NRL 2017

[Sneakdefreak]

@nepia Or Fusitua. Looking at the team I would guess 1. Fusitua 2.Fonua Tupou 3.Hurrell 4.Kata 5.Jennings 6.Hopoate 7.Lolohea

[Nepia]

@sneakdefreak said in NRL 2017:

@nepia Or Fusitua. Looking at the team I would guess 1. Fusitua 2.Fonua Tupou 3.Hurrell 4.Kata 5.Jennings 6.Hopoate 7.Lolohea

Fusitua at 1 I can understand, but surely the coach wont buy into the Kata myth, not when Jennings is around?

1. Hopoate, 2. Tupou, 3. Hurrell, 4. Jennings, 5. Fusitua, 6. Hingano, 7. Lolohea - looks a better mix to me personally.

[Sneakdefreak]

@nepia Tonga will be thinking they can go deep into the tournament but they won't with Lolohea and Hingano in the halves. Really think they'll put Hopoate there.

[ACT Crusader]

@sneakdefreak Hopate at 5/8 would be a great move. They’ll need a good kicking halfback which Lolohea is not.

[Sneakdefreak]

Kidwell is saying "the Key is the We" as in Kiwi. Sweet jesus.....

[Nepia]

@sneakdefreak said in NRL 2017:

@nepia Tonga will be thinking they can go deep into the tournament but they won't with Lolohea and Hingano in the halves. Really think they'll put Hopoate there.

Has Hopoate played many games in the halves?

Also, when is the Kiwis C team named? Has the Samoan team been named yet - if not we might wind up losing more to them too. Also, we're lucky that the Cooks aren't included as well.

[Sneakdefreak]

[Sneakdefreak]

Addin Fonua-Blake is a bit of a surprise. No Ben Matulino, wonder if he will turn out for Samoa...

[Bovidae]

Leuluai in the halves or at hooker?

SJ isn't going to drive the team with Martin or Nikorima being so inexperienced.

[Nepia]

@bovidae said in NRL 2017:

Leuluai in the halves or at hooker?

SJ isn't going to drive the team with Martin or Nikorima being so inexperienced.

Depends on the master gameplan that they've apparently come up with - the one that Mannering is apparently not suited to.

[Sneakdefreak]

@bovidae Halves will be Johnson and Martin. Hooker role will be shared by Leuluai (starting) and Nikorima (bench). But Nepia is right, it depends on their strategy (which Blair could be in the halves for all we know)

[Nepia]

So the takeaway from all this - go to jail for assault, make the Kiwis, do a bit of coke and you're banned. Didn't Fonua-Blake also bash his partner?

[Bovidae]

So no Hiku at 6?

I'm still waiting for Johnson to perform when he's the main playmaker.

[Sneakdefreak]

@bovidae Hiku and Whare are probably the centres (though Beale will be in the mix)

[Nepia]

@bovidae Hiku must be in the hotseat now that Harris is out.

[Bovidae]

@nepia

Exactly!

[Sneakdefreak]

Apparently Elijah Taylor only found out he was in the squad today. He had been told on Monday he wasn't, along with Jared Waerea Hargreaves. Circus.

[canefan]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11933095

I hope for our sake this works out. My bro in law bumped into Mr Blair chilling in the hotel pool while on holiday in oz a couple of weeks back. He said he was super ripped, so at least he doesn't seem to be doing an Isaac Luke and heading home via the pie shop after signing up for the Warriors

[Paekakboyz]

Strong words from Blair. If he can walk the talk, he may well be right. I did like his comments around the Kiwi squad defections too. Didn't pussyfoot around like Kidwell and co. Also clear that he's in super good condition, so hopefully the traditional Warriors preseason doesn't do him in.

Definitely a wait and see scenario though. Have seen far too many quality players come and get stuck in the Warriors-mud to have high expectations for a (potentially) good player like Blair.

[canefan]

@paekakboyz I reckon Hoffman, despite his reducing output, was probably a strong trainer. Problem was he didn't totally have the ear of the other boys, and they probably looked at Pie Boy Isaac Luke and thought "More reps? Yeah nah". Hopefully Blair will lead by example at training and this flows on to the pitch