Blues v Highlanders
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@african-monkey interesting enough you might be able to confirm this as well,
I know a lot of people jump on some stories,why the Blues did not keep a certain player,Malakai Feketoa comes to mind,he was’nt getting a lot of game time but I believe talking to a few people in the know some of the things he was getting up to off the field may have had more to do with his leaving the Auckland franchise ,some of the no good I believe involved a member of Kirwins family.
I can clearly remember an article in a women’s magazine where just around the time he and his partner split up he admitted he had anger management issues..from what I understand if the Blues had been resentful his whole career could have been up in the air.Mils Muliaina leaving the Blues at the end of 2005 had more to do with his partner at the time who was also an employee of the Blues..
There have been some very legitimate stuff ups when it has come to recruitment at the Blues,but there has also been some players let go that go that I suspect they have had no choice but to see off.
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@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
Mils Muliaina leaving the Blues at the end of 2005 had more to do with his partner at the time who was also an employee of the Blues..
Yeah, that was a real bummer.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10351382
When his move was announced in early August, there were reports that fraud allegations involving girlfriend Hayley Armstrong, a former Auckland Rugby Union employee, were a major reason.
Ms Armstrong was investigated by police but the union withdrew its complaint after a sum of money was repaid.
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@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
Mils Muliaina leaving the Blues at the end of 2005 had more to do with his partner at the time who was also an employee of the Blues..
She was at the ARU. The fraud was reported in the press at the time. Auckland seemed to handle that about as well as they could.. they withdrew the police complaint etc but there was no way Mils could stay
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@duluth sorry my bad,I meant Auckland.
Just shows there are at times other circumstances when players do leave and all is not what it seems. -
@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
Just shows there are at times other circumstances when players do leave and all is not what it seems.
Yeah, the language used in some articles is interesting. Anyone that decides to move to the Blues is 'let go' by the other franchise. People leaving have always rejected the Blues.
You're right, it's more nuanced than that. There so many real things to complain about, there's no need to exaggerate
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@steven-harris I didn't hear anything involving the Kirwan family in regards to Fekitoa, but I did hear and a lot of others probably have as well that he was a constant no show at trainings. I think Fekitoa himself said that he had to leave and start fresh somewhere else.
@Duluth Yeah, that's just the media being their usual lazy self and the usual sheep in the general public buying their crap stories.
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I seem to recall an article where Fekitoa said that.
But how had that situation been allowed to develop in the first place? Would a more professional team have sorted it out before he had to leave?
Likewise the Anscombe/Nonu thing. Would better management never have allowed that situation to develop?
I know these things happen, and at even the very best employers. But that they continue to happen at the Blues is not a good sign. It suggests that the workers (players) don't respect and trust their employer, so do things that they might not elsewhere.
Fekitoa and Anscombe seem to go from strength to strength on leaving.
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The Nonu v Anscombe thing is interesting in that you'd expect an experienced test player to overrule the inexperienced number 10 if he thought the 10 was making the wrong play.
I wonder if it would have been an issue if it was a Conrad Smith overruling the 10?
Anyway, Anscombe's few performances at 10 for the Chiefs didn't suggest he'd have been any better than all the other 10s tried at the Blues since Carlos.
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@nepia I think persisting with Anscombe would have been a hell of lot better than signing Benji Marshall.
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@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
@nepia I think persisting with Anscombe would have been a hell of lot better than signing Benji Marshall.
Anscombe had been gone a year before Benji came hadn't he? I remember Benji coming in 2014, wasn't Anscombe already a Chief by then?
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@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
@nepia I think persisting with Anscombe would have been a hell of lot better than signing Benji Marshall.
Who we played at fullback...
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@chester-draws Nonu has history,Canes ,Blues,Highlanders and his first season at Toulon was not memorable,but wait there’s more..!,Eddie Jones when he’s was coaching up Japan called Nonu out for his lack of professionalism for time at Rioch 2011-2012
So I guess how much time do you want to put into someone that can’t help themselves..?
In the All Black environment it was case of sticking to patterns and game plans,there’s always enough senior players around for the individual to know there place.. -
@kirwan in the 2014 squad,Charles Piatau & Lolagi Visinia we’re listed as outside backs,so I guess it would have either of these 2.
The first fives were Baden Kerr and Chris Noakes..and even Benji was listed as an outside back..still would have taken Anscombe over all of those guys. -
@steven-harris said in Blues v Highlanders:
@kirwan in the 2014 squad,Charles Piatau & Lolagi Visinia we’re listed as outside backs,so I guess it would have either of these 2.
The first fives were Baden Kerr and Chris Noakes..and even Benji was listed as an outside back..still would have taken Anscombe over all of those guys.Yep, was just confused why Benji was being discussed in context of shit tens we've had. He was a shit fullback for us.
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@kirwan I have looked back over the squads in the last several years,I am sure you will agree some players were very fortunate to get contracts..however it does highlight to me,very good coaches are usually also very good selectors..and on both counts I think the B,he’s have well and truly missed the boat.
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@chester-draws Well I feel as I said earlier if his father wasn't sending racist texts to Pat Lam with Anscombe supporting them, then maybe Nonu's attitude towards him would have been different (I'm not supporting Nonu btw as he did end up screwing us over).
Fekitoa wasn't starting with us and had a sulk about it. The Highlanders promised him the centre spot and he took it with both hands. It happens. If he wasn't starting at the Highlanders he may have done the same as what he did at the Blues which we'll never know.
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Sloane didn't select Mealamu in the 2002 Blues squad so he spent a season at the Chiefs. He made the ABs that year too. It isn't just recent Blues coaches who have made selection mistakes.
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@bovidae said in Blues v Highlanders:
Sloane didn't select Mealamu in the 2002 Blues squad so he spent a season at the Chiefs. He made the ABs that year too. It isn't just recent Blues coaches who have made selection mistakes.
I don't think that was a mistake. He deserved to be dropped and has basically said that himself.
Mealamu has spoken about how he was happy just picking up the salary as a squad member. Getting dropped made him realise that his career was fragile and he took everything more seriously after that moment.
The Blues benefited long term from that decision. If they kept picking him it's likely he would have faded away without making an impact on NZ rugby
