Blues 2019

[Tim]

@duluth He actually explicitly credits Tom Coventry for his decision in his interview video:

[KiwiMurph]

Brilliant!

[Virgil]

Dare I say it... 2019 could be our year..

[gt12]

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Better sign Ross now.

[Duluth]

So far the confirmed props are:
Tu'inukuafe
Tu'ungafasi
Hodgman

Hopefully we retain Manu and the would round out the LH's

So that leaves these 3 TH's going for 2 spots:
Mafileo
Tamoaieta
Salmon

[Kirwan]

Shows what having quality coaches can do, attract talent. Great news.

[Tim]

@duluth Could see Renata in contention too.

[Duluth]

@kirwan said in Blues 2019:

Shows what having quality coaches can do, attract talent. Great news.

Come on MacDonald, where are your poaches? He's slipping behind in the two horse race to be head coach in 2020

[mariner4life]

Tana will play him at Blindside

[KiwiMurph]

But but but but TJ said Big Karl was going south..... lol

[Duluth]

@tim said in Blues 2019:

Could see Renata in contention too.

Good call. I'd be happy with that his set piece work has improved a lot in the last 18 months.

[Tim]

@duluth Hopefully under Tiatia and Henry he (and other Auckland forwards) will be showing good form in the NPC.

[Kirwan]

@duluth said in Blues 2019:

@kirwan said in Blues 2019:

Shows what having quality coaches can do, attract talent. Great news.

Come on MacDonald, where are your poaches? He's slipping behind in the two horse race to be head coach in 2020

That would be a pretty funny side affect of the bizarre structure the board has put in place.

[Kirwan]

Good news on a Blues thread, unbelievable.

[Bones]

That's pretty cool! Happy for Blues fans.

[JK]

Stoked to hear. Really needed some positivity like that for next year

[jegga]

Christ I hope he doesn’t catch Warrioritis* like so many of the blues management and players suffer from . Once you have it you can’t shake it even if you move- look at the Phoenix .

*warrioritis- a condition typified by a general malaise and underachievement .

[Tim]

I wonder if they're angling for Angus Ta'avao too? He probably won't get much game time if the Chiefs props stay healthy.

[Tim]

Forward pack is starting to shape up.

1 Karl T
2 Parsons/Moulds
3 Ofa T
4 Scrafton
5
6
7 Gibson
8 Ioane

16 Moulds/Parsons
17 Hodgman
18
19 Tuipulotu
20 Papali'i

Starting 5 and 6, and reserve tighthead are the positions of contention. Might be nice to have some experience at 5 and 6, or perhaps a couple from the Crusaders ...

Without recruitment, Cowley-Tuioti and Goodhue will be a good contest for lock, and Papali'i might have enough NPC under his belt to be the regular starter at 6. Tupou is the other option in the squad, with Hoskins Sotuto probably being a bit raw. I still think that six could be Ioane's best position

Off contract locks:

Luke Romano, Quentin Strange, Scott Pierce, Ben Nee Nee, Mitchell Dunshea, Pari Pari Parkinson.

Off contract sixes and eights:

Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, Pita Gus Sowakula, Mitchell Dunshea, Sam Slade, Toa Halafihi, Glenn Preston.

[mariner4life]

@tim Reiko is pretty good at jumping, maybe you could play him at 6. Would also move him even closer to the action, he's wasted out there at 12.