Recruitment 2
Chiefs
By Black_otter
June 10 2013
black_otter looks at recruitment by Chiefs in season 2011/12
Recruitment 2
Season 2011/12
I often find myself a little sceptical about the majority of Chiefs’ new signings, and then have the pleasure of seeing Rob Baxter and co get the absolute most out of these new players when they improve and perform better than they have before. I thought I would go back over our prem lifetime just to confirm my thesis, and started by reacquainting myself with our recruitment back on page 170 of the 244 (given that we are currently on page 1). I’ve deliberately ignored the players that have come through the academy and have not intended to focus on those that have left/are leaving, so here are some thoughts:
Signings for (and during) season 2011/12
Craig Mitchell – joined as a Welsh international, stuck behind Adam Jones at his club, looking to get more game time and push on; injuries have come at difficult times, which together with international call-ups and the form of our other tightheads, have stopped him getting the run of games that you feel he really needs. Verdict = quiet success, with hopefully more to come;
Josh Tatupu – came to us from SuperXV side Western Force, via Otago and a short stint at Castres, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect; has been cruelly robbed by injuries of any real chance to force his way into the starting XXIII, although looked sharp at the beginning of this season. Verdict = disappointing (robbed by injury);
Myles Dorrian – joined from Bedford as a gifted playmaker to push Steeno and Nacho Mieres for the 10 shirt, but hasn’t really done that but has given good service for the Braves and in the LV= comp. Verdict = neutral;
Ben White – joined from Cardiff Blues where he felt he wasn’t getting enough game time, and was always up against it versus incumbent blindside TJ; has bided his time and taken his chance when our England international experienced his nasty injury. Verdict = quiet success;
Kevin Barrett – rejoined from Sarries and after a stint with England 7s squad, and might have been expected to challenge Haydn Thomas for the scrumhalf berth; the sharpness of others has largely kept him sidelined tho. Verdict = neutral;
Aly Muldowney – joined after a short stint with Glasgow Warriors when he came within inches of a Scotland ‘A’ cap, started slowly but turned himself into a very handy impact sub, carrying beautifully as defences tired. Verdict = success;
Jon Andress – rejoined after a stint with Quins, must have been hoping that he would make the 3 shirt his own, but found the competition too stiff. Verdict = disappointing;
Gonzalo Camacho – another former Quin and Argentine international, came to Exe as a dazzling runner in broken play; at first was somewhat under-utilised at Chiefs, but gradually found his way on to the ball and showed his worth in the latter part of his first season (coincidentally as Ali H encouraged the squad to adopt a more attacking style); limited game time in his second season due to international commitments and the emergence of other talents in his absence. Verdict = neutral/quiet success;
Peter Short – added to the squad to provide ballast in the boiler room, but had just got going when he picked up what eventually turned out to be a career-ending injury. Verdict = disappointing (robbed by injury);
Pat Phibbs – brought in as emergency cover when injuries and international call-ups depleted our reserves of scrum halves; I wasn’t expecting much tbh, but Phibbsy stepped up to the plate on more than one occasion, without every quite cementing his place enough to displace his returning rivals. Verdict = quiet success;
Part 3 to follow
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Exeter Chiefs - living the dream!
Thoughts are like arrows: once released , they strike their mark. Guard them well or one day you may be your own victim
Again, just to clarify, I'm not commenting on player ability here, more on how they performed relative to my expectation when their recruitment was announced. Happy summer all, hoping to catch up with several of you at the Otter brewery cricket match
