NRL 2020
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I liked the walker brothers for the very reason that they were an unknown quantity. The reality is that bar a handful of players, the current Warriors squad is a dumpster fire made up of guys past their use-by, guys who probably wouldn't make many other squads, and other mediocre players. Even under someone like Bellamy I doubt this squad could be top 4. At least taking a chance on the brothers would give them a chance to prove their mettle with a team who sadly won't do much without a complete overhaul.
Im a loyal as hell fan, but the Blake Green saga summed up the current Warriors outfit for me - publicly tell him he's not wanted, give him the option of immediate release and then publicly complain when he leaves that his heart wasn't in it. What did they expect was going to happen?
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@aucklandwarlord said in NRL 2020:
I liked the walker brothers for the very reason that they were an unknown quantity. The reality is that bar a handful of players, the current Warriors squad is a dumpster fire made up of guys past their use-by, guys who probably wouldn't make many other squads, and other mediocre players. Even under someone like Bellamy I doubt this squad could be top 4. At least taking a chance on the brothers would give them a chance to prove their mettle with a team who sadly won't do much without a complete overhaul.
Im a loyal as hell fan, but the Blake Green saga summed up the current Warriors outfit for me - publicly tell him he's not wanted, give him the option of immediate release and then publicly complain when he leaves that his heart wasn't in it. What did they expect was going to happen?
Hard to disagree with any of this.
I'm hopeful that the axe is swung and we see off players like Blair and Hiku. Brown built a good team at the Knights and perhaps he can do the same for us. But can he do it without alienating the fan base.
Where it gets tricky for any Australian coach is obviously the culture shock. The bro culture etc. How do you get a NZ rugby union type work ethic out of a NZ rugby league player?
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@aucklandwarlord said in NRL 2020:
I liked the walker brothers for the very reason that they were an unknown quantity.
A mate who is very close to the organisation has had dealings with some of their ex-players. The general line was that they loved their footy more under the brothers than ever. A lot of fun, hard work, lots of chances to express themselves with ball in hand. I mean does that sound like a fit for the Warriors to you???
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Brown can't be any worse than Kearney can he ...?
I know that Gus has got a lot of mana in Oz league circles, but not sure if he'll be able to translate that in NZ - unless he's only going to be building up pathways for the Warriors in Oz.
@raznomore said in NRL 2020:
I'm hopeful that the axe is swung and we see off players like Blair and Hiku.
I've fully come around on Hiku, he's a wee bit rocks and diamonds, but he's tightened up his defence a bit, and he's a wingers best centre. Ken (2019) and Fus (2018) were both off the charts good in the past two years ... the years they were playing outside Hiku.
@raznomore said in NRL 2020:
Where it gets tricky for any Australian coach is obviously the culture shock. The bro culture etc. How do you get a NZ rugby union type work ethic out of a NZ rugby league player?
It's always confused me as to why the bro culture in league doesn't really happen in rugby. When the Blues were down there was whispering under the breath about it but there's still a bucket load of bros there now, and the Canes have always had lots of bros and been fairly successful, the Chiefs have lots, the ABs have lots ....
Hopefully Brown doesn't try the Trent Barrett face slap on one of the bros.
@aucklandwarlord said in NRL 2020:
Im a loyal as hell fan, but the Blake Green saga summed up the current Warriors outfit for me - publicly tell him he's not wanted, give him the option of immediate release and then publicly complain when he leaves that his heart wasn't in it. What did they expect was going to happen?
That was the owner just flexing his muscles due to the player agent stuff wasn't it? TBH, Green should have been gone with Kearney before the season even started.
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@aucklandwarlord said in NRL 2020:
I liked the walker brothers for the very reason that they were an unknown quantity.
A mate who is very close to the organisation has had dealings with some of their ex-players. The general line was that they loved their footy more under the brothers than ever. A lot of fun, hard work, lots of chances to express themselves with ball in hand. I mean does that sound like a fit for the Warriors to you???
The brothers coaching the bros - seems like a perfect fit.
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It's always confused me as to why the bro culture in league doesn't really happen in rugby.
I can only speak for my own experiences within the league culture in Wellington through the 90s and early 2000s. But when I played league I played with a lot of social misfits. Not saying that there aren't any types of people like these in Union but I played on one team where most of the forward pack had done time. Lots of gang members etc. I played aged grade reps from 13-19yo. There were a few guys that switched to union and got higher honours, NPC, Super Rugby and Island nation test rugby. But not a whole lot of guys progressed to anything other than Wellington Orcas who stayed in league. The Canterbury and Auckland league scenes are very different again. But from my own experience League was a little counter-culture and always about being less stuffy than union.
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@raznomore said in NRL 2020:
It's always confused me as to why the bro culture in league doesn't really happen in rugby.
I can only speak for my own experiences within the league culture in Wellington through the 90s and early 2000s. But when I played league I played with a lot of social misfits. Not saying that there aren't any types of people like these in Union but I played on one team where most of the forward pack had done time. Lots of gang members etc. I played aged grade reps from 13-19yo. There were a few guys that switched to union and got higher honours, NPC, Super Rugby and Island nation test rugby. But not a whole lot of guys progressed to anything other than Wellington Orcas who stayed in league. The Canterbury and Auckland league scenes are very different again. But from my own experience League was a little counter-culture and always about being less stuffy than union.
I go back further , 70s
grew up playing in league clubs in Auckland ,(Manurewa then pakuranga ) , most of my early rugby was playing for my school teams , then played a bit of club rugby in my teens ( pakuranga )
At one point I played rugby for my school on a Sat morning , then played league in the afternoon under a fake name ( playing league was a crime then in rugby circles , for example if you got caught you were banned for life at senior level )
The two cultures were very different , and i know what you mean about the misfits
Without meaning to stereotype, Rugby clubs had more of a private school feel , league clubs had more of a south auckland public school feel , -
@raznomore I guess being from Hawkes Bay all the league players were rugby players too back then. Although I have heard there is a gang influence in league now in the Bay which is unfortunate.
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I don't even know that the bro culture is endemic to NZ rugby league players as such, but more a Warriors-specific thing. There are plenty of kiwi league players in other NRL clubs who graft away, are accountable for performances and perform accordingly. Part of me thinks its just a club culture that has formed over the past 25 years.
The plight of Daniel Anderson would suggest that whenever they have a coach who tries to crush it, the players collectively revolt, and the coach goes.
I wonder if its because many of the senior players spend so long toiling overseas that when they come back to NZ they see it as a bit of a step down in gear being back around their family, back in familiar surroundings etc. One only has to look at the number of kiwi players who left the warriors and almost immediately thrived elsewhere to think its a club-specific culture that just can't be eradicated
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@raznomore I guess being from Hawkes Bay all the league players were rugby players too back then. Although I have heard there is a gang influence in league now in the Bay which is unfortunate.
its such a shame because I know quite a few guys (myself included) who would prefer to play a game of club league than rugby in their 20s and 30s but who get put off by the stigma that comes with it.
I played quite a few seasons of American football in Auckland and it was a bit the same unfortunately. There was a real gang / thug / cheapshot culture there which resulted in post match brawls, refs being assaulted, supporters assaulting players etc, and subsequently it became almost impossible to attract sponsors and middle of the road people who want to play.
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@raznomore said in NRL 2020:
It's always confused me as to why the bro culture in league doesn't really happen in rugby.
I can only speak for my own experiences within the league culture in Wellington through the 90s and early 2000s. But when I played league I played with a lot of social misfits. Not saying that there aren't any types of people like these in Union but I played on one team where most of the forward pack had done time. Lots of gang members etc. I played aged grade reps from 13-19yo. There were a few guys that switched to union and got higher honours, NPC, Super Rugby and Island nation test rugby. But not a whole lot of guys progressed to anything other than Wellington Orcas who stayed in league. The Canterbury and Auckland league scenes are very different again. But from my own experience League was a little counter-culture and always about being less stuffy than union.
You ever coached by Paul Bergman Raz? I knew him a bit outside of league but remember him as an entertaining bugger
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Announcement
Warriors are still in with a chance tonight. My mate and I are ditching going to the game due to the utterly shite weather (and commute for me as well).On the back of your reassurance of my thoughts I got on Warriors +8.5. So far, Warriors looking the better team.
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@aucklandwarlord said in NRL 2020:
Announcement
Warriors are still in with a chance tonight. My mate and I are ditching going to the game due to the utterly shite weather (and commute for me as well).On the back of your reassurance of my thoughts I got on Warriors +8.5. So far, Warriors looking the better team.
I accept no responsibility!
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Perenara hates the warriors
There isn't much better than beating manly at their decrepit shithole of a stadium.
