Steamers in Tauranga
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well, that makes next week a bit more interesting...Waikatos first loss since lifting the Shield?...
wonder how that will affect them going into next week, be a big effort getting up after that.
If we get a few lads back from the sick bay, and can play with a bit of heart like we did in the 2nd spell today, we could perform one of the bigger sporting turnarounds in a long while after shipping 70 last week...
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@taniwharugby funny but even with some ragged performances, I still feel this team as the goods to make it through. Just need a good performance and some fully fit players. Prefer if didn’t play so much footy in our own 22 though.
Apart from known long term injuries - a fully fit side would probably be:
Matt Wright
Tua and Highland
Ranger
Gregory
Debreczini
Nock
Matich
Robinson & Pryor
Goodhue & Douglas
Tu’ungafasi, Moulds, RinikamaHohaia, Faiane, Kitto, Olsen, Straker, Atkins, Matiu, Jacobsen and McNamara coming in for any injuries.
Plus if Jack Goodhue was available you would find some space for him.
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@kev said in Steamers in Tauranga:
@taniwharugby funny but even with some ragged performances, I still feel this team as the goods to make it through. Just need a good performance and some fully fit players. Prefer if didn’t play so much footy in our own 22 though.
Apart from known long term injuries - a fully fit side would probably be:
Matt Wright
Tua and Highland
Ranger
Gregory
Debreczini
Nock
Matich
Robinson & Pryor
Goodhue & Douglas
Tu’ungafasi, Moulds, RinikamaHohaia, Faiane, Kitto, Olsen, Straker, Atkins, Matiu, Jacobsen and McNamara coming in for any injuries.
Plus if Jack Goodhue was available you would find some space for him.
I think I would rather have Roberts-TeNana or probably even Cooper on the bench over Hohaia - would be good to have a bit of firepower to bring on. Also would be good if Ross Wright was fit again too (not sure if that's likely or not). Think Matiu has really stood up well over the second half of this comp especially with his strong carries but will likely go back to the bench when Matich is fit
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@chiefy07 I yesterday showed McNamara is upto it too.
Given our loose forward line out I think he helped keep it mostly functional, was very busy around the park and still had enough in the tank to be part of that final try as the movement swept up the field.
Not sure we will get Douglas or Robinson back, both didn't look good last week when they came off, while the rest, I am hopeful were all but rested for niggles, given Olsen being ruled out then making the bench...and had yesterday been a must win a few more might have played.
Which brings me to poor Matthews, seriously why have you got him in the squad if you aren't going to use him.
While Jack hasn't played much, I think he is classed as a frontline player now so would be very surprised if he is released, but who knows thier thinking on releasing players.
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@taniwharugby Douglas and Robinson would both be big like losses if they are not fit.
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McNamara once again showed what a big engine he has to actually get down the feild in the 79th minute to support Cooper and then lay on the pass to Hyland..
I have heard a lot about his work ethic and from what I have heard Scott Gregory has a similar work ethic.
we have got some really good home grown kids to work with.
Rapt for Aorangi Stokes,not only a really good bugger,but always gives it 100%,did not know much about Lucas Albornoz (listed as 6’3 on ESPN rugby played 1 test for Canada )from Waipu the Dev games I saw,he most of the time started of the bench and always considered him 2 small for Mitre 10 level as a lock,but I though he put in an excellent shift coming in for Temo Mayanavanua so early in the piece.
On the day,I thought Moulds really stood up along with Nock ,great little cameo at the end from Gregory.
And after seeing Wiseguy Faiane,I just want to see more..! -
@steven-harris said in Steamers in Tauranga:
And after seeing Wiseguy Faiane,I just want to see more..!
It's been a missed opportunity for Northland.
I said before the season started that it should have been a development year for Wiseguy. If they'd given him 20 mins off the bench in most games (with Debra going to fullback) they'd have good player on their books for 2019. Right now he is still just a raw kid
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@steven-harris TBH I was a bit underwhelmed with both McNamara and Jacobsen when they were announced as neither, particularly Jacobsen who I had seen more of for Kamo, really stood out consistently, but it just proves that the guys running the ship do have a bit more knowledge than us armchair critics.
That said, I wasnt sold on Thoroughgood at club level either (again at Kamo so I saw much more games than other teams - although looked sharp in the final) and while he has had limited chances, last week he looked well out of his depth right now
Gregory was always touted as something special, and while a few lapses yesterday that I'd put down to inexperience, he also showed the immense potential he possesses as well yesterday, from his prodigious punt to his explosive power to the finesse with ball in hand, without even looking at his work at the breakdown.
A bit early for a full super contract but will hopefully pick up a dev side one to continue his development.
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@duluth I agree with you on Faiane,Whitcombe had selected a high performance squad earlier in the year which included Miles Thorughgood who was the Kamo first five and to be fair he was the most consistent around mainly because he was behind a very good pack that on most occasions going forward .
Faiane did not arrive in the Northland until almost May,took him a while to adjust,from what I have heard from the coaching in the Northland Dev squad ,he improved greatly as the season went along.
From what I have heard he is gonna hang around in the North,would have loved to have seen him with a bit more time in the top side,but I do respect the coaches for being loyal.
His wide pass to Gregory inside the 22 was exactly where a player who accelerates on the ball required it.. -
@steven-harris Faiane probably has a much higher ceiling, but he didnt really stand out for OBM in the games I watched, so I guess you can understand why Thoroughgood got through by virtue of more consistent performances, but hopefully if he does stick around, he will get the rewards next season.
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Agree @taniwharugby that McNamara has been good. Think he will improve a lot over the next few seasons as he gets a bit bigger and more experienced. He's the kind of hard working unflashy player we need in the pack.
The thinking behind selecting Thoroughgood and Blundell ahead of Faiane was sound - if he had played the whole season of club rugby he might have made it. Now that he has been performing in the Bs he gets his chance. NRU have done well to stick to the process to show local guys that their is a pathway. Yesterdays game is an example of showing Club and Development Squad form will be rewarded.
@taniwharugby It probably should be too early but I don't think it's too early for a contract for Gregory given how the squads contract these days. He's showed more than what Tua did last year from a Northland point of view. If he does I hope it's somewhere other than under Tana Umaga. Maybe Crusaders and form an all Taniwha midfield down there
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Thoroughgood over Faiane is about local pathways? What is Debra ahead of Thoroughgood? How much club rugby did he play?
If the player is committed medium term to the province I don't think it matters. He'll be fully in the club comp next year.. it's not a one season thing
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@chiefy07 TUa is an interesting one, his rise was fairly rapid and possibly not as expected or 'mapped' as say Gregory.
Last year he looked to be on a fast track to super rugby, and if not for being a dumb arse (allegedly) would have had plenty of chances in the blues mid field, and now at M10 he has gone backwards.
Still shown some glimpses of his talent, but simply not good enough, hoping it isnt that he started think think a bit much of himself, and if that is the case, this season should knock some sense into him.
At the start of the season I had high hopes of both him and Hohaia in our mid-field...
Yeah I think Gregory is good enough, but I'd say he doesnt need to have one dangled next year, give him another season of NPC to develop further and go form there.
@Duluth he played as much club rugby as Pryor, MOulds et al. Super rugby players obviously measured differently there.
Again, he didnt stand out for OBM, so has only started to thrive in the dev side, that said, I think it was easy to see he had a much higher ceiling than Thoroughgood, who I wonder if they just expected to be good enough as I am pretty sure he came through the Cantab system?
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@taniwharugby said in Steamers in Tauranga:
Again, he didnt stand out for OBM, so has only started to thrive in the dev side, that said, I think it was easy to see he had a much higher ceiling than Thoroughgood.
Yes, I think that's easy to see too
It's not a big deal him not getting many minutes.. just a missed opportunity to develop a guy who should be a SR prospect soon
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@duluth I think Northland have had slim pickings at first five in recent times probably since David Holwell,just Lachie Munroe and Ash Moeke come to mind as players of quality that have been in the 10 jersey.
Jack Debreczeni was signed late last year given the union had no idea whom was going to be the next cab of the rack.
What I have seen in Jack is real ability that’s not been bought to the fore,his goalkicking is 2nd to none,in fact I think he may have the best kick stats in the Mitre 10 Cup
His kicking out of hand is superb and he probably has the biggest boot in the comp
Running at the line has been one of the huge improvements based on what I saw in first 2 x games for the Taniwha not to mention he is a big tall guy that gets his body through the tackle
His ability to identify space is something I like about him.
If the rumour is to be believed,and he is off to the chiefs,it’s bloody good signing for them. -
@taniwharugby I think Tua will be great. But he is young, and very tall so we should give hi, some more time to hit his straps. Defence is his big work on but confident he will work through that.
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@duluth said in Steamers in Tauranga:
Thoroughgood over Faiane is about local pathways? What is Debra ahead of Thoroughgood? How much club rugby did he play?
If the player is committed medium term to the province I don't think it matters. He'll be fully in the club comp next year.. it's not a one season thing
I'd say they signed Debreczeni for his experience more than anything else and because he was playing SR couldn't play club rugby. Northland apparently tried to sign Fletcher Smith before JD so it was clear that they wanted at least one experienced 10 and supplement with guys from club rugby. Thoroughgood spent the whole club season up here and would've been regularly watched. He was the form 10 in club rugby so deserved his shot, certainly no better or worse than Faiane in the club games I watched. Maybe it hasn't turned out to be the right choice but the thinking behind it at the time was right.
Faiane is a talented young player earning his way - from what I heard and saw he certainly wasn't bashing the door down in club rugby. Might be good for him slowly making his way.
@taniwharugby I think you're right it would be best if Gregory has another year developing, I just won't be surprised if he gets a gig given how the contracting is going now.
@kev it will be interesting to watch how Tua develops, he's definitely got some talent and size is a natural advantage but hasn't looked like a SR player yet. He showed potential last year but hasn't really built on it this year. As you say, the defence is the big work on and if he can sort that out will be very handy for us.
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D Duluth moved this topic from Taniwha Rugby on
