Semi v Wellington
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@taniwharugby said in Semi v Wellington:
Ok to neck roll now?
The high tackle by shields that lead to the turnover then try I assume you’re talking about?
Jackson’s a knob.
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@gunner yea he seemed to have remembered his hometown expectation particularly in that second 40.
Well beaten by wellington and the yc was crucial but for the most part we were better than the final score showed IMO.
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@taniwharugby yep the better team won tonight. Thought the score was a fair reflection of the gap between the teams.
They just dominated that second 40 in all facets, we didn’t stand a chance.
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Firstly really proud of the Boys for their near brilliant season. Great to see them still taking it to Wellington right to the end. Wellington are the form team this year, pretty sure they take out the premiership if they were up there.
Jackson looked like a one eyed one armed bandit for half the game. -
@gunner I just think we made errors at crucial points on both sides of the ball that were so costly, as we have done most of the season particularly in the second spell.
I think that failed pick up of DP kinda summed it up...we had someone there but either a wrong decision or execution and we concede either possession or in this case , a try.
Ah well...2018 is the year of the taniwha according to the Chinese calendar 😎
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We looked tired at the start of the second half. Coaches neeeded to make subs early. Thought Tua should have started with Ranger (fantastic season to finish on) to the wing. We lack a first five that takes it to the line and Nock never runs, so outside backs are always under pressure. Pittman looked good and should have had more time when Nock looked tired. Macalai has played well but could be a bit fitter I think. That decision by Breem to tap ball when we were on attack and hadn't had possession for 15mins was not the right one. We just needed to stay in the fight and be more tactical/clinical - a work on for next season. Need someone who can kick 50 metres. Thought we tried to play lots of rugby but just ran out of steam. Happy that Kara got to showcase his skills. Faleafa hasn't had much game time but always looked good when he was on. Maybe we should rotate squad more?
Overall, happy with season. Much better squad depth. Congrats to the guys for making semis - pleased that some of our stalwarts played out of their skins, and we have so much young talent. Hope we retain and build from here.
Thanks to Rene. Thought he played his heart out this year.
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On one hand I should be happy about a much improved season,on the other and hand I can't help feel we missed a trick,and did'nt always put our best foot forward.
Firstly on last nights game,congratulations to Wellington,gonna take one hell of an effort from either BOP or Otago to knock them over in the final next week,their offloading game is sensational.
At their very best they look like a premiership team and are good 15-20 points better than anybody else in the championship.
I for one would rather they were running amuck in the premiership round than terrorising teams in the championship.My bigggest gripe on last nights game,heading into the halftime break we looked absolutely gased,previously to Dan Pryor being sent to the bin,we had defended for a very long period which resulted in Lions first try.
And running out into the 2nd half,we still looked heavy footed.Changes needed to be made,even the commentators were saying it.
I am not totally sure why coaches wait until the horse has bolted.Tamati Tua,Micheal Faleafa,Jack Ram and even a late cameo from Emile Pittman added so much energy and far too late in my book.Not saying it would have changed the result,but we needed some energy,and on some occasions for individual players it's not their night..
The last couple of games have highlighted to me we need to go to the market,we have the potential to be a very tidy side,but in my opinion we require a first five who can run the cutter and has game management and both good out of the hand and goalkicking strengths.
I am hoping there's not too many Turbo supporters reading this thread ,a player I have been watching,and i rate him better than Otere Black is Jade Te Rure ,watched him play against the Magpies last Sunday,outplayed Ihaia West in my opinion,looked brilliant with ball in hand,has a great left and right pass,and a very good kicking game out of hand and goal kicking especially.
I also think we need a big ball carrying number eight,and that's with greatest respect to Matt Matich who I thought was our POD last night..
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Yes I think we got our subs wrong most games.
We conceded about 12 points I think in the 2nd half of the first 4 games combined, but after that our 2nd halves, and final quarters in particular were very poor.
Obviously some of it will come down to conditioning, but I also feel we lose shape when we make our subs, as good a players we have coming on we seems to lose alot, particularly when Moulds goes off, despite having other experienced leaders out there.
Yeah I think Tua has looked VERY good this season, and as I have said already, I feel having him out there with Ranger on the wing would have been our best bet. Yes woulda been tough on Hyland who has been very good, but similarly Ram who was very good this seaosn and was shuffled too.
I would still like to see Nock run a bit more, I know it might be a confidence thing and this is the first sustained period he has had uninjured, but it is something he needs to work on otherwise other teams know he is gonna kick or pass, and as our 10 stands so deep, we are a bit predictable. Pittman looks to have something special to him, again, going to the sub thing, not sure why he wasnt bought on earlier, Nock looked shot and we were basically gone.
Dont get me wrong, this season has been one of the more enjoyable as a Northland fan for many a years, but despite playing some excellent rugby in every game, we have also struggled to close games out leaving a feeling of what could (or should) have been.
Need only look back to the NH game for the turning point IMO, we were dominating that game, we should have won that game, and had we won, we get a home semi, as it was, we ended up with nothing from it and that final 10 against them almost seemed to be the way we ended the next few games.
Losing to a very good Wellington team on consecutive weeks isnt a bad thing, but some of the moments in those 2 games are what made those losses that bit harder to swallow.
And a shame if that is the last game in his beloved Cambridge Blue for Rene Ranger, but it was good to see him back enjoying his rugby after a tough couple of seasons with injury and form, a great player to watch in my team! All the best in France!!
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Was very tough to watch that 2nd half last night, especially after a decent first spell. Totally agree with everyone's sentiments on subs, we needed to get them all on deck earlier. Some of the guys were absolutely buggered..Nock in particular. He took a couple of big bumps from the Bus, which would have taken some wind from him. DPs binning didn't help either, that put a lot of pressure on the defence, which again saps juice.
On the subject of Nock, I believe he's not far from international quality, but needs to work on a running game. He definitely has a combative build these days, and needs to back himself more. Pitman impressed me too, would like to see him back next year.
I would like to see Northland source a first five next year, and as Steve mentioned, Jade Te Rure would be high on my shopping list. He's second fiddle to Black at Manawatu (which seems wrong IMO) and would suit our style of game. Would like to see a bit more of Blundell next year too. He's a steady performer, and looked good for the Bs in the game I watched.
Not sure who you'd release out of Hawkins or Breen, it's touch and go. But 10 is definitely a spot we need to address..
Obviously Ranger will be gone next year, but it's also worth keeping in mind that Jack G maybe unavailable too if he kicks on to All Black status. So that leaves a possible midfield of perhaps Hohaia and Tua which is not too bad. Scott Gregory may come into the equation too.
Other than that I think we're pretty sorted. I'm assuming the majority of the pack will be back. I wouldn't be looking to change too much there, guys like Waa and Sililoto will be back in the mix too, so competition for places will be heated.
I'm hoping Bond and Douglas are re-signed, they, along with Matich and Josh G have been the hardest workers all year. Highly impressive.
Overall I'm pretty stoked with how we've bounced back from mediocrity. Obviously heaps to polish up, but I think we'll only get better. We should be a genuine title contender next year.
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