Drew Debut Draws Doubts

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday February 5, 2007

Greg Growden

JOHN Mitchell's belief in Drew Mitchell will be put to the test this week after the Western Force recruit endured a horror debut against the Highlanders.

While the Wallabies utility man has been included in the 26-man Force squad to tour South Africa, his fullback spot must be under serious question after he floundered during his side's appalling 8-7 defeat at Subiaco Oval on Friday night.

Mitchell's game at fullback was so error-ridden, involving dropped balls, wrong options and general mess-ups, that, in the end, it almost became embarrassing to watch.

The big question is whether his coaching namesake will be sympathetic towards Mitchell and persevere with him at fullback for Friday's match against the Stormers in Cape Town or replace him with obvious No.15 candidate Cameron Shepherd.

If you ask the Wallabies selectors, they would have Shepherd considerably higher up their fullback pecking order than Mitchell. Their assumption was that from the start of the Super 14, the Force would play Shepherd at fullback and Mitchell, who arrived in the off-season, on the wing. Then again, the Force head coach has already shown off his loyalty to under-performing players, last season repeatedly picking Matt Henjak at half-back even though he was well off his game.

The Drew Mitchell conundrum is just one of the many dilemmas facing the coach. Other major problems are the team's predictable style and its clear lack of understanding of what is required to win a match.

Considering the back-line talent the Force have this season, they should have defeated the Highlanders comfortably. But their attitude was wrong, as evidenced by their five-eighth, James Hilgendorf, gleefully waving his fist well before touching down for the team's only try after 15 minutes. It was a premature celebration and in the end looked silly.

Far more professional were the ACT Brumbies, who were easily the standout Australian team of the opening round. It wasn't a complete performance against the Chiefs, rated in New Zealand as a probable title candidate, but there were enough glimpses of excellent ensemble play to indicate ACT are Australia's best chance of a Super 14 finalist.

The only drawback to their win was the knee injury to Wallabies winger Mark Gerrard, but indications yesterday were that it is not as serious as first anticipated.

Queensland coach Eddie Jones's pursuit of Clinton Schifcofske was vindicated on Saturday night when the former league fullback was among the Reds' best in their pugnacious victory over the Hurricanes in Brisbane.

Schifcofske was able to fill the void left by the loss through injury of Chris Latham, and worked well with five-eighth and man of the match Berrick Barnes. The standout forward was Hugh McMeniman, whom Wallabies coach John Connolly described as "an outstanding footballer."

Reds centre Andrew Brown will be sidelined for several weeks after suffering a punctured lung when caught at the bottom of a ruck . His replacement for next Saturday's match against the Crusaders in Christchurch is expected to be Lloyd Johansson.

The Cheetahs were impressive in their 27-9 defeat of the Stormers in Bloemfontein early yesterday, dominating possession and gradually wearing the opposition down. Two tries by winger JP Pietersen, meanwhile, gave the Sharks a 17-3 win over the Bulls in Durban.

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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