'The most disappointing news this week': Ridiculous Wallabies habit that needs to stop now
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The most disappointing news this week, in a cycle of overwhelmingly positive Wallabies publicity, is Tom Lynagh missing Saturday's Rugby Championship rematch with Argentina in Sydney.
Tane Edmed will instead make his first Test start at No.10 with a tight hamstring keeping Lynagh on ice.
Some fans - and pundits - may be rejoicing judging by the reaction to the 22-year-old's selection last week and the criticism of his performance in Townsville.
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Tom Lynagh of Australia looks dejected. Getty
Granted, it wasn't his best performance, but are we really that short of memory that we want to dump a talented young player after one scratchy outing?
Wallabies history has been marred by selectors throwing young fly halves to the wolves and then burned when they have failed to fire straight away.
Lynagh proved during the British and Irish Lions series that he has a bright future at international level, but there are going to be some dark days along the way.
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Tom Lynagh of Australia with his father Michael and grandparents Ian and Marie. Getty
No player is perfect yet we seem to demand perfection from whoever has the gold No.10 jersey on.
Perhaps it's because we've had some brilliant fly halves in the past - Tom's father Michael, Mark Ella and Stephen Larkham are a few who spring to mind.
But since Larkham's retirement we have seen a rotating door of 10s.
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Some have lasted longer than others - the likes of Bernard Foley and Quade Cooper - but even they experienced yo-yo careers, largely due to inflated expectations.
After the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand - where Cooper was public enemy No.1 in the country of his birth - Quade was in and out of the team.
It's easy to forget he was just 23 at the tournament - one year older than Lynagh Jr is now.
James O'Connor and Quade Cooper of the Wallabies on Hong Kong Harbour in 2008. Getty
In more recent years, Noah Lolesio was given the reins for a while but had his confidence stunted by inconsistent selections.
It was pleasing to see Schmidt back Lolesio from the outset last year.
That confidence helped him grow and the fruits of the faith could be seen by the end of year tour.
Noah Lolesio of the Wallabies looks on prior to game one. Getty
Injury cruelled Lolesio this year and Lynagh did incredibly well against the Lions - arguably the biggest, most challenging, series he'll ever play in.
Yet some are already claiming he's not 'the one' after a poor outing in Townsville.
In the same breath, many are calling for James O'Connor to start more permanently.
Tane Edmed takes part during a Wallabies training session. Getty
It is the right move to back Edmed, now a seasoned 25-year-old professional, instead of promoting O'Connor, a decade older, from the bench.
England-bound JOC has experienced his own share of career ups and downs, selections and demotions.
We're fortunate he's still around to offload some of that experience to the current crop of 'next big things.'
How are Lynagh, Edmed or Ben Donaldson going to get experience if we repeat the cycle of pick, punt, pick, punt, pick, punt?
We'll spend another decade churning through talented youngsters only to turn to a mid-30s Lynagh to plug a hole and help mentor the next 'next big thing.'
