The NRL Season of 2016

raznomore

I am a League guy but for the first time ever I am losing my interest. Its pretty sad but I realised today that with everything that is going on, Warriors/Drugs, Eels/Foran and the completely ridiculous bunker/obstruction failure, Im not rushing home to catch the games. Im not booking/recording them.
 
Im not even really up for the kiwis. Too much bullshit for too long.

Nepia

I know how you feel Raz - but it's less the off field stuff and more a mixture for me.
 
Now I'll whinge about the Warriors every season, because it's the thing to do, but I'll keep watching the games at least until the last few weeks of the season. But this year I'm finding it hard to muster the enthusiasm. 
 
This time last year I was on a high about the tests and was gutted I was sick for the match, but the EOYT selection and eventual losses put paid to that for me and all I can think of now is that we're playing Tohu Harris at 6 and that's just stupid.
 
What sucks is we do have the best pack in the game as M4L notes. Nothing the Aussies can come up with in the prop rotation matches Bromwich, Mutts, Taupau, and Blair - no combination whatsoever, Tamou wouldn't even make the team if he hadn't sold his sole to the devil. Basically, if the Jonathan Thurston had chosen NZ over Oz way back when Hooroo's cousin tried to convince him the Kiwis would be unstoppable.

ACT Crusader

I'm a little worried about our backs. Although I'm predicting a fairly open sort of game rather than a slog fest. 
I would've loved to have seen the below spine with our strong forward pack.

RTS
Foran
SJ
Luke

Nepia

TBF, our backs may as well just lucky dip for their positions by pulling jerseys out of the bag because they're just about all wings.
 
Since we're all selecting our wishful teams mine would be:
 
RTS
Rapana
SKD
Whare
Vatuvei/Kahu
Foran
Johnson
Bromwich
Luke
Mutts
Harris
Mannering
Taumalolo
 
R: Taupau, Blair, Proctor, Lolohea, 18th Glenn, 19th Eastwood

Paekakboyz

I'm just keen to enforce our style of game on Oz, too often they've had the freedom to pretty much do what they want. Does suck balls that we are missing some of our most dynamic playmakers and backs. Foran really knows how to get the best out of his big ball runners and not sure SJ will do so well on that front. But I am hopeful that Harris will take care of the centre and close in runners and SJ will work on the fringes.
 
Fingers crossed!

mariner4life

I watched the '93 test at Mt Smart last night, it was awesome. The play was so off-the-cuff, at the end of the half the big boys were fucked, so Langer, Walters, and Freeman were carving up. Some great league names on the field, playing football by feel, not by a playbook. The 5m rule meant there were some solid shots as well. 
 
It made me realise why i watch less NRL now, the game itself is so dour these days. Teams know that the key to winning is to not make errors, and to defend well. There is very little play from deep any more, it's all about getting to your kick. Brisbane are the benchmark of this, they only wake up when they get a first tackle inside the opposition 40, otherwise it's everything by the plan. And that's most of the top sides. It only gets interesting when teams throw the plan out the window, like the Tigers and the Warriors in R1. 
 
The league v rugby "debate" used to be the kicking and structure of rugby against the ball movement and running (and toughness/grubbiness) of league. I would say, especially with Super Rugby, that those roles have now switched. 
 
 
Sneak Lousi is shit, so no loss.

ACT Crusader

That 93 series was one that I thought Kiwi RL had 'turned the corner' because of how we took it to the star studded Aussie team. 
We had good players, Freeman, Nikau, McCracken, a very young Sean Hoppe. But it was nothing (on paper at least) compared to Alfie, the Walters boys, Fittler, Harrogan, Sirronan, Lazarus, Shearer. Albeit they didn't have big Mal that test. 
But it was a very different game to today. You don't even have to go back that far to see that the game has gone more manufactured than ever before. The 2002 season we played a game akin to the old days.

mariner4life

Shearer, Carne, Daley, Fittler, Hancock, Walters, Langer, Harragan, Walters, Lazarus, Sironen, Clyde. Some fucking big names in that team, and we fair took it to them. 
 
We had some big names for kiwis, but some guys i had completely forgotten about. Morvin Edwards? Duane Mann?

Nepia

I have no memory of the 93 series.
 
I remember 91 obviously, high high, extremely low lows and the Lonergan shuffle.

kiwiinmelb

mid 80s were special , we had been thrashed by Australia for years , and i think it had been 20 odd years since we beat them in a single game , I went to a lot of those at Carlaw park as a kid growing up , my old man was a leaguee, , our players were 90 % picked from the local Auckland Club comp ,the aussies were so superior with their fitness and skills, some of those games were so one sided it was horrible
 
Under Graham Lowe all of a sudden we had a side that was competitive , and it was exciting football ,

Sneakdefreak

Kiwi Ferns win 26-16 over the Jillaroos.
 
Kiwis have made changes:

Kiwis&nbsp;

1 Jordan Kahu 2 Jason Nightingale 6 Tohu Harris 4 Gerard Beale 5 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 14 Kodi Nikorima 7 Shaun Johnson 8 Jesse Bromwich (c) 9 Lewis Brown 10 Adam Blair 11 Kevin Proctor 12 Manu Ma'u 13 Jason Taumalolo Interchange 15 Greg Eastwood 16 Martin Taupau 17 Sam Moa 21 Kenny Bromwich

No Quarter

Pushed... penalty try for sure.

No Quarter

Oh sorry yeah this is the Kiwis. No penalty try... 
At least they got the sin bin correct.

Crazy Horse

Kenny Bromwich playing Hooker. Surely an out of form Luke would still be a better bet.

Sneakdefreak

Kiwis had the car but no drivers. Shaun Johnson can't lead it all by himself.

ACT Crusader

Rubbish game. We seemed uninterested for the most part. Although I thought SJs kicking was pretty good and at least put pressure on the Aussies. 
We lacked any real imagination in attack though. Harris was very good plugging away as were a couple of others. But we coughed up ball when we had good field position. 
Aussies defended well but we should've made them pay for the number of penalties they gave away. 
Real meh game

ACT Crusader

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Sneakdefreak" data-cid="577516" data-time="1462536020">
Kiwis had the car but no drivers. Shaun Johnson can't lead it all by himself.</blockquote>
We had neither a playmaking 5/8 or fullback.

Nepia

Well that sucked.
 
Clearly I reverse commentators cursed Tamou and he had his best game in weeks and easily his best game against us.
 
Our pack didn't live up to their billing, they got no go forward and instead of the Kangaroos running round us as expected they went through us.
 
We were directionless. Kearney selects teams that will be directionless because he's stubborn. 
 
Jordan Kahu saved our bacon repeatedly. 
 
Harris is my homeboy but he was shit tonight and he ain't really a back - I think ACT and I were watching a different game when it comes to Tohu :). Should have played Takairangi in the centres.
 
Actually, I think ACT and I were watching different games fullstop, or he muddle Cameron Smith and Johnson up - Johnson kicked straight to Radradarda at least 3 times while the Aussies were finding space.
 
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crazy Horse" data-cid="577505" data-time="1462532327">
<div>
Kenny Bromwich playing Hooker. Surely an out of form Luke would still be a better bet.
</div>
</blockquote>
Yep, and Brown was shit in his time at hooker as well. And half the time Nikorima was in their as well and Blair was basically a half. If Kearney can select Beale who's basically reserve grade then a one legged Luke eating a hotdog would have given this team some direction. Plus, Beale played pretty well surprisingly so I'm pretty sure Luke would ahve been up for it, we needed his mongrel. 
 
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Sneakdefreak" data-cid="577516" data-time="1462536020">
<div>
Kiwis had the car but no drivers. Shaun Johnson can't lead it all by himself.
</div>
</blockquote>
Fixed that one for you. Lets just face what has been staring us in the face for season after season at the Warriors, the guy just can't lead a team around the park. As much of a loss as Luke was Foran is the bigger loss. He may not do the flashy stuff like Johnson but he tells people where to run and that's what we need.
 
Australia should have put more on us - they were making easy yards due to our lacklustre defence. But, I think Gould was right, and that team would have real problems up against a full strength Kiwi team.
 
:(

Crazy Horse

To state the obvious that was a poorly selected team. What were Kearney and co thinking? To go into a test match with loose forwards at 9 and centre and an inexperienced 6 was stupid. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but I think a lot if us saw it coming. Someone said it earlier, Kearney seems stubborn. An out of form Luke would have done a better job. Benji would have offered support to Johnson. Takarangi, Rona or even Kata may have been better options in the centres. At least they play there day in and day out. I know the Kiwis were decimated in key positions but you still, pick specialists where possible. It is selection 101.

Nepia

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crazy Horse" data-cid="577560" data-time="1462580147">
<div>
To state the obvious that was a poorly selected team. What were Kearney and co thinking? To go into a test match with loose forwards at 9 and centre and an inexperienced 6 was stupid. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but I think a lot if us saw it coming. Someone said it earlier, Kearney seems stubborn. An out of form Luke would have done a better job. Benji would have offered support to Johnson. Takarangi, Rona or even Kata may have been better options in the centres. At least they play there day in and day out. I know the Kiwis were decimated in key positions but you still, pick specialists where possible. It is selection 101.
</div>
</blockquote>
Kata is Tongan so he shouldn't ever be picked for the Kiwis but agree with the rest.

The Silver Fern

The NRL Season of 2016