Adam Freier » Blog

Hello, my name is Adam Freier and I hate to lose

adamfreier — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:51:14 +0000

I LIE on the concrete floor. I have 12 stitches in my head, where they’ve had to remove more hair which, in recent times, is flourishing about as much as a deciduous tree in winter.

I have blood in my ear, Dencorub in one eye and an ice pack on two corks.

I have sweated in the last hours of the Brisbane heat, and have replaced my fluids with sports drinks combined with a lukewarm milky protein drink.

Still looking at the ceiling. Head throbbing. Stomach churning. Heart broken.

Welcome to the life of a struggling high-performance team athlete. I hate to lose and I feel it’s becoming a problem worthy of counselling.

“Hi, my name is Adam Freier.”

“Heeello, Adam.”

“It has been five games since my last taste of victory.”

Feeling the crunch: Queensland hit the Rebels hard last weekend, but Adam Freier is confident the side will lift. Photo: Getty Images

Although I have no deep-seated issue to present in front of strangers at the local hall, I do have a problem. I am known to be a pessimist, a little grumpy after a loss, and that’s not because of my resemblance to one of the seven dwarfs.

I’m not a sore loser, nor am I someone who only plays sports to win. I just hate losing, a lot.

I speak to the coach from the floor, yet for only one moment. I know he is also filthy, but he is a much better man than I am, as he sees the positives in what has just happened compared to 12 months prior.

“We are building, mate,” he says with optimism and faith. There is silence, and he walks on by. “Well, it must be some empire,” I say under my breath.

Like Lazarus, I rise. I shower and head to the bus, consumed by what can only be described as a Red Sea of Queensland fans … I hate losing.

The bus trip after a loss is an interesting sanctuary. The first thing you realise is the air-conditioning. It usually knocks you off your feet.

I am usually the last on so you see a fair bit.

You will see players staring out the window, or buried in their phones replying to texts and reading tweets or game stats. Not many people are talking. I do nothing out of the ordinary. I turn on my phone and tweet what I really think.

A tweet was followed by a tirade of support.

Feeling a little better now … Still hate losing.

Coach Hill calls for a quick meeting before dinner. It is no shock to me that I walk into a room and the chairs are set up in a circle. I feel I may need to rehearse my anger-management or losing-rehabilitation speech.

“My name is Adam Freier, and I hate to lose.”

An environment where the entire team is in a circle usually has about as much order as a Solomon Islands court. But the playmakers hold fort and coaches ensure that the message is clear and precise. This is a wishing well we throw problems into, and they are not entertained without resolution. We fix it. We move forward.

I head back to my room knowing the replay is on and begin to watch it, knowing I am no chance of sleeping in this mood. But my mood sways a little. I see hope. I see missed opportunities. Line-outs missing by inches in the A-zone. Five-on-three plays in the back line rectified by a scrambling Reds defence. I see players like Tom Chamberlain, Luke Jones and Nick Henderson playing blinders.

I see Kurtley Beale counter-attacking with vigour and brilliance that isn’t seen by any athlete returning from a hamstring injury.

Michelangelo once said he could ”see the angel in the marble”. Maybe that’s my ointment for losing. Being an optimist. He also said that ”he carved till he set him free”, which means it’s going to require a resilient effort.

Whatever my therapy, I know that it’s a feeling I can live with for much longer and it won’t be an easy one to abolish. Although one thing is certain, I am sure some Cheetahs will be suffering from the exact same feelings I had when we play this Sunday afternoon.

Adam

First published on 16th March 2012 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Hello, my name is Adam Freier and I hate to lose” – A SMH headline.

Defence was pants, but we’ll pull socks up

adamfreier — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:53:38 +0000

IT’S late and I am frantic. I’ve just tipped my undies draw on its head looking for my mouthguard as I pack for our journey north to play the defending champion Queensland Reds.

But what’s more concerning than keeping my mouthguard in with my underpants, is the way we defended against the Waratahs last Friday.

This year, more than most, Super Rugby has developed into a game of efficiency. In the first half, we missed way too many tackles. That’s blatantly obvious, but it was the numbers to our defensive breakdown that proved the real issue.

Think about a defensive rugby pattern in the same context as the butterfly effect. When one player over commits, it leaves the next sequence one player short.

If you are defending in the line and you notice that you are one short, your mindset may change. You may hold a little longer to cover the inside, you may come out of the line faster to stop the ball going wide.

Whatever you do, you are working against your team’s defensive protocol, which almost certainly will result in you hanging by the goal posts enjoying a drink.

Waratah Tom Carter breaks through the rebels' defence for a try at AAMI Park last week. Photo: Getty Images

Now look at it from an attacking point of view. Good teams in the competition will back their drill on their own ball and can afford to commit less, because they know the ball carrier will get over the advantage line, that his teammate will do his job in cleaning out the defender.

We know what to do, we know what the right process is with the policies our coaches put in place. But we lose faith. We lose trust. That’s a big part of building trust within the team, that every player will be doing their job. When one small piece of detail goes astray, the butterflies appear, the ripple turns into a wave.

The experts will pontificate about where it went wrong and we have been asking the same questions ourselves. But at the end of the day, it comes down to attitude. Although, what does the term attitude mean in terms of defence? There are a few ways we can look at it. In defence, you can adopt my under-10 coach’s way of saying that tackling is ”10 per cent technique and 90 per cent about how much you want to smash the bloke”.

The other approach is one that many great sides get and many would love to understand. It’s a balancing act between cotton and steel.

We play a contact team sport, where we stick together, in every facet; you look after your teammate. But being able to dominate the physical contest isn’t about how far you can push your rival with five blokes climbing over you, or how hard you can strangle your opposite number’s collar.

It’s being able to see what is going to transpire, the chances of you being penalised, and what effect that will have on your team, and your momentum. It is clear the teams that get caught up in illegal play tend to have penalties go against them. The teams that succeed are the ones that turn away from ill-discipline, grow an extra leg in defence or have their teammate make a textbook tackle.

Fighting in footy, to my knowledge, has never won any game. The third man into a stoush is pretty much given a long-arm penalty these days, yet we continue to think the rules are only pretend.

Our best player last week was Mitch Inman and all he remembers was giving away a penalty when we had the ball, for a bit of push and shove. There is nothing worse than watching the ball sail between the sticks because you’ve carried on like a pork chop. But you the steel is that you don’t back down. You look after each other. It’s an area we are yet to master. But that can easily change.

Adam

First published on 9th March 2012 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Defence was pants, but we’ll pull socks up” – A SMH headline.

Wallabies must drop obsession with peaking once every four years

adamfreier — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:00:28 +0000

‘Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!” That’s what you all heard from Eden Park last Sunday, and even on Friday night. But what I heard was thousands of TVs across Australia turning off, for another four more years.

Now every nation bar the victor tonight will look to make wholesale changes, give youth a run, and try, test and pass new combinations. Heads will roll. Welcome to the matrix of rugby – the life in between the World Cups. My issue with losing at the tournament is the notion that we now have four more years to work towards winning the next one. That needs to change.

Internationally, there is no appetite to be the best-ranked nation. Who even takes notice of the IRB world rankings? They’re not celebrated or rejoiced in. This is a problem, and a reason the Wallabies will come home baked in bronze. I sense dissatisfaction with the Wallabies’ performance among the Australian rugby public and I witnessed it in the papers and first-hand as a punter. The reality is, we didn’t enter the World Cup as the best team in the world, so it should be no shock we don’t leave as the best.

Usain Bolt doesn’t run second and third and drop a few races before he takes gold at the Olympics. He wins consistently. He takes down rivals on any stage. The Olympics is just a magnified platform to show the world he is the best. That’s what makes him a champion.

The Australian rugby team needs to adopt that mentality. I think the result wouldn’t be a surprise. The World Cup is certainly the showpiece event, but we put way too much emphasis on it to produce a world champion side and don’t focus on the games in between. This creates a cycle of depleted teams on trial for a four-year formula.

End of the campaign ... the Wallabies depart as the world's third-best rugby side. Photo: Getty Images

We rest players, we groom players, we send squads with a ”development focus”. When did a Test not carry the weight of a nation? If we start to prevent nations from touring with second-string sides or issuing 14 doctor’s certificates at a SANZAR conference the week before the Tri Nations of a World Cup year, then we can seriously consider a ranking system that accurately portrays the world’s best.

We need to bring in an accurate ranking system. The current IRB model is flawed. As it stands, if France beat the All Blacks by 15 in the final they will be the No.1 nation. What? Didn’t they lose to Tonga and get pasted by New Zealand in the pool games? If Wales had beaten Australia by 15 points, they would have been second in the IRB rankings – which is fair – but they didn’t and now find themselves ranked eighth, behind Argentina. If this World Cup finishes with Wales the eighth-best team in the world and France first, then not only will I eat my words, I’ll eat my laptop!

In the meantime, if we look at the measures of who is world champion, it has nothing to do with rankings – it’s about beating the best. And in rugby that means beating the All Blacks.

The Wallabies must win at all costs, win everything. Don’t field a second-string side against Samoa, or Scotland. March into every battle with the view of being the best team on the planet. Then you hit a World Cup, like Usain, like the All Blacks, and prove you are the best.

So the question is being asked: is this golden crop of Wallabies the real deal or fool’s gold. Make no mistake, the Wallabies are a talented young group who can achieve great things. But a World Cup is the last thing they should be looking at. Try this: 10 wins in a row against the best in the world. That’s what New Zealand did to us, that’s what we should be aiming to do to them. Beating them twice in our past four clashes is a start, but that needs to change now – not in “four more years”.

Reduce the importance of the World Cup as a gauge of international status and you will see rugby grow. Bringing international fixtures back to what they truly are – Test matches. New Zealand will win this World Cup, not only because they are the best team in the tournament, but because they have been the best team over the past four years. That’s why they will win and that’s what makes them champions.

Adam

First published on 23rd October 2011 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Wallabies must drop obsession with peaking once every four years” – A SMH headline.

The Riddler puts faith in future for greatest show on earth

adamfreier — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 22:05:16 +0000

‘Hey, dwarf man!” It was the final thing I heard leaving the field when I played the 2008 Springboks. Nothing short of crippling for a man who is challenged in the vertical sense.

I took the criticism on the chins, both of them. The Boks were the world champs. But this match is a little different.

They’re still world champs, but today we can take that away from them. We’ve got a completely different side than the one that went out in the 2007 World Cup quarters – it’s probably better but there is a school of thought they could do with some help in the hooking department.

Jokes aside, the Boks still have 10 players from that tournament. Their playing style remains largely the same. And of the past two years, this young Wallabies side has had the wood on them. Victor Matfield reckons history won’t play a part this time around. And he’s right. Because these Wallabies walk to the beat of a different drum. They don’t have memories like elephants, they don’t care about 2007. Like clowns stuffed into a VW Beetle, this side is packed to the roof with entertainers.

I can’t remember a game that has had such a bearing on two countries’ rugby wellbeing. Here in Wellington, you can feel this match has the aura and the scent of becoming one of the greatest quarter-finals in Rugby World Cup history.

They're still world champs, but today, we can take that away from them.' Photo: AP

Not to say this game is any sort of a circus – the IRB has that department wrapped up – but if the ”cake tin” was a ”cake tent” you could easily claim this could be the greatest show on earth. On one side we have Robbie ”The Riddler” Deans, a man of very few words, who has put his faith in the future, picking the likes of Pat McCabe, Anthony Fainga’a and James Slipper.

The other, Peter ”Death-defying” de Villiers – unpredictable and eccentric. He has backed what works, what he knows best, within his fearless leader John Smit.

And the man in the middle, who for the sake of this article I will call Bryce ”Lawrence the Lion-tamer”, who, when all is said and done, has the biggest part to play on opening night. His rehearsal shows haven’t been all that flash, in the eyes of the Wallaby faithful. He is an astute referee, very detailed – and he has the ability to pretty much send one rugby country into recession.

The Wallabies’ performance must be clinical and technically flawless. Anything but, the tamer will be cracking his whip.

The Wallabies need the game to be free-flowing and fast. Slow set-piece, first-phase rugby will no doubt suit the South Africans. That will only come if the Wallabies allow it. Hence the importance of ruck dominance and speed of recycled ball, as well as discipline when they have the ball in attack. It is so important in this match.

So, after this match, what does the victor receive? Well, a date at the dance with the All Blacks, in a match every player, coach, ball boy and punter would love to be a part of – a country where the weight of expectation is pretty much insurmountable. Who wouldn’t revel in the chance to take on the best-looking sort at the ball?

Meanwhile, the loser will face the questions, blame, maybe even some sort of official inquiry. Like Siegfried and Roy, they will be attacked by the ones that used to love them. Which, in an absurd and radical sense, may not be such a bad thing – you can only shadow-box for so long. The victor, however, will escape the intense public mauling and have a week to prep himself for the ball.

Adam

First published on 9th October 2011 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “The Riddler puts faith in future for greatest show on earth” – A SMH headline.

Dominant first half against Russia showed Deans everything he wanted to know

adamfreier — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:00:22 +0000

Many baseballers use bats lightened with cork to give them a quicker swing, improve their timing and build confidence.

With the starting team Robbie Deans selected, I had a feeling the Wallabies would be ready to let rip against Russia, like Sammy Sosa with his modified piece of pine. There were flashes of brilliance from Radike Samo, Quade Cooper and Luke Burgess, while Berrick Barnes made a massive difference, not only in directing the team, but also with some great darts, one of which led to a try.

Like everyone else, in the first half I was thinking: ”This score line could be anything.” Then half-time came and the Wallabies seemed to put their bats away and had to make changes. Some forced, others rested. Any time there are household substitutions a team’s momentum is sure to change.

During this World Cup a lot has been said about momentum, winning matches well, building combinations and being familiar with each other’s play when dry and on the front foot, or when wet and needing to batten down the hatches. The debate is whether to make changes, or continue to “Swwwwwing batter!”

If Deans felt this team needed more time together to build momentum, he would not have picked three hookers and three halfbacks.

Luke Burgess of the Wallabies attempts to break free. Photo: Getty Images

Deans saw what he needed in the first half and was happy to bottle it for the cellar. With the look of this match, he has seen enough and won’t be bothered by the second half. You could argue it’s not there, but he knows what lies ahead and what cards he is playing with.

But take away the 68-22 score line, was this a win for the Wallabies? I’m sure that going into the game Deans would have loved to see the team doctor bored out of his brain looking for something to do. Instead, things worsened for our wounded Wallabies.

Deans’s first-choice reserve prop, James Slipper, has an issue with an AC shoulder injury that would be difficult for a front-rower to persevere with. Having a ball-running prop on the bench is important but it’s not something you’ll notice as a spectator. It’s a little bit like losing your generator on a boat.

Then there’s the most tragic loss of all, Drew Mitchell. Many consider Mitchell one of the best counter-attacking wingers in the world. He’s not only a great ball carrier but a good tactical kicker and decision-maker under pressure. We’ll miss him dearly if we play South Africa and New Zealand, who tend to kick and let the likes of Mitchell counter. Many Kiwi and Boks supporters would be happy if he does not play again this World Cup.

It is clear from the previous two outings that David Pocock is an animal. His absence in the second half was about as obvious as a band performing without its lead singer. Seeing him fit and owning that match is a huge feat for the Wallabies. Thank goodness he is back (pardon the pun).

The breakdown, although not noticeable from afar, struggles without Poey. He has also taken the responsibility to be one of the ball carriers, which he did well against Russia and Italy.

Rocky Elsom and Samo can carry but Pocock has a different approach. It is not so much a hit-’em-up style but more a plant and leg drive when there is no hole to hit. He always finds metres, which is crucial for the expansive style of running rugby the Wallabies want to play. All this talk about needing to fly over another No.7 is meaningless at this stage of the tournament. Not disrespecting any openside flanker in this country, but Pocock can’t be replaced. We can bring in another No.7, but we can’t bring in another David Poccock.

We should also applaud Adam Ashley-Cooper’s versatility. He is clearly the best and healthiest outside-centre we have. Having him playing well is also good news for Wallaby fans. Also, James O’Connor’s radar seems to be back in sync. After missing his first conversion, he nailed the next nine straight.

So we did gain some positives from this match? As much as the competition is about being a juggernaut ploughing through to the final, Deans may have a a surprise in store. All these question marks could be exactly want he wants.

The team’s media motto is “no guarantees” but I guarantee that if we finish second in our pool there will be no surprise who we play. We know the Boks well, and if memory serves me correctly, we have sung the national anthem in the sheds in every match against them them this year.

I believe things happen for a reason. The Irish loss, although painful and warranted, has set the Wallabies a path that I don’t feel too shabby about. The road is ragged, but as an Australian, I don’t think I would like it any other way.

Have faith rather then cheer another nation for a result.

Adam

First published on 2nd October 2011 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Dominant first half against Russia showed Deans everything he wanted to know” – A SMH headline

Let’s hear it for Barnesy, the perfect Wallaby for a crisis

adamfreier — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:00:09 +0000

A quote Wayne Bennett has used is: ”You can always tell the character of someone by what he does for those who can do nothing for him in return.”

This quote could not be more relevant than with former Brisbane Bronco Berrick Barnes. Forever giving, for charity, rugby and others, this cleanskin can start to blossom in this Wallabies environment. A well-bred Queenslander whose native Australian tone and ”yeah, na, yeah” make him the natural next in line for Lara Bingle’s ”Where the bloody hell are you?” ad campaign.

The first time I met Berrick he wore bone-coloured R.M. Williams tight beige jeans with clip pockets, rum-stained R.M. Williams boots and a checked shirt that I am pretty sure I had once used as a tea towel. He stood there, tilted his head to the side, took one leap forward and simply threw his hand out to introduce himself.

”Berrick Barnes.” No ”hello”, no ”nice to meet you”. It was a young, confident kid from country Queensland who had a handshake like a woodchopping champion. I was sold and I hadn’t even seen him play. He had me at ”hello”. My first impression matched his ability as a footballer.

His sporting skill set is obvious – he is a very good goal kicker and excellent defender, and has the ability to take the ball to the line in attack and distribute, something he did extremely well against the US. All great skills, although his best traits as a player are things he does for others.

He is a facilitator and organiser of others. When he plays well, others around him play well – to me, this stems from his character and deep understanding of the team dynamic. Team dynamics aren’t a set of rules or a code on a wall, it’s deeper than that. It’s leading by example and that’s not just when you have a football under your wing.

Berrick is a renowned gentleman, the type of guy that all parents would want their daughter to marry. The word selfless doesn’t do him justice. He is the type of player that you want to see rule the world, because he wants the same for you.

You could say Barnsey was at the summit, poster boy of Queensland. A fresh-faced, freckled surfer kid who stole the show for the then hapless Reds and was picked as a Wallaby at 21. The young Aussie battler, with the responsibility to bring the Reds back to Super Rugby glory. A Wallabies captain in the waiting.

He is now playing for the enemy, the Waratahs. He fell out of favour with selectors, he lost his spark, he almost lost his entire memory. His career has been a turbulent one, but you would ask him and he would have no regrets.

So many questioned why he left Queensland, fell out of form and, until three months ago, was destined to grab a backpack, hang up the boots and travel the world on his own. He persevered.

He grabbed a pack of a different kind, one from base camp where he would start his journey back to the top of the rugby mountain. He worked his way up again through the ranks of local club rugby and clearly demonstrated that he was in a league of his own. Many people are sceptical about the Wallabies and the players’ egos. Berrick is the perfect person to provide that balance.

When people talk of the Wallabies’ flaws, it is usually about not having a plan B, the ability to grind out a victory. Berrick could be that man. Every World Cup we’ve won we have had a late addition of this type of X-factor. In 1991, it was Troy Coker and in ’99 Michael Foley. Will Berrick be the difference in 2011?

Berrick can be that man and be the circuit breaker we need because he won’t take it for granted. He knows where he’s been, what he nearly lost.

If someone was to ask, who was the best I had ever played with, it wouldn’t be Berrick. But if anyone asked who was the player I loved playing with the most, it would be Barnesy, Australian rugby’s own ”working class man”.

So maybe Bennett’s wisdom may actually have an effect on rugby in Australia. Who would have thought?

Adam

First published on 25th September 2011 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Let’s hear it for Barnesy, the perfect Wallaby for a crisis” – A SMH headline.

Suck it up: Australia were outsmarted and outplayed

adamfreier — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:00:30 +0000

I have heard plenty of the Irish jokes, most painting our friends in green as not the smartest of folk. Although I am certain not many Wallabies fans would be smiling this morning.

The butterflies should have been felt last week when the Springboks were almost defeated by a desperate Welsh side in the wet. The conditions in both matches were greasy and decided by goal kicking.

The Wallabies’ expansive style of running rugby didn’t help last night. It was slow, wet and it was extremely boring. We were outsmarted by a well-coached and enthusiastic rugby team.

There may be animosity regarding some of the Irish tactics – with injuries and slowing down thwarting the Wallabies’ momentum – but good sides can control the match tempo to suit themselves.

It was a game where we lived and died by the sword in many respects. Attack was met with brute force. We chipped in our 22, we had short restarts, we kicked the ball away when counter-attack was also an option. We looked for quick lineouts rather than gaining composure. It was as though the Wallabies had no choice but to play their way back into their pattern of play.

Outsmarted ... the Wallabies were frustrated in every aspect of the game. Photo: AFP

The scrum was also an area of frustration. The Irish were very quick out of the gates, and in many instances I thought a penalty would go our way – but lo and behold the ref had his hand out the other side!

Prop Sekope Kepu did have some technical issues, as did hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, but this Wallaby scrum is not one that loses the speed of engagement often. The impression was, however, that we were not able to sustain the pressure of the hit. By missing the hit we got caught with our shoulders below our hips – the results of a very fortuitous Irish engagement.

There is no doubt there will be debate over whether we should have taken a second openside flanker to the World Cup, and with the fortuitous and useless trait that is hindsight, the answer means very little.

We need to recognise that David Pocock is one of the world’s best players at the breakdown. Would any other player available for selection have been able to emulate his freakish ability at the ruck last night? Somebody of Matt Hodgson’s or Beau Robinson’s ability would have been handy, but would they have won us the match? Don’t enter that debate.

I am sure the easy answer is George Smith, as he was over in New Zealand on a tour with Suntory. But unless Pocock was ruled out of the tournament he can not be replaced by anyone outside the squad.

Pocock is irreplaceable.

I prefer to shine the torch on another player sorely missed last night, Stephen Moore.

The stats for the set piece would give the Wallabies a pass mark – but not if you look at the quality of that ball won. Moore’s ability to present a quality throwing option to the middle or back of the lineout was missed as the outside backs struggled to see any ball past first phase.

When the ball is taken cleanly in the middle or the back of the lineout, it denies the opposition a split second to gain an advantage. For smaller backs such as Pat McCabe and Anthony Fainga’a that time is critical. Clearly this played into the hands of the Irish, who on more than one occasion held up the lighter inside backs.

Moore being ruled out prior to kick-off would not have bothered me on a dry track at Suncorp, but on a wet night in Eden Park I felt as crook in the guts as he did when I saw the newsflash at 5.30pm.

He is what I call an A-grade European hooker; he would have thrived in last night’s conditions.

We can start to play the blame game – blame body height, blame Ben McCalman being the only option at 7, blame the referee for making some dubious decisions against Sekope. Say we kicked too much, that we chanced the last pass way too often in the A zone.

We can also applaud that we were beaten by a better nation on the night. Put our hand up and say, thank you Ireland for a small dose of humble pie.

Adam

First published on 18th September 2011 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Suck it up: Australia were outsmarted and outplayed” – A SMH headline.

The Kiwis who found the force was with them

adamfreier — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:00:43 +0000

A SAUSAGE dog, dairy farmer and Jedi sit at a bar. Yesterday, I looked over our three Kiwi brothers following our after-awards lunch and tried not to laugh!

They share many things in common – country of birth, the search for a better value feed, and the imprint they have left on our young Rebels club.

The first one I’ll talk about is called Yoda because nobody knows scrummaging quite like Greg Somerville. He has decided to end his playing days at the conclusion of the team’s European tour. This took many by surprise, including myself. How could you, Yoda? You’re supposed to last forever!”

Greg Somerville set to retire. Photo: Getty

Most players would understand what I am talking about, when there is a player with no little C or VC next to their name, but you all know that he is the one you don’t want to upset. When he speaks, all players have their eyes smack-bang on him, and hang of his every word.

Well, just like his namesake who teaches young Jedi across the galaxy, this Yoda commands attention and respect. My lasting impression of the great man is simply this – our Yoda is better: he can scrummage and drink beer.

Yoda has a pet also, and it’s a sausage dog.

Ged Robinson, or as we like to call him Sausage, took the Rebels by surprise this season. Nobody thought this young hooker would be as classy as he has been.

He finishes the season as one of the form hookers of 2011. It took me until the other the day to ask him how old he was. He quickly answered 27. My response was: ”What’s that in dog years?”

He played his first real season of Super Rugby like it was his seventh. With his throwing accuracy, he is one of the straightest hookers I have seen.

His leadership and form has seen the late-blooming ”Saus” take out the ”Spirit of Weary Dunlop”. It’s an award that honours someone who fights on through adversity on the field. At 27, Robinson finds his rugby career only just starting to flourish.

The final man standing at the bar won no award, glory or any real praise, but big Kevin O’Neill would want it no other way.

Kev is a bit like Clint Eastwood’s character Walt in Gran Torino. You know, the grumpy old man sitting on his porch angry at everything. Kev was not really that grumpy; he loved being part of the team.

But his role was similar to Walt’s in that he rewards those that work hard and believe in what is right.

I believe any great team needs a man sitting on his porch like Kev, but unfortunately for the Rebels, Kevin needs his farm. He is returning to Christchurch to start over, to begin the life he has longed for, as a dairy farmer.

Many pleaded for Kevin (and Greg Somerville) to stay, but once an All Black puts his mind to something, there is little use in trying to change it.

So the story ends with the three Kiwi fellas not talking about anything much really. Just a couple of grunts and nods of the heads by the Sausage, the Dairy Man and Yoda as they share one final ale together and complain about the bar menu prices.

Adam

First published on 23rd June 2011 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “The Kiwis who found the force was with them” – A SMH headline.

Stars align at season’s end

adamfreier — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:00:53 +0000

Reading my horoscope the other day I thought, “Wow! Bang on sister”.

So I looked at the birth date of the Melbourne Rebels and applied the same wisdom to our first year and future.

Rugby is sometimes a little like a horoscope, with enough information you can quite easily let these words manipulate your point of view.

Not that I will give you stats, surveys or any manufactured spiel. Just a few little pieces of rugby wisdom.

We won a game, both at home and away.

We have recruited a very high profile Wallaby.

We have not had too many people telling us we are a failure compared to the AFL, not publicly anyway.

On Radio Sports National, Channel 10 commentator and co-anchor Michael Christian told me he watched 20 minutes of a game last week — that’s a win!

AFL reporter Tony Jones even asked me for tickets once, surely that’s winning!

We were potentially the most talked-about team in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Wallaby James O'Connor has signed to the Rebels. Photo: Scott Heavey

I saw one bloke tear the sleeves off his Rebels jersey to resemble the singlet-type AFL top. Converted? No. Interested? Possibly.

There are some home truths, but they are not all dire.

The silver spoon sport in Melbourne private schools received a wooden one.

We didn’t always have our best team on the park, partly due to our players drawing the line in the sand pit of standards.

There was the little old lady who mistook me for a Melbourne Storm player.

There is a growing amount of people who reminds us constantly that there was 75,000 next door at the G, while we have a mere 18,000 at AAMI Park, although that is music to my mangled vegetable ears.

This number of attendees compared to other states is a very strong sign that rugby will make in impact, in time.

The Rebels’ faithful could help win this country fight against the sports biggest threat of all, the couch!

Although relatively small to some, the Melbourne market has injected life into rugby in this country, even though we sit on the bottom looking up at every team on the ladder.

The people have made this club. The power of the punter is the most underutilised resource that a player could ever take for granted.

I can almost feel the cringe, I know what you are thinking: ‘‘Here we go, another player, using his column to advertise their team, their sport, with the whole we love our fans so much’’ speech.

But don’t assume my very small voice in this AFL-dominated paper is about driving up tickets sales for tonight, next year or any game other than the one you love.

This article is to declare that we know we are up against it, Melbourne is the heartbeat of AFL and this ensures that no fan of Rebels shall be ignored.

We have a grand final tonight in our eyes, and we want to reward our fans who sit there freezing in the stands, on the couch, at the pub and even across the town watching the Dogs and Crows.

Hopefully we can dedicate a win tonight to the fans and lay a strong foundation for 2012.

Although privately owned, in my mind the Rebels belong to the fans, we are not a franchise, we are a club. A club for the fans to enjoy the spoils of.

Whether Saturn or Jupiter are in alignment or not, no matter the outlook tonight I am proud to say that we would all would have the same support as we have had this year.

So, tonight to the fans and supporters – we salute you.

Adam

First published on 17th June 2011 in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Stars align at season’s end” – A SMH headline.

We’re fired up to tackle Brumbies

adamfreier — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:00:39 +0000

BEING back in Canberra has sent shivers through my bones, and it’s not from the weather. It brings back memories of my days at the Brumbies, sitting across the desk from then coach Eddie Jones as a 19-year-old, facing his wrath.

”Mate, I really don’t think you actually want to be a professional rugby player mate …” he would say, never unlocking his eye from mine.

”No Eddie, I really want to, of course I do, I really do!”

Days gone by ... Adam Freier in action for the Tahs against the Brumbies in 2004. Photo: Getty Images

”You obviously don’t mate! You don’t even want to be here. Why should I even let you train? You’re only in the way out there, you’ll probably get in the way and hurt someone.”

I would leave his office in a state of rage, ready to run through a brick wall, which was more in the shape of the colossus Owen Finegan then any man-made structure.

What brings on that rage? How can we stoke that flame to an almighty burn?

It’s an art that only an individual can explain. We all feel it prior to the whistle blowing, but it’s interesting to see what makes people tick over the edge.

Some of my teammates go silent as a way to get ready. Some like German goth rock. I have played in matches where my teammates would rub Dencorub on their scalps. Some are fortunate to have a switch that can simply turn on.

You can adopt the rugby league approach where your teammates slap you across the face until your arms go lactic, but I can’t see Rodney Blake taking to me slapping him across the face two minutes before kick-off.

There is always a Ted Whitten-type speech, the slamming of a white board with a marker pen.

There is the famous story in all codes of the coach who released the hinges to the change-room door, belting out his match-day speech, and proceeded to walk through like he was some sort of crazed superhero.

It’s the art of firing up.

This sort of flame on the field isn’t in the form of a jersey tugger, sledger or cheap-shot merchant. In fact, being fired up would have very little to do with how good you are with a set a gloves on.

It’s a competitive fire and in rugby it’s in the form of winning. Winning the contest, winning that metre.

Rugby is a series of episodes, contests, where the metre matters. Within a kicking duel it’s a contest of skill, but across the park the fight is down to will, which comes down to the simple scenario of who wants it more.

Scrum, mauling, rucking and driving, all have their technical aspects, but more often than not it comes down to that fire.

Run efficiency is metres gained. Taking the metre at the breakdown is deemed a victory. Dominating tackles and forcing that player backwards is the golden stat we all want next to our names. That comes from desire.

The Brumbies showed last week against the top-of-the-table Reds that will can always overcome skill.

Their season has declined since our historic first win in round two. But one tends to think they have resolved their issues and have found something that appeared lost in season 2011.

We intend to do whatever it takes to leave with this match in the bank, but we know this will have to be a historic victory.

Adam