Highlanders 2024
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Irish Paul also said on twitter/X that Byron Smith will be playing NPC for Southland. I'm happy to see that locked in. Hopefully he goes well down there. Then we can have three young 10s at the landers.
Southland have also lured Wyndham Patuawa down south. He was the Hamilton BHS 1st 5 last year, and while still young, will likely be involved with the Highlanders U20s this year or next.
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Luca Inch withdraws from Super Rugby 2024. Rohan Wingham added to the squad. Solomone Tukuafu (never heard of the bloke) in as a training squad member. https://thehighlanders.co.nz/news/squad-update-rohan-wingham-elevated-into-full-squad/
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Solomone Tukuafu
Waikato backup TH prop. He has been part of the Chiefs WTG and played a few games in 2022.
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I guess there's not much rugby news at the moment:
The (double-barrelled) name game
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens will be the 14th Highlander with a double-barrelled surname. How do the others rate? Hayden Meikle offers his...
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Fair enough. Presented as it's own story on the website
I generally like his stuff, he actually tries to make his content enjoyable to read. Not just a list of events. His criticism of an NPC game last year was excellent (Northland v Southland I think)
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Considering the proposed cuts to Stuff. Highlanders fans are really lucky with thr ODT. I just hope Paul Cully isn't a victim of the proposed Stuff cuts. He is a very talented sports reporter. Currently, we get strong coverage from both the ODT and Cully.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Considering the proposed cuts to Stuff. Highlanders fans are really lucky with thr ODT. I just hope Paul Cully isn't a victim of the proposed Stuff cuts. He is a very talented sports reporter. Currently, we get strong coverage from both the ODT and Cully.
Agree about Cully, but can't lie I often find the ODT coverage lacking. That Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens interview was good, but I'd like more of that. I often feel their coverage of the Highlanders these days is a lot of telling me what I already know, rather than actual journalism.
Bit of a contrast in quality between Meikle, and Adrian Seconi who used to do the Landers. His work on the Volts for example, is outstanding.
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The ODT isn't perfect. But it is a shit tonne better than a lot of other publications around the country. Without in depth knowledge of its newsroom @Smudge might know, but there is about four fulltime sports reporters. It still covers local and club rugby well. I think both the ODT and the Highlanders could be better to use eachother. Profiling what weeks look like, talking to the young and new players and what the plan is for 2024 ans beyond. As such a young squad with a lot of change there are a lof of angles to hit. You can do content on the competition between the hookers. Talk to the development guys on what they have learnt. Find the lads who are straight out of school and moved down, talk to them. There is a gold mine. But it requires the Highlanders to be open past their weekly media sessions and requests. It is what I would be doing if I was both leading comms for the Highlanders or as an ODT reporter. Seconi has been around the traps for a long time. Not sure if he is a bit tired by the repeattivness of it all.
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Difference between Cully and the ODT is that Cully seems to be 98% on the Highlanders round and covers almost nothing else. Whereas the ODT covers every sport under the sun. So it stands to reason that Cully is going to scoop a few more yarns on the Landers when that's all he's focused on.
And when you have an organisation that is as utterly hopeless and useless at media relations as the Highlanders, it's amazing how much coverage they actually do get.
ODT is down to three full-timers in the sports department, including Hayden as sports editor. They have stringers galore though for club sport. The fact they still cover South Otago club cricket and North/Central Otago rugby and the like is impressive, and I hope the good people of Kaitangata, Roxburgh and Duntroon never take that for granted.
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@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2024:
Cully is saying that it is Finn Hurley who will replace Bogado with a full contract from 2025.
Is it in the Sunday papers? I don't really understand what the plan is with Hurley. He has some real attacking talent, but is an absolute liability on defence. How can he be a viable option when he is such a speed bump.
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@SouthernMann Yes, in an article in the Sunday Star-Times. I couldn't find it online but here is the relevant info:
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Just had a geeze at the article. Dermody, aa you'd expect is certainly painting an optimistic picture. I'd expect nothing less. With a squad like what we have there will be a few guys who surprise. Some lads will be be found out. We are already caryrying some passengers who won't be re-signed post their current contracts. Sanders didn't look like his former self in the NPC. Both Millar and Faleafaga have some vulnerabilities which may be targeted. I have major doubts over Arscott. Midfield is a shitshow. None of the hookers really own their positions. The unkmown can be exciting, but also concerning.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Just had a geeze at the article. Dermody, aa you'd expect is certainly painting an optimistic picture. I'd expect nothing less. With a squad like what we have there will be a few guys who surprise. Some lads will be be found out. We are already caryrying some passengers who won't be re-signed post their current contracts. Sanders didn't look like his former self in the NPC. Both Millar and Faleafaga have some vulnerabilities which may be targeted. I have major doubts over Arscott. Midfield is a shitshow. None of the hookers really own their positions. The unkmown can be exciting, but also concerning.
Think this is a little glass half-empty. Most of those guys are very much backups in their position... and Millar might have some limitations, but I wouldn't say he has vulnerabilities.
I think he is a little better than you give him credit for.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Just had a geeze at the article. Dermody, aa you'd expect is certainly painting an optimistic picture. I'd expect nothing less. With a squad like what we have there will be a few guys who surprise. Some lads will be be found out. We are already caryrying some passengers who won't be re-signed post their current contracts. Sanders didn't look like his former self in the NPC. Both Millar and Faleafaga have some vulnerabilities which may be targeted. I have major doubts over Arscott. Midfield is a shitshow. None of the hookers really own their positions. The unkmown can be exciting, but also concerning.
Think this is a little glass half-empty. Most of those guys are very much backups in their position... and Millar might have some limitations, but I wouldn't say he has vulnerabilities.
I think he is a little better than you give him credit for.
No one can gauge Millar yet. He has barely played for Otago and had very limited minutes for the Highlanders before getting injured. He looks a tremendous kicker. Doesn't look lime there is much with him past that. But, as mentioned, really hard to gauge as he hasn't played a lot. I certainly hope he can stamp his mark. I have a very optimistic view of the squad. I only picked on a few guys. I'm hugely excited by several of the young guys. Wingham, Ma'u, Holland, Broughton, Haig, Withy, Hastie, Millar and Faleafaga, Taylor and Bell are all guys who I think have decent upside. It is just which way they will go when some of the unproven guys get opportunities. Whether guys are back ups or not. They are going to have to get gametime during the season, and we don't have a lot of experience for them to lean on.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2024:
Cully is saying that it is Finn Hurley who will replace Bogado with a full contract from 2025.
Is it in the Sunday papers? I don't really understand what the plan is with Hurley. He has some real attacking talent, but is an absolute liability on defence. How can he be a viable option when he is such a speed bump.
Isn't that an indication that if he has defensive weaknesses, they figure they can iron them out?
