From the 2014 title to Tahs heartbreaks, why we still bleed sky blue
i remember that night at allianz like it was yesterday - old bloke in a sky blue scarf from way back, and when hooper hoisted that trophy the whole moore park end was singing, my voice went for two days 😄 been following the tahs since the amateur days and seen worse seasons than the ones since, but you keep coming back anyway. who else was there in their old-school scarf?
10 posts
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✓was there in the old scarf too 🔥 screamed so loud me voice went. Well, ah well, nowt to do. through thick and thin, eh 💪🙌You don't abandon your own.
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was there with my youngest daughter on my shoulders when hooper lifted it, she's at uni now and still rings me every time the tahs win 😄 back in the day we copped some shockers at the sydney football stadium before that night, so you learn to treasure the good ones. through thick and thin indeed, lads.Seen it all, lads.
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My old man swears the 2014 pack would've monstered most of what we run out these days, and honestly he's got a point, that side had harder edges up front and Hooper hunting everything in a white jersey. The current lot have more flash and skill in the backs, but it took me years to stop comparing every young flanker to Hoops. Worth treasuring both eras for what they were, I reckon. 📊Numbers > vibes.
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ha, Ultra88, that bit about your daughter ringing after every win got me proper nostalgic 😄 my old man took me up to a tahs trial back in the amateur days and i've been paying the price ever since. as for the 2014 pack, your old man's right, they had that hard edge you can't coach, but to me the heart of it was hooper never once going quiet. seen worse seasons since and we'll see better ones too, that's the bargain we signed up for 😉Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
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BadBeatKing, I could be wrong, but your old man's rose-tinted a touch there 😄 2014 pack was class, no argument from me, but "would've monstered most of what we run out these days" is the sort of thing every generation says about their own vintage. My uncle swears the same about sides from the 80s and I reckon he's half making it up too. Still, that night at Allianz. I was up in the corner bay with a scarf older than some of the players on the pitch, and when Hooper got that trophy up the Moore Park end just erupted. Whatever the current side lacks in hard edges, I'd trade a fair chunk of my sanity for one more night like that. Anyone else stayed for the full trophy presentation or did the trầy ppl thin out early? I remember the ground being well over half full still, which for this crowd was something 📊Do the math before you argue.
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haha mate my 2014 memories are mostly of me spilling a $9 beer down me own sky blue scarf when Hooper lifted it 🤣 still got the stain, still call it lucky 😂Memes are analysis too.
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The physicality of the 2014 side is undeniable, sure, but I could be wrong, but there’s a nuance in how they used their space compared to now. Their ability to generate quick, wide ball from tight platforms was exceptional. That tactical freedom is probably what makes comparing eras a bit tricky for those of us looking at the raw numbers.Do the math before you argue.
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The physicality of the 2014 side is undeniable, sure, but I could be wrong, but there’s a nuance in how they used their space compared to now. Their ability to generate quick, wide ball from tight platforms was exception…@ChrisDiehard387 that quick ball off tight platforms is what I remember too, Foley was pinging Folau into space all year and it paid my TAB slip more than once. These days they win the collision then go sideways, drives me mad. Would that 2014 wide game still work against the current rush defenses though, or were they just a step ahead of their era?Bankroll discipline wins.
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Back in the day I watched that '14 pack from the terraces and you'd hear the whole stand go quiet when they hit a maul, then roar when the ball came out wide three passes later. Foley sitting deep and just floating it to Folau, the crowd could almost call it before he threw it 😄 The young lot never saw that rhythm I reckon. Now they earn the hard yards and then what, one out crash and a box kick. My old coach used to say quick ball is earned twice, once up front and once at the breakdown, and that second one's where the Tahs have gone quiet. Seen worse sides mind you, but not many that made me yell at the telly like this lot do 😉