Highlanders 2024
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@African-Monkey said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann That's how the fern rolls 😉
Some tribal protection around George Bell. I reckon we can guess which school one of the posters went to. Haha
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@Bones said in Highlanders 2024:
@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2024:
Bell is an All Black now
Say what?
I mean like he’s already been in and around the AB’s environment. I forget you have to clarify down to a T on this forum haha
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@Landers92 so as much an AB as Paul Cooke really at this stage. Noted.
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@Bones said in Highlanders 2024:
@Landers92 so as much an AB as Paul Cooke really at this stage. Noted.
That’s exactly right mate.
But in and around the squad none the less and that was my point, just the wrong wording.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
I'm enjoying the conversation about the second string Crusaders hooker and where he sits in the All Black's pecking order... in the Highlanders thread
I mean you can take it out of context if you really want. Was more an extension of a conversation on whether the Highlanders might try to sign him for 2026.
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de Groot, Ainsley, Harmon are the only survivors of those who started our last QF in 2022... DLB, Ma'u, Hicks and Fakatava were all on the bench.
Certainly a few random names in there. Denny Solomona and Liam Coombes-Fabling were the two other reserve backs,
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
de Groot, Ainsley, Harmon are the only survivors of those who started our last QF in 2022... DLB, Ma'u, Hicks and Fakatava were all on the bench.
Certainly a few random names in there. Denny Solomona and Liam Coombes-Fabling were the two other reserve backs,
Denny Solomona, wow there’s someone who’s easy to forget. Heck of a player too but as soon on the Landers jersey he got injured. Classic.
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@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2024:
@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
de Groot, Ainsley, Harmon are the only survivors of those who started our last QF in 2022... DLB, Ma'u, Hicks and Fakatava were all on the bench.
Certainly a few random names in there. Denny Solomona and Liam Coombes-Fabling were the two other reserve backs,
Denny Solomona, wow there’s someone who’s easy to forget. Heck of a player too but as soon on the Landers jersey he got injured. Classic.
And now he is an apprentice plumber in Wigan. What is clear is looking at the 2024 v 2022 side. Our current team is better and has a higher long-term ceiling.
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Paul Dwyer has a yarn to Riki Flutey and Hayden Mciahels. They chatted about managing the dirt trackers each week, Michael's debut, Riki Flutey's role, what the club expects out of club rugby appearances and a bit on the game this weekend. Highlanders playing club rugby this weekend; Wingham, Faleafaga and Thomas Umaga-Jensen. Flutey says TUJ is the fittest he has ever been, and has been back training with the squad for a month. https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/landers-chat/odt-landers-chat-hayden-michaels-and-riki-flutey
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2024:
@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
de Groot, Ainsley, Harmon are the only survivors of those who started our last QF in 2022... DLB, Ma'u, Hicks and Fakatava were all on the bench.
Certainly a few random names in there. Denny Solomona and Liam Coombes-Fabling were the two other reserve backs,
Denny Solomona, wow there’s someone who’s easy to forget. Heck of a player too but as soon on the Landers jersey he got injured. Classic.
And now he is an apprentice plumber in Wigan. What is clear is looking at the 2024 v 2022 side. Our current team is better and has a higher long-term ceiling.
If I recall correctly he was pulled in mid season as injury cover? I recall 1 game off the bench and 1 start and then he did his hamstring.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Paul Dwyer has a yarn to Riki Flutey and Hayden Mciahels. They chatted about managing the dirt trackers each week, Michael's debut, Riki Flutey's role, what the club expects out of club rugby appearances and a bit on the game this weekend. Highlanders playing club rugby this weekend; Wingham, Faleafaga and Thomas Umaga-Jensen. Flutey says TUJ is the fittest he has ever been, and has been back training with the squad for a month. https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/landers-chat/odt-landers-chat-hayden-michaels-and-riki-flutey
That’s awesome news about TUJ. I hope for his sake he can stay healthy. Awesome news coming into the Otago season
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@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Paul Dwyer has a yarn to Riki Flutey and Hayden Mciahels. They chatted about managing the dirt trackers each week, Michael's debut, Riki Flutey's role, what the club expects out of club rugby appearances and a bit on the game this weekend. Highlanders playing club rugby this weekend; Wingham, Faleafaga and Thomas Umaga-Jensen. Flutey says TUJ is the fittest he has ever been, and has been back training with the squad for a month. https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/landers-chat/odt-landers-chat-hayden-michaels-and-riki-flutey
That’s awesome news about TUJ. I hope for his sake he can stay healthy. Awesome news coming into the Otago season
Going to be an interesting midfield rotation of him, Gilbert, Te Hiwi, Timu? , Whaanga and potentially Jack Leslie. May end up seeing Whaanga play a fair bit on the wing. Which could impact the exposure of some of the young wing options. I'd almost be tempted to see if someone wants to head to Southland.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Paul Dwyer has a yarn to Riki Flutey and Hayden Mciahels. They chatted about managing the dirt trackers each week, Michael's debut, Riki Flutey's role, what the club expects out of club rugby appearances and a bit on the game this weekend. Highlanders playing club rugby this weekend; Wingham, Faleafaga and Thomas Umaga-Jensen. Flutey says TUJ is the fittest he has ever been, and has been back training with the squad for a month. https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/landers-chat/odt-landers-chat-hayden-michaels-and-riki-flutey
That’s awesome news about TUJ. I hope for his sake he can stay healthy. Awesome news coming into the Otago season
Going to be an interesting midfield rotation of him, Gilbert, Te Hiwi, Timu? , Whaanga and potentially Jack Leslie. May end up seeing Whaanga play a fair bit on the wing. Which could impact the exposure of some of the young wing options. I'd almost be tempted to see if someone wants to head to Southland.
but southland has reece for their midfield.....
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Southland will have its best season in nearly a decade if they have a good run with injuries.
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@Landers92 A shame about his injuries. I played rugby with him during our school days, he was 2 years younger than me but still played in the same teams as him and he was the best player I'd seen at schoolboy level and there were a lot of other guys who have gone onto much bigger things who played with and against us too.
He achieved a lot in League and union in Europe, but not gonna lie, I thought he was gonna have a huge career at the top.
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That's that then for 2024.
Overall I'd say an improved season, and they had us genuinely believing we were a chance last night, and for forty minutes they certainly hung in there.
The Good
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The emergence of the young forward pack. Holland, Haig and Withy in particular just got better and better as the season went on. All were very strong last night. Bell, Taylor and Stodart too enjoyed good first seasons, whilst de Groot ended the season very strongly and will be the skipper for the future. Broughton was another one who I thought just got better and better. Ma'u was perhaps slightly disappointing, so we will need to find a good replacement for Jermaine Ainsley. Mitch Dunshea was also very strong, and will be the experienced head
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The Fijian back three. Jim, Jacob and Jona. A joy to finally watch us score some good tries. No way would we have scored the try we scored last night with who we had last year. Slick finishing. Keep them together, with a good reserve option coming in, and we are looking good there. I can see JRK kicking on even further next year.
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Breaking the derby duck. It needed to be done, and we got it done. That game might just give ticket sales a boost at the start of next season.
The Bad
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The mid-season slump. The coaches lost the plot in the middle of the year against the Canes and then in Aussie. They rectified it to some degree, though we never managed to find the competitiveness against the better sides we had early in the season.
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Going the full 80. We failed to score a point in the second half in our last three away games (Blues, Canes & Brumbies). That has to be worked on. I think partially this is because we are a little limited and can't chase games, but probably also speaks to a lack of depth.
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The midfield. Take out Tele'a, and our midfield options are hardly even strong NPC options. Te Hiwi got a good run, and probably showed he is only ever going to be a backup option at best. Gilbert too burnt out, though I actually thought he was really good last night. We simply have to find a classy second five if we want to compete for a title.
The big questions
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The first fives. I think Millar and Faleafaga all in all had good seasons. Faleafaga certainly started the better and looked really good, though his lack of a kicking game saw him come unstuck. Big issue for him, is that he is unlikely to start at 10 in the NPC. His running and playmaking means that at the moment he probably has a higher ceiling, but he has to work on that punt. Millar showed both his strengths and limitation, but I can confidently say at the very least he will be a good backup, who is one of the best goal kickers I have ever seen. Both these two will benefit from the NPC.
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The coaches. Are the coaches getting the best out of the players? I think this will be a question better answered next year. Ultimately, our midfield options are limited, and our forwards are young, but I'd really like to see us get more ball to our outside backs. There were also a few questionable selections (I just don't see it with Hurley...)
Overall
I think you'd grade the 2024 season a B-. A solid pass, but I think we are kidding ourselves if wins over MP 2x, the Drua, the Force, the Waratahs and the Crusaders warrants anything more. We put up a fight in the quarter final, and it feels like the team is finally on the up.
An early goal for next year, without knowing the squad and competition format should be to be competitive in every game. Stop the blowouts, pickup a couple of upsets and win more than we lose. That would be progress.
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The two wingers are class, especially Nareki who should be in the AB conversation with his skills. The fullback though... the Brumbies targeted him with the high ball and he was really found wanting. You could feel the game swinging the Brumbies way with all the balls he lost. A work-on I suppose.
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@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Highlanders 2024:
The two wingers are class, especially Nareki who should be in the AB conversation with his skills. The fullback though... the Brumbies targeted him with the high ball and he was really found wanting. You could feel the game swinging the Brumbies way with all the balls he lost. A work-on I suppose.
In fairness, I think JRK has largely been really good under the high ball this year. It was also Millar who I think was found wanting more often - and part of it was that the Brumbies hung the kick right on top of a stationary player. Clever tactically.
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Thought I’d chuck sports radio on today while driving. They had Jeff Wilson on and he had something really interesting to say.
He said that there is noise that there will be coaching changes/movement ahead. He also said ‘does Jamie Joseph move to head coach?’, something along those lines. But he did finish by saying don’t be surprised to see movement in the coaching department.
Considering he is the one saying that, I think we can expect some news in the near future as there won’t be many more in the know than he is.
It will be very interesting to see what those moves are, are the shot callers ready to move on from Derms as head coach now instead of pushing it out another season knowing that’s their plan anyway? A case of ripping the band aid off now and getting on with their long term plan a year early.
Could be an eventful offseason.
