Blues v Highlanders
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@shadowtrooper superb points, I could not have said it better myself Tony Hanks the high performance Manager at the Blues who I understand also has a bit to do with recruitment should also fall on his sword if Tana was to go.
There’s is a name I have heard that’s been thrown around , Warren Gatland is apparently dead keen to come and coach a super team ,his son is one of the pivots and he still has aspirations to coach the All Blacks.
I personally think the last 3 x coaches have been totally out of their depth,Pat Lam probably the best record of the 3,but talking to insiders within that camp ,could not take either his Marist or Auckland bias out of the equation when it came to selection,case in point Peter Saiili a number 8 whom I doubt would have made any other NZ super squad.,right build for a number 8,but clumsy behind the base of the scrum,suspect under the high ball.and non existent when it came to defence,and worst of all hands like feet.
I put in a good word with Bryce Woodward at the time that through a mutual friend that the multi talented number 8 Colin Bourke had not picked
up a contract with the chiefs,Woodward rated him but came back and said to me,Pat Lam thought he was skilful but because of a conversation with Ian Foster questioned his motivation,that’s because Foster could never started him.And as for Kirwin the Benji Marshall selection says it all..should have been given a job in the marketing department
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@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
selection,case in point Peter Saiili a number 8 whom I doubt would have made any other NZ super squad
I heard Auckland basically had to choose to offer a development contract to either Kieran Read (an Aucklander, don't you bastards forget that), or Peter Saili. In their late teens, Saili no doubt looked a better prospect - potentially a freak physically, but never got in gear for the team.
< sigh >
So many talented players that got away...
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But Lam had a tight restriction on the number of players he could pick from outside the region. It was idiotic from the Blues and forced several poor selections.
The restriction was loosened for Kirwan and Umaga. Kirwan s first season probably had more outsiders than all previous seasons -
@nzzp I thought it was Sai'ili vs Fritz Lee who were competing growing up.
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@taniwharugby said in Blues v Highlanders:
@nzzp I thought it was Sai'ili vs Fritz Lee who were competing growing up.
Yeah, Read is 2 years older by the looks.
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@taniwharugby good call, my bad. Shows how to rely on word of mouth, eh
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@duluth said in Blues v Highlanders:
But Lam had a tight restriction on the number of players he could pick from outside the region. It was idiotic from the Blues and forced several poor selections.
The restriction was loosened for Kirwan and Umaga. Kirwan s first season probably had more outsiders than all previous seasonsJust looked it up. The change from Lam to Kirwan was 2 outsiders increasing to 13 outsiders
That internal restriction really hit the team hard when a couple of injuries came. The backups were not good enough
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Peter Saiili and liaki Moli were 2 x players that seemed to have a lot of love from respective Blues coaches when it came to selection and yet they were both so inconsistent from a Northland point of view it was totally frustrating,,not saying we had an players in those positions that could have filled holes.but for the life of me,there were other players around the country that I thought were much better quality.
The irony was,Saiili had his best season in his final year with the Blues when he was given a one year exstention but to be fair,it was hardly block busting sit up and take notice form..turned up to one of the Blues trainings under the weather from a big night out and was promptly suspended for a couple of weeks..What does that tell you...?.
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@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
Peter Saiili and liaki Moli were 2 x players that seemed to have a lot of love from respective Blues coaches when it came to selection and yet they were both so inconsistent from a Northland point of view it was totally frustrating,,not saying we had an players in those positions that could have filled holes.but for the life of me,there were other players around the country that I thought were much better quality.
I agree. But Lam was restricted on how many he could select from around the country.
Another example is the argument over the backup blindside. Lowrey vs Budd. Lowrey was a only just good enough for NPC and Budd fell off basic tackles.
So who to pick out of those two? The correct answer should have been neither and go for a guy like Kane Barrett.Kirwan had that freedom. Lam did not
A question about the Gatland rumour. Are the Blues interested in him? Or is the interest only from Gatlands side?
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@duluth said in Blues v Highlanders:
@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
A question about the Gatland rumour. Are the Blues interested in him? Or is the interest only from Gatlands side?
I'd bloody well hope the Blues are interested!
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@kiwimurph problem would be, that Gats is contracted for 2019 with Wales, meaning he'd not be back until 2020 anyway, so, Blues 2019 coach would be...?
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@kiwimurph said in Blues v Highlanders:
I'd bloody well hope the Blues are interested!
I don't have much faith in the people who were for the Matson/Kirwan plan or that appointed Umaga. They're probably talking to Spencer because he has a persona that will play well in the complex and diverse media market that is Auckland (That was one of the talking points when Umaga was appointed)
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@taniwharugby said in Blues v Highlanders:
@kiwimurph problem would be, that Gats is contracted for 2019 with Wales, meaning he'd not be back until 2020 anyway, so, Blues 2019 coach would be...?
Ted
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@kiwimurph you got the first letter of his name right...
I reckon it'd be easier to extend his contract for a year over finding someone else to step in for a year.Would Henry do it? Been 7 years since he last coached a NZ side?
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@duluth I have heard the possible Gatland appointment from a contact within the Auckland system,and yes there is more interest from Gatlands end..on saying that there is not a whole lot of love between Auckland and the Blues,talking to my same contact their is a perception that the Blues are totally aloof from the 3 x unions that make up the region.
They don’t even like the idea of Auckland having use of the flash facility at Alexandra Park and this will make you laugh even harder,apparently Blues players have been complaining about venue being in awkward part of Auckland because of Traffic...true story..poor dears..!
I do believe Alister Rogers should be gased how a guy who was doing stats for the All Blacks and becomes an super rugby assistant coach is beyond me..If the Blues organisation is to make moves,it needs to happen right now so at least they can get the recruitment side of things rolling.
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@taniwharugby said in Blues v Highlanders:
@kiwimurph you got the first letter of his name right...
I reckon it'd be easier to extend his contract for a year over finding someone else to step in for a year.Would Henry do it? Been 7 years since he last coached a NZ side?
Henry would be unlikely..
The only way I see a caretaker coach working is if they are picked by Gatland and have a long term contract. One year as caretaker, the rest of the time as Gatlands assistant.
If Gatland did turn the Blues around he almost certainly would be an All Blacks coach. Another coach might be willing to attach themselves to the (possible) coattails
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@shadowtrooper said in Blues v Highlanders:
@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
I watched a 36 year old Mike Delany run around for the crusaders last night,most people would think why would you pull someone in that old..?,
reason why..he had an outstanding Mitre 10 cup for BOP last year and is a seriously experienced footballer with leadership skills,Who do the Blues sign..?, when you have not got many experienced guys in the halves ,with the greatest of respect they sign Daniel Kirkpatrick who was the 2nd string starting first five for the Wellington Lions,probably no more than a tradesman to be fair and has never set the world on fire Just highlights to me that they really did not consider someone with real leadership skills if either Gatland or Perofeta were struggling
Many of us have long held the opinion that the Blues should have signed someone with the experience, quality and durability of a Mike Delany or Tom Taylor who would have been invaluable for the Blues at this stage. Certainly Delany has been worth his weight in gold for the Crusaders in these past few rounds giuding round the paddock with consummate ease. Wheras Perofeta has understandably struggled with getting to grips with life at first five - let alone the cahnge in expectations at fullback, coming within a couple of weeks.
In my view it just shows the unbelievable inexperience and naive nature of Tana and his so-called talent-spotting team. Whilst the injury to Black couldn't be helped (or maybe it could) bolstering the team stocks with experience - especially in the halves - would have been useful additions to the team and its ethos.
I think comparisons can be drawn to the Silver Ferns also - changing the team from week to week is not helping either its culture, identity or strength. And while Tana (like Southby) hasn't fallen on his sword (yet) the paucity and downturn in results cannot be justified at this level. It is also not good, I might add, for our current (and any future) Blues ABs.
However, if Tana did resign - who would make the step up to replace him?Who are these guys they should have signed but didn't ? Delany signed with the Crusaders after coming back from years overseas. Taylor left years ago too. Did he even want to play for the Blues?
You can't just magic experienced guys who WANT to be signed by the Blues.Don't get me wrong, there have been poor recruitment choices eg. Collins. But there have also been some pretty good ones eg. SBW, Pulu, Black and Tupou (as a squadie).
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Gatland has indicated he will be coming back to NZ at the end of his Welsh contract. Hamilton/Waihi is a lot closer to Auckland than Cardiff.
@Duluth's suggestion to have a caretaker coach who is an assistant to Gatland might work. Howley did the same for Wales when Gatland had Lions' commitments. There is still a political element to appointments for Super rugby coaches so that could be a factor in this too.
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@pukunui you reckon Collins is a poor selection..?,I reckon he’s one of the better ones and from what I heard does a ton of talking and directing traffic from the back..got crucified by a few people on this site for what I admit was very poor tackling effort on Jean Luc Deprie in the Sharks game,game but people failed to notice was the missed tackle by Jerome Kaino on the advantage line in the sharks game that lead up to that try
From a Northland piece,Sam Nock has been a real disappointment, and while Hyland did not cover himself in glory with his game on Friday ,he’s really only there because of injuries..Kara Pryor has been better than I thought he would be,but is not a long time answer,and he’s no Blake Gibson.
My biggest disappointment has been Patrick Tuipulotu,does one or 2 good carries in a game and then is never seen again,given his size and reputation is a real let down,compare his workrate to Jackson Hemapo,not even in the same ball park.
Parsons the skipper is no more than a plodder..
I am willing to cut some slack on Perofeta and Gatland simply because they are young guys,but have not had a shed load of experience around them..
