Waratahs v Highlanders - QF
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@mariner4life said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@gt12 I think JB has all the tools to be a great FB, and i look forward to him developing them. He's started pretty bloody well, and being so young he has so much time to get better. I actually have no interest in moving him, because FB is probably one of the most important positions in the AB system now.
As for who is going to play 10, better get Canterbury to fire up the production line again. I think it is in the national interest if they rebuild that before the stadium to be honest.
I'm with you on leaving JB at 15 - he's very classy at the back. I wasn't actually advocating moving him, just pointing out that the comparison between Rieko at 12 (no sense) and Jordie at 12 (could actually work) was ridiculous.
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@no-quarter I dont think there was a comparison....it all started with this by @booboo
@booboo said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@rancid-schnitzel said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@crucial said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@act-crusader said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@no-quarter said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@act-crusader said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@sammyc said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
Alainono > bridge > lam in my opinion.
Alaimono has been great this year, on attack and defense. Also gets himself involved in close of play doesn’t run his way.
Agree.
Lam seems a poor mans Hosea Gear to me. All the physical attributes and can look a world beater every now and then, but goes missing for the most part and is waiting for the action rather than being a creator.
Lam is a great finisher but he doesn't have the all-round game of someone like Alaimalo, and I agree he does tend to go missing at times. He's more competing with Rieko for the power winger spot IMO.
Ioane is not a winger. He is a midfielder. Ask Tana
Or ask most Blues 'fans' before he was used there and shown up. It was like the endless cries for JB to be shifted to the midfield despite evidence to the contrary at this level.
Is JB Jordie Barrett? I don't think a single person has wanted him at 13. Any "cries" have been for 12, where he has yet to play this level.
Reiko to 12
JB to 13That'd work
Haven't had a 15 at 13 since we last lost an RWC.
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@taniwharugby I was referring to Crucials post earlier in the thread
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Scrafton is 2.00 m. He is a better prospect than Josh Dickson IMO.
Vaa'i, who played for the NZ schools last year, looks very big and tall.
I reckon Pari Pari Parkinson is the one who is the more Retallick-like. If he can put on 3 or 4 kgs of additional muscle, he'll be OK as he is very skilled for such a tall guy. However, the best for the AB would be another four years with Retallick. -
@mariner4life said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@crucial said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@african-monkey said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
@crucial A bit like you trying to defend the Blues and the coaching staff every week and telling Blues fans on here that we were out of line with our criticisms over and over....
Would be similar if that's what actually happened.
yea, for a while there you kinda did. But even you gave up on it.
I 'kinda did' , 'for a while'.
That sounds a hell of a lot different to ' trying to defend the Blues and the coaching staff every week'
Just to be clear so that hopefully this isn't TSF fake news that becomes true because it keeps getting repeated in accusations.....
Yes, I defended the coach. In the aspect that I don't consider him to be a 'celebrity coach' as accused. Umaga is no more a celebrity coach than Scott Robertson. Robertson may be a better coach but Umaga's 'failings' have nothing to do with being an ex-player.
No, I didn't defend the Blues. I have also been critical of their ineptitude at times and of the organisation and structure in the area.
What I did do though, was try to put some understanding around their position over and above 'change the coach'. In short summary these are the points I made, and still stand by.
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5 Super Teams in NZ means that we don't have enough 'great' players to go around. The nature of professional sport means that good players will aim to play for teams with good prospects. The rich get richer etc
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Once a team is at the bottom of a conference, getting it back up relies not only on good coaching/recruitment/culture and organisation, it also requires luck with injuries and hoping another conference team gets weaker.
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One team in our system is destined to be the runt. Unfortunately it is the Blues at the moment. Their challenge is to turn one of the other 4 into the whipping boy.
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Once you are the bottom team you get the extra challenge of a shittier draw.
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A losing culture is very difficult to turn around. A coach joining a winning organisation can look much better and have the scope to concentrate on maintain a high standard rather than creating one.
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Desperate players do dumb things.
Earlier in the season I also added in that these challenges were made harder by injuries. Yes, the Chiefs managed to overcome similar impact but they had the advantage over the Blues of a very strong internal culture based on previous success. They were also carried through a very tough period by standout performances by 'best in the world' players the Blues don't have in the right positions. (hence the temptation to get their only world class player closer to the action)
I didn't 'give up on it'. I made my point, answered some debate on my view then let it lie. No reason to keep hammering away points I had already made.
I completely agree that The Blues have been shite and underperformed. I agree that the coach has not managed to rise to the challenges. But I also acknowledge that those challenges are very hard and searching for a wonder solution is not going to work either.
Sumo Stevenson wrote an interesting piece about the Blues earlier in the year around how (having pretty good access to players across different franchises) he had noticed that their wasn't the same 'band of brothers' feel about them compared to other teams. His assessment was that it was, in big part, due to the city itself. Players having to spend time commuting to and from training/games that other teams used for bonding. Having a coffee together after work, time to hang around together when not formally 'at work' etc
Another element that the organisation hasn't found a solution for.
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Back on topic.....how bad were those Highlanders to lose to that Aussie team
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@act-crusader said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
Back on topic.....how bad were those Highlanders to lose to that Aussie team
Nah, boring.
I'd also like to point out that I wasn't advocating Jordie to 12. Just that of all the things against him, his height, isn't one that should matter.
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@crucial said in Waratahs v Highlanders - QF:
What I did do though, was try to put some understanding around their position over and above 'change the coach'. In short summary these are the points I made, and still stand by.
You make some good points. And, in fairness, Tana came in with some coaching credentials - the team just doesn't look well coached. I'm not sure why, but after 3 years the responsibility has to lie with Tana.
I realised last night that we should be over the highlanders with Sopoaga leaving. The fact htey are looking for Quade as a possibility tells you all you need to know about their depth at 10. Not good. Most years the series against the highlanders is the difference between playoffs and also-rans. This year not so much as we shat the bed, but going back that was certainly the case.
It's bloody tough trying to get a struggling team going in the NZ conference. A proper round robin would suit us far more.
Anyway, some of us still support them, even if it feels like getting smacked with a bit of 2x4 on a daily basis.
