Fitzgerald Tackle

fightireland · 30-05-2011 11:15am #1

As they say in Aussie - What a booooooomer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X63aKsa0azQ

the_one_&_only · 30-05-2011 11:23am

It was a super tackle. After 19 phases it was a try saving tackle

Diom · 30-05-2011 11:28am

It was a great tackle, but not a "boomer". It was perfectly timed, hit exactly the right point and saved a try, but it was not a head-snapping monster-strength tackle. Which makes it even better in my view.

buck65 · 30-05-2011 11:35am

Dougie might disagree!
In fairness this was out of the Howlett book of tackles, pertectly executed.

fightireland · 30-05-2011 11:46am

I just watched it again and if you just focus on Fitzgerald the power he generates from only four strides is phenomenal!

Will have to get a better quality version...

TheJims · 30-05-2011 12:03pm

Savage! thats gota rock the bones! great dedication in such a serious tackle!

Slightly off topc but i believe Jones made some savage tackles during the match also! exactly what you'd want from your FB! any links goin of those maybe??

CatFromHue · 30-05-2011 12:10pm

it was an all or nothing tackle. he had to take man and ball as they had an overlap and he did a great job.

he was criticised, rightly in my opinion, for coming out of the line and not taking man and ball against italy and saracens. they both scored tries.

he is still not were he needs to be form and confidence wise but things like the above will help him get there.

jolley123 · 30-05-2011 12:41pm

It's one of his positives. He puts in big hits often.

Against Northampton he did it to Lawes, and Shane Gerahty.

And his on the Wales match was huge too. He really puts his body on the line.

RMD · 30-05-2011 12:47pm

Nearly knocked himself out doing it. Looked very dazed after. To put a hit in on Howlett like that and force a knock on is no easy feat.

totallegend · 30-05-2011 2:00pm

jolley123 wrote: »

It's one of his positives. He puts in big hits often.

Against Northampton he did it to Lawes, and Shane Gerahty.

And his on the Wales match was huge too. He really puts his body on the line.

That hit on Geraghty was top quality; absolutely creamed him then straight back onto his feet and back in the defensive line.

razorblunt · 30-05-2011 2:18pm

TheJims wrote: »

Savage! thats gota rock the bones! great dedication in such a serious tackle!

Slightly off topc but i believe Jones made some savage tackles during the match also! exactly what you'd want from your FB! any links goin of those maybe??

Jones tackle on Nacewa wasn't a monster hit, but it was text book dropping an attacker who's running at speed, at full pelt it was amazing.

Piliger · 30-05-2011 5:33pm

It was an excellent tackle and one that youngsters should be guided by, especially the head BEHIND the target and the wrapping of the arms.

Excellent, but not worth the hype .. And it's a pity he isn't more consistent in making those tackles. He missed several in the Heineken Final and this final too.

phog · 30-05-2011 5:39pm

It happened near me and I thought we'd be picking Howlett up of the field he was hit so hard but it was Luke that got hurt, a great try saving tackle.

30-05-2011 5:43pm

Piliger wrote: »

Excellent, but not worth the hype .. And it's a pity he isn't more consistent in making those tackles. He missed several in the Heineken Final and this final too.

I disagree, I reckon his defence has been about the only part of his game that's been consistent since his injury. Watch how clever he is at cutting overlaps, and pressurising the right man.

Fitz couldn't catch a cold at the moment, and has dropped more passes than Motley Crue have pills, but shirking his responsibilities defensively has simply not been happening.

jolley123 · 30-05-2011 6:52pm

Piliger wrote: »

He missed several in the Heineken Final and this final too.

I'd appreciate if you gave evidence for this, because unfortunately for you, I had a heated discussion with a friend about the 'missed tackles of Fitzgerald in the Hcup Final", so I watched the whole HCup final again.....and I counted 1...

And it was a tackle against Foden which he was forced to make because O'Driscoll missed it.

CatFromHue · 30-05-2011 7:53pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I disagree, I reckon his defence has been about the only part of his game that's been consistent since his injury. Watch how clever he is at cutting overlaps, and pressurising the right man.

he had a right stinker in general at home to saracens where he was at fault for all their try's by bad passing, missed tackles, and coming out of the line and not getting man and ball.

the try we conceded against italy he should have done better on. he picked the wrong guy to tackle then.

i dont think his defence has been as good as people have made it out to be.

Aidric · 30-05-2011 8:00pm

RMD wrote: »

Nearly knocked himself out doing it. Looked very dazed after. To put a hit in on Howlett like that and force a knock on is no easy feat.

Dougie would have been proud of that one. Monster hit.

EmacB · 30-05-2011 9:58pm

Was disappointed with the match as a whole but this was probably the highlight for me!

fightireland · 31-05-2011 8:49am

Thankfully some other user has now posted a HD version of this tackle now on youtube - so we can now discuss in a slightly higher definition :-p

phog · 31-05-2011 2:05pm

EmacB wrote: »

Was disappointed with the match as a whole but this was probably the highlight for me!

Well we know who you wanted to win so

tolosenc · 31-05-2011 3:46pm

That tackle by itself did a lot for his World Cup prospects.

EmacB · 31-05-2011 4:21pm

phog wrote: »

Well we know who you wanted to win so

leave me alone :P

phog · 31-05-2011 9:13pm

tolosenc wrote: »

That tackle by itself did a lot for his World Cup prospects.

Only as a squad member at most unless he gets his timing right, he over runs too many players now when in a supporting run. He has really lost his flare.

LostPassword · 31-05-2011 9:24pm

His last 3 games have done an awful lot for his WC prospects. At the end of the six nations, I thought he had played himself out of the squad - his timing had been consistently off, both on attack and defence, since his return from injury. However, in both finals, he didn't put a foot wrong and his score against Ulster in the Magners semi, along with his monster hits on Howlett and Lawes, were stand out moments, that singalled that he seems to be finally returning to form.

He's still well behind Bowe and Earls, but has probably crept back up ahead of Trimble and Horgan in the WC squad reckoning which should see him on the plane. He could still force his way onto the 22 with a good display in the August internationals.

Third_Echelon · 31-05-2011 9:44pm

Fantastic tackle. Perfectly executed... At that point of the game as well with Leinster just ahead with about 20 mins to go, they are the type of tackles that (potentially) win you games. I know it didn't happen in this case, but it was a very important tackle to make.

For himself, I can see his form and confidence coming back slowly but surely. He had a good few stinkers after coming back at first, but the faith shown in him by Schmidt has been fantastic. Other managers would have dropped him earlier and he probably should have been dropped, but i'm glad to see him finally nearing his old self. Just needs to keep a hold of the ball now

With regards to the WC and Ireland. Bowe and Earls would be starting for me at the moment...

HD version on youtube of the tackle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxS6ZR4_Z90

RMD · 31-05-2011 10:10pm

He's showing glimpses of his previous ability. His try against Ulster in the ML semi was great and his tackle on Howlett in the final was also huge. If he can somehow get his form together by the WC, it'll be great for us, him and also Leinster.

TheJims · 31-05-2011 10:12pm

I have to say after seeing it there it was a great hit n all, but dougie bounced back up after it to support earls n then just strolled back into line after it!!! I don't think the man can be hurt, defo can be stopped thou ....

31-05-2011 10:15pm

If the World Cup bus left tomorrow he'd be waving it off with the rest of us.

However, there's still months left to improve, he's on the road to finding form, and getting back to his best. Improvement is needed, but I have faith in him getting back to form.

RMD · 31-05-2011 10:29pm

Deleted User wrote: »

If the World Cup bus left tomorrow he'd be waving it off with the rest of us.

However, there's still months left to improve, he's on the road to finding form, and getting back to his best. Improvement is needed, but I have faith in him getting back to form.

What will be interesting to see is if they take McFadden or Fitzgerald. Every minute McFadden has had on the pitch in recent games it's looked like he was trying to make the most of it and he really wanted to impress. If Fitz doesn't find his form I think McFadden is the obvious choice, he's a utility player, can pretty much play any position in the backline and also acts as a backup kicker.

Fitzgerald Tackle

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