Super 12 2005 Squads/ Effectifs: AUSSIES

Let's have a look at the Australian squads which will compete in the Super 12 2005:

ACT Brumbies:

Ben Batger, Digby Beaumont, Lenny Beckett, Luke Burgess, Alister Campbell, Mark Chisholm, Scott Fava, Gene Fairbanks, Owen Finegan, David Fitter, Mark Gerrard, Matt Giteau, George Gregan, Nic Henderson, Matt Henjak, Tamaiti Horua, Stephen Larkham, Stirling Mortlock, Peter Owens, David Palavi, Jeremy Paul, Clyde Rathbone, Julian Salvi, Radike Samo, Guy Shepherdson, George Smith, Jone Tawake, Henari Veratau, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Joel Wilson, Bill Young.

NSW Waratahs:

Alastair Baxter, Shaun Berne, Aaron Broughton-Rouse, Will Caldwell, Brendan Cannon,Tim Donnelly, Matt Dunning, Rocky Elsom, Adam Freier, Nathan Grey, Dwayne Haare, Gareth Hardy, Justin Harrison, Peter Hewat, Stephen Hoiles, Josh Holmes, Ben Jacobs, Alex Kanaar, David Lyons, Lachlan MacKay, Winston Mafi, Chris O'Young, Wycliff Palu, Benn Robinson, Mat Rogers Cameron Shepherd, Chris Siale, Rex Tapuai, Lei Tomiki, Elia Tuqiri, Lote Tuqiri, Morgan Turinui, Daniel Vickerman, Phil Waugh, Chris Whitaker, Marty Wilson

Queensland Reds:

Tim Atkinson, Nic Berry, Rodney Blake, Caleb Brown, David Croft, Luke Doherty, Lloyd Johansson, Elton Flatley, Sean Hardman, Daniel Heenan, Julian Huxley, Peter Hynes, Brock James, Steve Kefu, Chris Latham, Daniel Leo, Anthony Mathison, Tai McIsaac, Tom McVerry, Drew Mitchell, Stephen Moore, Pete Niumata, Junior Pelesasa, John Roe, Wendell Sailor, Nathan Sharpe, Nick Stiles, Ben Tune, Josh Valentine, Rudi Vedelago


First of all, the Brumbies.
Despite having lost the likes of David Giffin and Joe Roff, the guys from Canberra still look the part and will, for sure, be among the serious contenders coming May and the semis. Gerrard is back from injury and will start as fullback, Joel Wilson being the most evident choice to grab the n14 jersey.
One unanswered question is where will Radike Samo play? Will he start as lock, as he did for the 2004 Super 12, or will he continue the experience started with the wallabies as flanker?And why not n8? The thing is, wherever the Fidjian born player will fit, he is expected to make a big impact and confirm that he is the wonderfully skilled player many{I do} think he is.

Now the Waratahs...well, not much to say actually.
On the sheet, the group looks good, competitive in every line, but the backs may look a bit "tender" when compared to the other Top teams. They have recruited a bunch of guys from the local clubs, good players, for sure, but who are not supposed to make a huge difference, at least during the first part of the season.
Nathan Grey, for his farewell Super 12, should be in charge and I hope he will be given a more prominent role this year, after having been ignored, for no good reason, according to me, last year... Cameron Shepherd and Morgan Turinui will be in the starting line-up and a lot is expected from them this year...
The reliable Waratahs' forwards will mean business, as usual, and will hopefully lead the team at least to the semis, Brendan Cannon and Justin Harrison{good right hook, mate', Filipo Levi still remembers it}being the natural leaders of the pack.

The Queensland Reds are still the big outsiders of the competition.
Strong at Ballymore...and Sydney{shit!}, they are inconsistent through the year and lack the depths of their Australian counterparts. On the other hand, Chris Latham is there, and at least until 2008, which makes a big difference. He's not only an outstanding player capable of winning a game on his own{well, ...just an expression...}but also the leader without whom the Reds would not be feared wherever they go, in spite of an unimpressive record in the last Super 12.
A few guys like Huxley, Sailor or Flatley will play to keep or gain their wallaby jersey, and even lure the newcomers of the west coast...They want to show to the lads from Perth{and Brisbane} that they are still worth more than a few bucks and should be considered for the Super 14 debut of the new franchise in 2006...