The NRL Season of 2016
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<p>First time in a long time (last being 2007) that the Warriors have won over St George. And what a time for it to happen.</p>
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<p>Some thoughts:</p>
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<p>- Have always raved about David Fusitua but I really didn't know how he would go at the back. Well, if (and that is a questionable 'if') he stays healthy, he's the fullback for the remainder of 2016. Best defensive fullback in the squad - great under the high ball, great with the grubbers, and a huge beast that can knock back even a charging frontrower the size of Rusty Pecker.</p>
<p>- A lot of the replacements stepped up today. Jazz Tevaga is the new Lewis Brown, Matt Allwood proved he can dive for the tryline unlike Jono Wright, Gavet provides some grit, and Sipley and Lane are just big units.</p>
<p>- Lousi and Palavi are still useless.</p>
<p>- Thought Bunji had a decent run today. Could he be in line for a Kiwis call-up? Probably not.</p>
<p>- Widdop on the other hand was useless.</p>
<p>- Nice to see Rusty Pecker back in NZ. Hopefully he can make it through Aussie customs later tonight.</p>
<p>- What the hell was with Lillyman's hands in the first half? Couldn't catch a cold if he tried.</p>
<p>- Jono Wright - just stay away from first grade bro.</p>
<p>- Matulino, Vatuvei and Thompson out of the Kiwis - Matulino is the only loss for the Kiwis. The other two were nowhere close. </p>
<p>- Mannering out for a month. Bugger.</p>
<p>- The coach is still getting fired but he can now give the finger to certain individuals in the team with some confidence restored.</p>
<p>- Team for the next game (in two rounds):</p>
<p>1.Fusitua 2.Allwood 3.Asyhford 4.Kata 5.Vatuvei 6.Lolohea 7.Johnson 8.Lillyman 9.Luke 10.Matulino 11.Hoffman 12.Thompson 13.Lane</p>
<p>Bench: 14.Leuluai 15.Gubb 16.Gavet 17.Tevaga</p> -
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<p><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Do we still have any players in the Uk comp playing for the kiwis?</span></p>
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<p>No because the NRL is loaded with Kiwi players these days.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Sneakdefreak" data-cid="576134" data-time="1462080262">
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<p>No because the NRL is loaded with Kiwi players these days.</p>
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<p>Sweet, I haven't watched superleague in years but the level of play was never as good as the NRL even when we had the likes of the Paul brothers playing in it. I imagine it hasn't improved much </p> -
Matulino is a big loss for us. He's got the best hands of any Kiwi forward and draws in numerous defenders because of his offload ability. <br><br>
I wouldn't have thought Bodene Thompson was in cooee of getting a test jersey. I can think of 5-6 back row/locks ahead of him. <br><br>
Do t think Benji will get a recall even though we are undermanned. I'd have TL starting before giving Benji another game. <br><br><br>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Donsteppa" data-cid="576108" data-time="1462074648">
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<p>And the kick up the arse from seeing the supposed "stars" dropped to reserve grade...</p>
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<p>Basically shows that the week in, week out problems of the Warriors are down to attitude and lack of commitment.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="576144" data-time="1462084227"><p>Basically shows that the week in, week out problems of the Warriors are down to attitude and lack of commitment.</p></blockquote>
Yep, and who do you blame for that? -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="No Quarter" data-cid="576154" data-time="1462089701">
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<p>Yep, and who do you blame for that?</p>
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<p>The Warriors?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="576155" data-time="1462090027"><p>The Warriors?</p></blockquote>
You mean the organisation as a whole? -
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<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Yep, and who do you blame for that? </span></blockquote>
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<p>I blame you.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Donsteppa" data-cid="576157" data-time="1462090201"><p>The same players who have been inconsistent across several coach changes?</p></blockquote>
So we've nailed it down to a handful of players that are the cause of all the Warriors ills, regardless of management or coaching? -
Look I'm not trying to absolve the players of responsibility, they're professionals that are not fulfilling their contractual obligations to the club. They deserved to be dropped, without a doubt, and this sort of behaviour should absolutely impact their value on the market.<br><br>
But dropping a bunch of players when you are 3-16 to "send a message" just screams reactionary abulance at the bottom of the cliff type measures. If you create a culture within the organisation where that sort of shit is not tolerated then by in large you won't get these types of issues in the first place. There are many different ways of acheiving this - the ABs did it through putting the responsibility back on the players through leadership groups etc.<br><br>
Just blaming a handful of players for all of the problems is ignoring the underlying issues, IMO of course. -
<p>Kiwis named, Jesse Bromwich will captain:</p>
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<p><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">NEW ZEALAND KIWIS</span><br><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Adam Blair</span><br><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Jesse Bromwich</span><br><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Lewis Brown</span><br><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Greg Eastwood</span><br><span style="color:rgb(20,24,35);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Alex Glenn<br>
Tohu Harris<br>
Peta Hiku<br>
Shaun Johnson<br>
Jordan Kahu<br>
Shaun Kenny-Dowall<br>
Manu Ma'u<br>
Sam Moa<br>
Jason Nightingale<br>
Kodi Nikorima<br>
Kevin Proctor<br>
Jason Taumalolo<br>
Martin Taupau<br>
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak<br>
Danny Levi (19th man)</span></p> -
<p>The culture of the organization that has tolerated mediocrity and less. </p>
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<p>Not me, though - because I gave up on them as a bunch of slack-arses years ago and am just briefly wasting a small piece of my life to unrepentantly put the boot in.</p>
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<p>This game will be another in a long list of false dawns in which the Warriors will linger around the lower reaches of mid-table - briefly claw their way into the eight when other clubs are more severely affected by SoO commitments and then fade in the late season.</p>
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<p>TAB bankers.</p> -
<p>So from what I can put together Kearney is going with this:</p>
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<p>1.Hiku 2.DWZ 3.SKD 4.Kahu 5.Nightingale 6.Harris 7.SJ 8.Bromwich (c) 9.Nikorima 10.Blair 11.Proctor 12.Ma'u 13.Taumalolo</p>
<p>Bench: 14.Brown 15.Taupau 16.Moa 17.Eastwood 18th man: Glenn 19th man: Levi</p>
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<p>Big call leaving out Luke and another utility back like Hoffman or Rapana (both have experience at stand off/fullback).</p> -
<p>Hmmm, so last year's "forced into experimentation" bullshit is actually just how Kearney is running the team now? Tohu Harris at stand off, WTF!!!! (Assuming it happens, but who else is in there? Oh wait, Peta Hiku Kearney Jnr can play there too, by play I mean run around the park in a Jono Wright style). Rapana must have taken a shit in someone's cornflakes. At least the pack is good, but it was good last year when those slow poke Englishmen touched us up.</p>
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<p>Donsteppa: The organisation that is the Warriors is fucked, the management of that club is fucked. Two of the naughty boys that are being held up as the reason the club is in bad shape are two players who have slugged it out for the Warriors (and the Kiwis) for a number of years now, now they've been turned on like they molest children. Matulino must look at Jesse Bromwich at the with envy getting to play for the Storm while he's remained at the Mickey Mouse Warriors. Also, I think some in this thread have mentioned Mannering as the gold standard of Warriors effort when he's had his shit periods too.</p>
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<p>Cappy can't coach, he's been given more rope than Bluey and Bluey actually had teams that won shit before he got to the Warriors (at a bunch of levels) - and as Sneak will remind you Bluey lost the dressing room and had no game plan yet Cappy would be lucky to find the stand that the dressing room is under with signs pointing him in that direction. </p>
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<p>Doyle was hailed as the Messiah, but rather than turning water into wine he's turning water into cat piss.</p>
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<p>Between Kearney and the Warriors it's bloody difficult being a NZ league fan. I'm looking back fondly to early 2011 when my blood pressure only had to deal with Hammettuer and the Canes, it was like the Phony War of 1939 in comparison ;).</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Sneakdefreak" data-cid="576170" data-time="1462092234"><p>So from what I can put together Kearney is going with this:<br><br>
1.Hiku 2.DWZ 3.SKD 4.Kahu 5.Nightingale 6.Harris 7.SJ 8.Bromwich (c) 9.Nikorima 10.Blair 11.Proctor 12.Ma'u 13.Taumalolo<br>
Bench: 14.Brown 15.Taupau 16.Moa 17.Eastwood 18th man: Glenn 19th man: Levi<br><br>
Big call leaving out Luke and another utility back like Hoffman or Rapana (both have experience at stand off/fullback).</p></blockquote>
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I don't mind the squad. Shame Matulino isn't there. Didn't Luke come out and basically admit he wouldn't make it because his form was poor?<br><br>
Happy to see Dallin in there. He's been on the cusp for a while now.
