Blues 2019
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From the Northland Rugby website:
Blues team vs Chiefs.Hodgman
Parsons
Mafileo
Goodhue
Olmstead
Robinson
Matich
Sotutu
Ruru
Plummer
Faiane
Aumua
Clarke
Nanai
PerofetaReplacements.
Li
Apisai/Moulds
Renata/Tamoaieta
James Tucker
Riedlinger-Kapa
Choat
Jack Grooby
Black
Telea
Tele'a
Aoake
Collins -
Its good to see James Tucker involved with a team. I thought he was excellent for the resurgent Waikato team last season and was surprised he wasn't picked for one of the wider squads at least. Although I guess it means Scrafton will not be playing from the outset. I don't know a lot about Jack Grooby but he is about the seventh Halfback involved in training with this team so I don't know what is going on there (Ruru, Pulu, Nock, Kitto, Gjaltema, McNaughton). I know Gjaltema is with the team in Northland but not named. Young loose head prop Rob Cobb is also with the team in Northland but not named.
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@Daffy-Jaffy The picture you posted lists Lua Li as replacement loosehead.
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@Tim Thanks Tim, I deleted that post because it did not appear to post properly on my computer. Then I missed Li's name (added now) when I typed the team out (unnecessarily apparently), never mind it gave me something to do on a quiet night shift.
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@Tim said in Blues 2019 - (New Head Coach):
Perofeta at fullback would give them a much needed kicking option for exits.
Having Black and Perofeta could also give Perofeta much needed experience in the same way as BB and Dmac spent time at 15 learning to read the game at this level.
Perofeta is talented but had an accelerated progression due to other's injuries.
Will be interesting to see if this carries through to the real games though.
Another bonus is that I won't have to see Plummer's tiny out of proportion head. Looks freaky. -
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Going to go out on a limb and predict the following XXIII for the Crusaders round one match:
- Hodgman
- Parsons
- Tu'ungufasi
- Scrafton
- Tuipulotu
- Olmsted
- Gibson (c)
- Ioane
- Ruru
- Black
- Ioane
- Nonu
- Aumua
- Nanai
- Perofeta
- Tu'inukuafe
- Mafileo
- Moulds
- Goodhue
- Papalii
- Pulu
- SBW
- Duffie
If Nonu gets used at centre next week, then I'll have TJ Faiane at 12 and him at 13.
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Is Ross Wright on a full contract with chiefs or just injury cover?
Good call by McDonald throwing as many of the Northland lads in there...was listening to McKinnon on the radio last night and he said they need to try and make Northland feel like they are part of the Blues as they probably haven't most of the time.
But he seemed pretty on to it
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@Tim said in Blues 2019 - (New Head Coach):
Interesting that the Blues aren't giving any of their full-squad opensides a run. Very much a B-team?
Who exactly? Blake Gibson is injured and Papalii is an AB and ABs are being held out of playing preseason for all NZ teams.
As for Grooby I saw a lot of Ta$man last year and I was impressed - very quick service is his strength.
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@Tim said in Blues 2019 - (New Head Coach):
@KiwiMurph Jed Brown.
He picked up a calf injury last week too per the Stuff report.
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Be interesting to see Matich at 7 though, he has the work rate and speed for it, just if he can adjust his game.
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@taniwharugby with Gibson and Brown always injured and Choat very green Matich could see plenty of game time this year.
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@Tim He's just a young guy, but seemed to have a nice pass on him - promising.
He was only in the Mako wider training group behind Finlay Christie and Billy Guyton - so make of that what you will - but, he got quite a lot of game time including starting the early season games and especially the opening victory over Canterbury.
