AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?
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@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
So much blah. The captain is easily world class at full fitness.
Would you have him in the top 5 opensides in the world? Top 3? I wouldn't. The fact that many don't think he is the best 7 in NZ is also telling.
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
Who's touting Barret and Ennor as great options? .>
My point is that where the fuck are all the natural 12's running around? Guys that played their whole career at 12 or at least the last few seasons?
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
Yeah woe is us having to choose from Barrett or Mounga at 10, oh no!
I'm obvs OK with this dilemma
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
We have a great core loose forward unit.
We do? Who is is? Have they ever played together?
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
What are you waffling on about there with cohesiveness? What's your solution to that "issue"?
You don't rate experienced combinations? That seems an odd position. I certainly don't have a solution for it, other than settling on a few combinations and sticking to them.
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I'm almost thankful that we have no games this year, or at most, a couple against the Aussies. Because this team is pretty uninspiring to me. Not for a lack of talent, but for how "messy" it feels. So few guys picking themselves as automatic selections, too many being touted to play out of position, and a new captain that is injury prone and probably not world class even at full fitness.
How can we have gone through another season and still have no idea what our midfield should look like? How is it that we have no natural 12's any more? We are touting Jordie Barret or Ennor (pre-injury) as great options, WTF?
We are still debating who to play at 10, who our best wings are, who to play at 15. We have no standout at 6, even 8 (maybe Sotutu), and arguably our best 7 will need to come off the bench.
And what we absolutely don't have is an cohesiveness in the combinations across the park. Tight 5? Nah. Loosie combination? No. Number 8/9 combo? Nope. Midfield? Maybe of they go back to ALB/Goodhue, but people seem to think this is unlikely. Back 3? Nuh uh.
I could see this team getting toasted by SA if we played them tomorrow.
> I could see this team toasting SA if we played them tomorrow. Or do you know something no-one else does about how well the Saffa squad is going?
Do you really? I think that SA RWC side knew exactly who they were, what their strengths were, and how they wanted to play in both attack and defense.
I don't believe we do. Yet.
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@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo wait what? Oh we're playing them last year? Well let's go with last years results then....
Yeah, I'm comparing AB squad against the SA team from last year, i don't have anything else to go on and they were the standard
also, fuck my formatting is a disgrace
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@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo wait what? Oh we're playing them last year? Well let's go with last years results then....
Yeah, I'm comparing AB squad against the SA team from last year, i don't have anything else to go on and they were the standard
also, fuck my formatting is a disgrace
Ok so you're not serious, understood.
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@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Bones said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@voodoo wait what? Oh we're playing them last year? Well let's go with last years results then....
Yeah, I'm comparing AB squad against the SA team from last year, i don't have anything else to go on and they were the standard
also, fuck my formatting is a disgrace
Don't be so hard on yourself. That's a more thought out post than anything I've managed in 14 or so years on here
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@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@booboo Who insisted on a Goodhue / Ennor midfield? Not I. But don't let the truth get in the way of another Ferner trying to perpetuate a bad stereotype.
Not you specifically.
You Crusaders.
What's got into the water in this thread.
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@pakman said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@DMX said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@nzzp said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I think half the problem is, up until the start of last year, the ABs thought they were perfectly positioned. And then they got muddled in their thinking, panicked, and left us in a mess. And a few chickens came home to roost as well with regards to developmental processes.
Lost faith in their senior players who fell off a cliff, didn't keep experience on the paddock, had terrible luck with injuries, missed a strong leader, and you get the volatile performances that wind up in a semifinal spanking.
In a world cup year it's a bit much to
change your back 3
constantly shuffle your midfield
change your 10
change your thinking at 6. twice.In my mind way simpler than that, our three workhorses Rettallick, Whitelock and Read all came up empty. Read probably stuck around 2 years too long, Rettalick underdone and Whitelock nothing left in the tank.
that was massive for us. But i can only blame the coaches for 1 of those. And in reality, those were the "development" things i was talking about, we did not have a back up 8 or lock of any substance.
There is also the overseas money. Hard to keep a capped player who is set to ride the pine when there’s huge bucks available. Assuming Read was recognised as having just taken too much damage — back in particular — Steve Luatua would have been great to have had in squad. Charlie F, too.
Add to that anxiety related issues for Squire and Iaone, the cupboard was pretty bare. They tried to get Fritzell up to speed but just to early.
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@DMX said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@pakman said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@DMX said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@nzzp said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@mariner4life said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
I think half the problem is, up until the start of last year, the ABs thought they were perfectly positioned. And then they got muddled in their thinking, panicked, and left us in a mess. And a few chickens came home to roost as well with regards to developmental processes.
Lost faith in their senior players who fell off a cliff, didn't keep experience on the paddock, had terrible luck with injuries, missed a strong leader, and you get the volatile performances that wind up in a semifinal spanking.
In a world cup year it's a bit much to
change your back 3
constantly shuffle your midfield
change your 10
change your thinking at 6. twice.In my mind way simpler than that, our three workhorses Rettallick, Whitelock and Read all came up empty. Read probably stuck around 2 years too long, Rettalick underdone and Whitelock nothing left in the tank.
that was massive for us. But i can only blame the coaches for 1 of those. And in reality, those were the "development" things i was talking about, we did not have a back up 8 or lock of any substance.
There is also the overseas money. Hard to keep a capped player who is set to ride the pine when there’s huge bucks available. Assuming Read was recognised as having just taken too much damage — back in particular — Steve Luatua would have been great to have had in squad. Charlie F, too.
Add to that anxiety related issues for Squire and Iaone, the cupboard was pretty bare. They tried to get Fritzell up to speed but just to early.
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@pakman said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@Frank said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
Peter Umaga Jensen should be the second-five.
Actually has played there and has real size.
PUJ 12/Jack G 13 would be interesting.
EDIT: Thanks, Shark!
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@voodoo said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@No-Quarter you'd imagine it still haunts Hanson and co!
mate, stop triggering me.
Hanson/Hansen
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@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
By the way I'm with those who're saying this squad naming is pointless. No games scheduled, the world is in a state of flux and all this can do is detract from what could otherwise be the best NPC in many years.
In AFL they name an all australian team every year that causes debate , and they play no one ,
its got that feel about it
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@kiwiinmelb said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
By the way I'm with those who're saying this squad naming is pointless. No games scheduled, the world is in a state of flux and all this can do is detract from what could otherwise be the best NPC in many years.
In AFL they name an all australian team every year that causes debate , and they play no one ,
its got that feel about it
Like a league first team. One for the record books
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@kiwiinmelb said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
@shark said in AB squad for the Bledisloe Cup?:
By the way I'm with those who're saying this squad naming is pointless. No games scheduled, the world is in a state of flux and all this can do is detract from what could otherwise be the best NPC in many years.
In AFL they name an all australian team every year that causes debate , and they play no one ,
its got that feel about it
We should be getting in 4 games against the Aussies though - I can see that scenario coming up very quickly.
Otherwise, this will be a Mitre10 for the ages!
