.]

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I didn’t say they were good, I said they were popular.

nah, you’re all idiots. The choir was shit and I’ll hear no arguments otherwise. Maybe if they did a little dance routine/try celebration ala the Toohey’s New ads there’d be some entertainment value….

Totally agree! Bring back the rugby choir!!

Also agree on VicePope’s thoughts on the curtain raiser game – get one of 1st grade club (or school boy) games for the week moved to Canberra stadium as the warm up.

Hear, hear for the choir. They were ok in quality, but they probably meant a lot in terms of male bonding type stuff. Said a lot about rugby culture (you know, what we had before things were commercial, the game was a “product”, the players were

And, really, the curtainraiser games. Do better. Put on a good local club match or even some schoolboy stuff with meaning (Eddies/Marist?). Please. And maybe avoid the endless hour plus between the end of the curtainraiser and the beginning of the main game.

Like them or not…the choir was popular & was unique to Canberra/The Brumbies. They were part of what made The Brumbies *ours* & the more of these things they stop allowing, the further removed from their supporters the team becomes.

kennardly, the rugby choir was always terrible and I for one was glad to see it go. Even Brumby Jack’s inane antics are substantially less cringe-worthy.

But I agree with other posters on the Nucifora debacle. Anyone here have any inside knowledge on the case? I always assumed it was related to a personality clash with some the big stars who have now retired…

Ingeegoodbee9:33 pm 15 Apr 08

I can neither confirm nor deny the “Paddle Pop Lion” thing but having onve packed into a scrum with the “Lord” I can vouch for the fact that he has a rough tongue …

sexynotsmart7:06 pm 15 Apr 08

Hurray, someone with normal hair!

The ex’s kid once said Laurie looked like the Paddle Pop Lion. There *is* an uncanny resemblance. I was forced to admit that I had never seen them together in the same place.

Yeah, and hasn’t Nucifora had such a huge impact on the rugby world since he left Canberra.

Blues fans are baying for his blood!

I agree totally with you guys about the “mistakes” made 4 years ago.

When Rob “the business man” Clarke came in as CEO, he removed “ACT” from the Brumbies name, stopped the rugby choir from performing on the field before the game and totally mishandled the Nucifora non-resigning. Little things like this have had a great impact.

I think Fisher is probably a good coach but Macqueen, Jones and Nucifora were imaginative and adventurous and they never made excuses like: “well its a defensive game now and so we have to play it that way” (Fisher in 2006). Then he finally realised in 2007 that bonus points were actually critical.

I’m excited about the new signing anyway and keeping Fisher as forwards coach is a good result.

Nucifora was a great guy, and a bloody good coach. Shame that he “had to leave”.
Let’s (all Canberrans Union or League) get behind both teams this, and next year!

The Brumbies have only themselves to blame. Nucifora attempted to bring in new players and was shafted for it. Fisher has been behind the play ever since his appointment trying to build a side without upsetting the prima donna’s. Then having to wait for them to retire or leave before he could bring in new players. If the management of the place wasn’t so short sighted 4 years ago then the results may have been different today and Fisher may have retained his position.

I am not an advocate for Laurie Fisher – I think the game he coaches is limited and that he may lack some killer instinct. But, this year (with the unbelievable injuries) and last year (with truly disgusting Sth African referees), he has had an excuse. But the diminishing Brumbies’ crowd is not there to cope with excuses. My guess is that the capitulation against the Chiefs (when they dragged it back to 35-21 and looked dangerous), could drop a thousand or so from the gate when a miracle win or draw would have had them queueing back to Calvary. Of such things ….

Someone new may bring a wider dimension, and open more depth in the Brumbies game. And a request – when Super 14 is over, can someone who cares and has a clue please write a post-mortem post. I want to respond to something.

Reports of the appointment are on ABC news.

After last weekend’s against the Blues, its almost a pity to see Fisher get the axe. Then again the Noose won us a premiership and he still got dumped…

Oh, and good news that McKenzie doesn’t get the job.

I hear Laurie will be remaining as the forwards coach. In some ways it’s sad to see him demoted when by all accounts he hasn’t done that much wrong. On the other hand, Canberra is a fickle crowd, and all this losing just can’t be tolerated. We paid for Blood!!!!

I went toUni with Friendy about 16 years ago, good man, smart oeprator with Rugby in his veins. Career cut short by savage knee injury. If its true that he has the job, then I wish him luck.

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