LEICESTER TIGERS 2023/24 - KANGAROO MCKELLER: Do you come from a land down under? (Squad thread pt 2)

[SETiger]

100% this - hope DMK and the rest of the staff and players get some time to switch off and reset mentally and come back hungry and ready to rip! Today showed the support behind the club and even with a tricky season there is huge backing to see this great club into the new season. We back the club, the coaches and the players and look forward to ripping back in in 8 or so weeks time! COYT!

Pre season starts on 1st July!

It better not!!!

New contracts start 1st July, but the last thing they need is another very long preseason.

This year with the PRC and World Cup we had a longer than usual preseason, it didn't work.

Give the players a proper break, build with a full squad and full coaching team to a new season.

On his podcast Ben Youngs said he was back from his break on 1st July and then have a week off after three weeks. But before then he's got 6 weeks off (although one week with the Barbarians).

[Ellie]

Pre season starts on 1st July!

It better not!!!

New contracts start 1st July, but the last thing they need is another very long preseason.

This year with the PRC and World Cup we had a longer than usual preseason, it didn't work.

Give the players a proper break, build with a full squad and full coaching team to a new season.

On his podcast Ben Youngs said he was back from his break on 1st July and then have a week off after three weeks. But before then he's got 6 weeks off (although one week with the Barbarians).

Mentioned by McKeller in his view on the game today.

https://www.leicestertigers.com/news/re ... -on-chiefs

[Ellie]

Did the supporters' players of the season get announced?

Not heard anything yet, no comms from Tigers so far, hopefully tomorrow.

[sam16111986]

100% this - hope DMK and the rest of the staff and players get some time to switch off and reset mentally and come back hungry and ready to rip! Today showed the support behind the club and even with a tricky season there is huge backing to see this great club into the new season. We back the club, the coaches and the players and look forward to ripping back in in 8 or so weeks time! COYT!

Pre season starts on 1st July!

It better not!!!

New contracts start 1st July, but the last thing they need is another very long preseason.

This year with the PRC and World Cup we had a longer than usual preseason, it didn't work.

Give the players a proper break, build with a full squad and full coaching team to a new season.

1st July gives them a month and a half off.

Get them back in for some squad building stuff. Introduce any new coaches. Further rest weeks and light sessions until closer to the season would seem sensible. Get the bulk of the squad on the same page, in tune with the defensive and attacking systems to the point where they no longer need to think about them.

[Darc Tiger]

Archie van der Flier gets Young Player of the Season at Nottingham

[RagingBull]

Archie van der Flier gets Young Player of the Season at Nottingham

Really hope both him and whitcombe get game time next season.

[Rugbygramps]

Archie van der Flier gets Young Player of the Season at Nottingham

Just looked at his stats he’s tall for a loosehead. His best chance of quality game time next season will be to stay at Nottingham

[RagingBull]

Archie van der Flier gets Young Player of the Season at Nottingham

Just looked at his stats he’s tall for a loosehead. His best chance of quality game time next season will be to stay at Nottingham

Same height as both Kiwi loosheads

[sam16111986]

Archie van der Flier gets Young Player of the Season at Nottingham

Just looked at his stats he’s tall for a loosehead. His best chance of quality game time next season will be to stay at Nottingham

Same height as both Kiwi loosheads

Same height as Nephi Leatigaga and Logo Munipola as well. A big ball carrying prop would be beneficial to our resources for next season, if we can generate that internally than that will be helpful in turns of cost.

[Rugbygramps]

Archie van der Flier gets Young Player of the Season at Nottingham

Just looked at his stats he’s tall for a loosehead. His best chance of quality game time next season will be to stay at Nottingham

Same height as both Kiwi loosheads

If he becomes as good as De Groot and Williams we’ll all be happy. Agree about the ball carrying also important to have a quality bench replacement as these huge guys rarely last past 55 minutes

[CrumblingTerrace]

I don't have any stats to back this up, but it feels like being tall and a prop is much more common than it once was.

There was a time when the Darren Garforth's of this world dominated. I'm not a front rower so I can comment on why... has scrummaging changed technically?

[RagingBull]

Just looked at his stats he’s tall for a loosehead. His best chance of quality game time next season will be to stay at Nottingham

Same height as both Kiwi loosheads

If he becomes as good as De Groot and Williams we’ll all be happy. Agree about the ball carrying also important to have a quality bench replacement as these huge guys rarely last past 55 minutes

I feel props in general should be changed then regardless
Our scrum used to be amazing the whole 80 because the bench props where just as good, something that's kinda dropped off the last couple seasons.

I would like to see Whitcombe and AVDF being viewed as impact players off the bench next season with Smith and Cronin viewed as more the starting options.

Similar I guess to how I would like to see Montoya and Clare as starters with FTT and Vanes as bench options.
Shame that Tight head hasn't quite developed the options yet.

Bench
1. Smith/Cronin
2. Montoya/Clare
3. Cole
4. Martin
5. Henderson
6. Chessum
7. Reffell
8. Hanro (If memory serves me right in the first 3 or 4 games of the title winning season Hanro was pretty big at number 8 as Wiese cover)

Bench
16. FTT/Vanes
17. Whitcombe/AVDF
18. Heyes
19. Carnduff
20. Ilione/Hatherell/Beets
Is my current preferred pack for next season.

[Rugbygramps]

I don't have any stats to back this up, but it feels like being tall and a prop is much more common than it once was.

There was a time when the Darren Garforth's of this world dominated. I'm not a front rower so I can comment on why... has scrummaging changed technically?

It used to be that tight heads would be taller than loose heads, but as has been mentioned there has been a change. It may be that scrum techniques have changed a little with a greater ability to get their legs back.
Examples of tall props over the years would be Fran Cotton, Graham (the pyramid) Price, Carl Hayman, Andrew Sheridan and of course our own Dan Cole

[trendylfj]

I wonder if we are likely to have popcorn day soon????

[johnthegriff]

I did play on the front row and when at tighthead looked forward to tall.looseheads, my job was to disrupt and lower the scrum to limit the advantage they had of the put in. Their job was to hold me up to retain that advantage, if I was at loosehead against a tall tighthead the ambition was to get under him and lift, not easy but lovely when it worked. These things are now somewhat frowned upon, the ball does not go in straight, it pretty much misses out the front row and props like most of the team have become bigger. Van Der Flier is tall but not as tall as say Andrew Sheridan, he is also close to 19 stone with the strength to go with it. He is 1" taller than Dan Cole and a couple of inches taller than Heyes and Whitcombe but these days I do not see that as a problem, Archie has proved that in the Championship I am sure he will be equally effective in the Premiership and he and Jimmy W could be pushing each other for a starting position for some years to come.