Nicholas Hartman

@friendtolepers @HuwTindall Your original post said these guys left cos they didn’t get game time, those above had plenty of game time imo, but you’re correct in the sense that the Tahs could be doing way more. Debre and Creighton are fine players but we’ve shedded 5 better flyhalf a

@NJHartlad @HuwTindall I’m sure you can think of loads more.. x has a limit. Donaldson, Harrison, Harris, Williams, Pietch, Lancaster, James Ramm. That’s just a couple of years worth, Waratahs had them as they developed and they’re spending their best years elsewhere. Bet Bell will go after WC.

The great mystery is what happens between Tahs age grade and academy teams and the Tahs.

@friendtolepers @HuwTindall One left probably cos he hated the Eddie jones aftermath, one had plenty of game time but only got good in the last year of his contract

@HuwTindall My theory is strong Tahs age grade teams is a curse. Always an exciting 20 year old to bring into the men’s team (often at the expense of a good incumbent) they stay for their development years then leave and peak elsewhere. Marky Mark, Gleeson..

@glove931 Only if we get to go back and review Brodie Retallick tripping over Drew Mitchell in the final

If AFCON can do it why can't World Rugby?

@fictillius Have you walked down the Greenway? It’s pretty bad, their street is in between two sections of the Greenway and it is a tiny street. In fact the closer you get to the Cooks river the worse the greenway gets

Is there anything Dulwich Hills residents won’t whinge about? They are upset set cyclists and pedestrians now. JFC theguardian.com/australia-news…

@Hugh_96 Ice hockeys so good!

@NJHartlad TBH I don’t know. Just occasionally when flicking around will stop and watch it.

Have to give it to Ch9, they are so into sport & a diverse range of sports. Earlier today on 9Gem they had an EPL replay ⚽️now have ‘Live’ an NHL game Avalanche v Stars 🏒then on 9Go it’s the Aust Boardriders Battle all day. 🏄‍♂️The main channel has the Winter Paralympics.❄️

@OBBY001 Every time an Australian team loses everyone suggests positional changes. We’ve been like every year since we’ve lost the bledisloe. If I was McKellar I’d play the same team again

@NJHartlad This is doom & gloom ⬇️ - not suggesting a couple of positional changes to “a shit loss” (your words)

I thought I’d take a stab at a Tahs backline after last night’s performance. 9 Teddy Wilson 10 Debrecini 11 Jorgo/Harvey 12 Walton 13 Reilly 14 Potter/Hendren 15 Harvey/Jorgo Notes: Reilly has played centre in NRL for Wests Tigers & Wests in NSW cup (where he won player of the year) A player with genuine rugby nous. Give him a go.

@OBBY001 It’s not all doom and gloom. The Waratahs have been chronic underperformers. McKellar seems to be doing this seasons what should have been done for the last 15 - giving pathways (he from, halaholo, t Wilson, talaifina) a chance. We didn’t look good before this game either

@NJHartlad What a great contribution you’ve made to the thread 👎

@Hugh_96 Preaching to the choir man, rugbys dropped the ball but that’s not the only explanation why

@NJHartlad True. But the reality is AFL have more $$, are more professional & put on a better experience for supporters.

Great crowd at the Swans last night. It’s the hot ticket these days in Sydney. Have to feel for the Tahs they were once the hot ticket.

@RugbyReg @dstanno Look, for narrative spiritual and religious purposes Harry Wilson has to wear the same crown as John Eales and do the goal kicking. O captain my captain

@dstanno Interesting as to Henry’s role. He was a legit sharp shooter a few years ago. Not sure if he still can given injuries.

Goalkicking a concern for the Reds atm. Werchon looked competent last week but not a regular. Question mark on Gordon. Henry can kick. Campbell so-so. Hope it doesn't come down to penalties.

@Hugh_96 He’s not getting picked ahead of potter, Jorgo, or marky mark

@NJHartlad Limited time to earn the $$ as a professional don’t blame him looking for the best for himself. Just don’t go overboard with how he wants to go to the World Cup.

Not sure how keen he really is. More he doesn't have an option. But will be interested to see where he ends up.

@westernforce You need Tizzano branded creatine powder, I’d buy it

🧢 Show that you're part of the Sea of Blue Check out our 2026 lifestyle range 👇👇 westernforce.store #StrongerTogether

@T2Rugby Your framing is all wrong. Tonga is important because pound for pound it’s a great rugby nation, with strong links to its neighbourhood who between them have 5x the world cups and less than half the population England has. If any gets “world” rugby it’s this part of the world

RUGBY LEAGUE IN TONGA IS AN AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM NOT A WORLD RUGBY PROBLEM. You sometimes hear people warn "Tonga is going to League" as if the sport needs drastic action to address it. This is in reality a problem for Australian rugby more than World Rugby for whom it should be a very low priority. In actual fact people must understand Tonga Rugby League team is virtually 100% Australian born & raised. It has very little to do with Tonga on-island. The island doesn't produce any players, they have only played 2 games in Nuku'alofa this century the last of which was 2007. In reality where Union is losing out to League is in the battle for the c.30-40,000 ethnic Tongans in Australia. This is bad for Australia, as many of those ethnic Tongans who are good at League would also be very good Union players and possible Wallabies, and bad for Tonga who then don't get the eligible players Australia doesn't want. It is a very tough battle to win. NRL in Australia has 17 teams. That is considerably more opportunities to play professional rugby than Union in Australia has any hope of offering with 4 teams. So the League route is going to be more attractive to often low socio-economic Tongans of making it in as a professional and earning a living from either code in Australia. This becomes even more so the more they see inspirations from their background become stars in the sport, have a national team that does well, and embeds itself more and more into their culture. However to be blunt, this is a problem for Australian rugby, from a World Rugby point of view it should be an extremely low priority and not a battle worth investing a huge amount of resources to challenge League here. There just aren't very many Tongans in the world. Only c.30-40,000 in Australia, c.98,000 in New Zealand, and c.100,000 in Tonga itself (and the only real pathway currently for a homegrown Tongan to become a pro rugby player is a Union scholarship to school in New Zealand or Japan and as long as that is the case and those scholarship opportunities exist Tonga will have a decent pool of players in Union). In the wider scheme of things that is a player and fanbase with a miniscule ceiling. As a fan of Union, it would be a shame if the next Toutai Kefu is a League player instead, and this is a blow to the Wallabies of course, but this really makes very little difference to the sport as a whole outside of Australia and ultimately *World* Rugby has far less reason to be especially bothered about it or invest money into it. So this issue should be left to Australia Rugby Union alone to think about. But in terms of what the sport's *global* governing body thinks about it should not even be in top 100 priorities next to far bigger opportunities and markets to grow and expand elsewhere which would be far more efficient and effective use of money.

@OBBY001 Fortunately McKellar dropping him won’t be a factor in his signing to R360

Zac Lomax isn't the only footballer whose career has been thrown into chaos by the delay of R360, as Waratah Andrew Kellaway revealed he is in limbo, having intended to sign for the rebel competition. Part 1 of 3

@fabiodeuxbeer Pretty but not much doing?

@dmurray59 @Johan_Jordaan72 wouldn't shock me if this anti Au and NZ chat is bullshit coming from the French who don't want anyone to vote them down on being able to poach all our talent

@Johan_Jordaan72 I draw your attention to an initiative to stop French poaching of talented/large young Oz rugby players and ask if it looks like we’re hoping to make the game look like RL. smh.com.au/sport/rugby-un… Remember, RL revenue in Oz is 10x rugby. Makes sense for us to move to RL?

If true, then maybe Aus and NZ need to accept that rugby is not the game for them. What they are fighting for already exists. Its called league. Rugby won't survive without scrums or line out, but rugby will survive them!

@Bartoinnz @dmurray59 @Johan_Jordaan72 how the hell is RA going to do that?

@dmurray59 @Johan_Jordaan72 RL revenue is primarily sourced through causing billions of social harm through gambling, remove gambling income from RL in Australia and the sport ceases to exist.