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Blues 2019

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  • sparkyS Offline
    sparkyS Offline
    sparky
    wrote on last edited by
    #850

    Poor at Hooker, Half Back and First Five. A SBW/Nonu midfield would have great in 2015 but will be too slow in 2019.

    On the plus side, the two main props and the Ioane brothers are outstanding

    TimT A KiwiMurphK 3 Replies Last reply
    0
  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    replied to sparky on last edited by
    #851

    @sparky Think 1st five won't be an issue. Halfback, centre, and fullback are all concerns in the backs.

    1 Reply Last reply
    2
  • A Offline
    A Offline
    African Monkey
    replied to sparky on last edited by
    #852

    @sparky Hooker and Halfback I agree but we're fine at 10 for once.

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • KiwiMurphK Offline
    KiwiMurphK Offline
    KiwiMurph
    replied to sparky on last edited by
    #853

    @sparky what's your issue with first five?

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • sparkyS Offline
    sparkyS Offline
    sparky
    wrote on last edited by
    #854

    Lack of a long-kicking game.

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    wrote on last edited by
    #855

    Out of the Box podcast looks at the squads:

    Sport

    They're mildly optimistic about the Blues, but only talk about their forward pack.

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • pukunuiP Offline
    pukunuiP Offline
    pukunui
    wrote on last edited by
    #856

    Bloody hell so the lead weights Parsons, Pulu and Collins are all still firmly in place as the leaders and communicators of the Blues. And they expect different results this time? I would be pissed if i was a Blues fan.

    Pretty fucked they missed out/didn't sign Rayasi, Abel, Manu or the Canadian but are stuck with the above guys plus Tupou and Apisai etc. only themselves to blame.

    TimT 1 Reply Last reply
    4
  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    replied to pukunui on last edited by Tim
    #857

    @pukunui This is how we will lose to the Highlanders and Hurricanes next year:

    Forwards get 60% possession and territory, backs let in a couple of soft tries through the midfield, we have a lineout in the opposition 22 with time almost up, throw in is not straight or is knocked on. Five to seven point loss.

    pukunuiP mariner4lifeM 2 Replies Last reply
    5
  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    wrote on last edited by
    #858

    From the official media guide ... guess who ...

    COACHES SAY: Otago utility who played for NZ Schools and NZ U20s as well as more than 30 caps for his province. Moved north to the Blues for 2017 and impressed with his professional approach, allround skills and excellent communication. He sealed the fullback spot and has become a key senior leader as well as outstanding contributor. Won captaincy for Otago in 2018 and led them to the Ranfurly Shield victory.

    Chris B.C 1 Reply Last reply
    3
  • pukunuiP Offline
    pukunuiP Offline
    pukunui
    replied to Tim on last edited by
    #859

    @tim said in Blues 2019:

    @pukunui This is how we will lose to the Highlanders and Hurricanes next year:

    Forwards get 60% possession and territory, backs let in a couple of soft tries through the midfield, we have a lineout in the opposition 22 with time almost up, throw in is not straight or is knocked on. Five to seven point loss.

    SBW to go down with a calf strain, out for 6-8 weeks. Pulu to take an age to clear ever ruck as he looks around like a meerkat for a gap to run through. Collins to be slow as fuck but communicate really really well "Run Rieko Run!" "Hey guys, pass it to Akira, he is really good".
    Parsons to give the same post game interview in the same old headgear. Tana to scratch his head in his interview and say "um well we are really getting there this time". TSF to spend a couple of days speculating why Akira is still being ignored by the ABs selectors.
    Good, i hate change anyway.

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    wrote on last edited by
    #860

    IIRC, the Blues haven't named a captain yet?

    This is Pulu's official bio:

    COACHES SAY: The Auckland-born halfback took on the added role as captain in 2018, a responsibility he handled with great heart and desire. Injury sidelined him for the middle six games of the season which proved a disruption to his own game and we never saw the hard-running best from Pulu on the field. He returns for a final time from his duties in Japan for the 2019 season.

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4lifeM Offline
    mariner4life
    replied to Tim on last edited by
    #861

    @tim said in Blues 2019:

    @pukunui This is how we will lose to the Highlanders and Hurricanes next year:

    Forwards get 60% possession and territory, backs let in a couple of soft tries through the midfield, we have a lineout in the opposition 22 with time almost up, throw in is not straight or is knocked on. Five to seven point loss.

    wait, I'm pretty sure I've seen that movie

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • Chris B.C Offline
    Chris B.C Offline
    Chris B.
    replied to Tim on last edited by
    #862

    @tim said in Blues 2019:

    From the official media guide ... guess who ...

    COACHES SAY: Otago utility who played for NZ Schools and NZ U20s as well as more than 30 caps for his province. Moved north to the Blues for 2017 and impressed with his professional approach, allround skills and excellent communication. He sealed the fullback spot and has become a key senior leader as well as outstanding contributor. Won captaincy for Otago in 2018 and led them to the Ranfurly Shield victory.

    Ben Smith Jr.?

    TimT 1 Reply Last reply
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  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    replied to Chris B. on last edited by
    #863

    @chris-b We wish.

    Chris B.C 1 Reply Last reply
    0
  • Chris B.C Offline
    Chris B.C Offline
    Chris B.
    replied to Tim on last edited by
    #864

    @tim Yeah - I have to say from watching him a bit in Mitre10 Cup - "Mike is not the answer."

    1 Reply Last reply
    2
  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    wrote on last edited by
    #865

    Will Nanai gain the 5 kg or so he needs to in the off-season? Will he take a contract overseas and play for Samoa in the WC?

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    wrote on last edited by
    #866

    Tweet from Radio Sport's guy who covers the Blues and Auckland:

    1 Reply Last reply
    3
  • CrucialC Offline
    CrucialC Offline
    Crucial
    wrote on last edited by
    #867

    The Blues selections highlight areas for improvement in the NZ Franchise system.
    When you are the bottom team, recruitment is obviously a more difficult task and I imagine that, at times, longer contracts have to be offered to secure players. If those selections don't pan out (and every franchise gets those) you are stuck with the player and squad fixes are made more difficult.

    As for Olmstead, does anyone know the situation regarding approval (or not) by NZRU? They have been heavily involved in trying to rejuvenate the code in Auckland and I imagine they would prefer a local taking the spot over an import. Maybe the criticisms in that area are misdirected until we find out what actually happened in that regard.

    I also don't get the Nonu signing on the surface however maybe he is more a backup and training selection. I'll cop flack for this but remember that Umaga in his late playing days played a role at CM where he worked as mentor for a couple of midfield players that grew very quickly from his example and help. One is now an international for the number two team in the world, the other recently cemented a long term contract up north. Maybe there is a hope for a similar acceleration for Faiane?

    I doubt SBW will play that much (he never does anyway) but SBW and Nonu offer solid foundations in the centres that can be used either starting, finishing or as injury cover.

    1 Reply Last reply
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  • TimT Away
    TimT Away
    Tim
    wrote on last edited by
    #868

    Not much discussion of the squads on The Short Ball podcast, other than some very mild optimism about the Blues ("Maybe it's a good thing that promotion to the squad has been internal?"), and noting that Tumua Manu was a loss.

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
  • DiceD Offline
    DiceD Offline
    Dice
    wrote on last edited by
    #869

    What are the chances Alama coaches the development team?

    Also, I wonder if Olmstead and Abel will stick around for an injury call-up. Abel said that he's willing to wait for an injury call-up, so we might have to hope we're the first team to pick up a hooker injury.

    A couple of weeks ago, Olmstead said he was talking to a few teams, but no one signed him in the end. I wonder if the talks were more about injury cover than anything else.

    TimT 1 Reply Last reply
    0

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