Highlanders 2023
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2023:
The spanner in the works could be the fact Gilbert went off injured at halftime on the weekend. If we move Gilbert to the midfield, I'd be tempted to keep Timu in the team, on the wing. In reality, all these changes are hardly going to help the side turn the corner.
no...but without this type of discussion this whole thread is just us being sad about losing again....
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Forwards, halfback and 1st Five look OK but the backline is a worry.
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Well, another week, now we are highly likely to see another re-jigged squad. Players likely to be injured for next week; Burns, Hunt, Ma'u, Tu'u Parkinson, Nareki and Gilbert. Unsure about Lowe, Timu, Thwaites and Gregory.
There will be some very green faces running out next weekend. At full strength we would have to work hard to compete, our line up next weekend is a long way away from what could be our top line side. I think the Force should be going into next weekend quite confident.
My guess at the next squad;
de Groot
Marshall
Ainsley
Holland
Dickson
Frizzell
Harmon
RentonOverall the forward pack can hold its own against pretty much anyone in the competition.
Smith
Millar
Dawai
Umaga-Jensen
Timu/Te Hiwi
Lowe/Bogado
Connor Garden-BachopApisai
Johnstone
PJ Sheck
Will Tucker
Withy
Fakatava
???/Faleafaga/some provincial rugby battler who isn't in America?
Te Hiwi/not sureThe backs and the replacements are looking really dire.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2023:
The backs and the replacements are looking really dire.
Might be worth going for a 6/2 split? Could get more value out of the extra forward?
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@Duluth said in Highlanders 2023:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2023:
The backs and the replacements are looking really dire.
Might be worth going for a 6/2 split? Could get more value out of the extra forward?
Yeah can get another of Lentjes or Broughton on the bench. They'll be better than Mr question mark
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HLD2023Championsreplied to SouthernMann on 12 Mar 2023, 06:52 last edited by HLD2023Champions 12 Mar 2023, 06:52
@SouthernMann Has PJ Sheck been called into the main squad now? I saw he played for the Bravehearts yesterday.
Scott Gregory is out for another 6-8 weeks unfortunately.
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Riley Hohepa might be the provincial battler who gets called in. Has spent time with Moana, currently at the Hurricanes.
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@mikedogz Agreed! Not sure if he’d be called in though.
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@HLD2023Champions said in Highlanders 2023:
@SouthernMann Has PJ Sheck been called into the main squad now? I saw he played for the Bravehearts yesterday.
Scott Gregory is out for another 6-8 weeks unfortunately.
I would assume he is training with the squad and available if he had a run with the development team
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Highlanders Team this week?
- de Groot
- Marshall
- Ainsley
- Holland
- Dickson
- Frizell
- Harmon (c)
- Renton
- Fakatava
- Smith
- Dawai
- Umaga-Jensen
- Timu (?)
- Bogado
- Gilbert
- Makalio
- DLB
- Sheck
- Hicks
- Withy
- Millar
- Paea (Te Hiwi if Timu injured)
- Broughton
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The news on the injury front is more positive.
Pari Pari Parkinson is out after leaving the field visibly groggy against the Chiefs, while No 10/No 15 Freddie Burns is in doubt, which means Southland-born playmaker Cam Millar could be in line for a Highlanders debut in front of a home crowd.
Mitch Hunt, Sam Gilbert, Jonah Lowe and Josh Timu are all a chance to play, and Billy Harmon will captain the team.
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i was away over the weekend, havent watched the game and not sure i want to...all seems too painful, glad i thought twice about suggesting PPP in the Bolters thread
probably jinxing it...but god id love one of those once in a generation performances where someone just comes out and redefines a position (DC 2005 v lions)...millar to score +30
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I think the Highlanders should be bringing Otago and Southland together to work out what to do with the number of players Otago has stacked up at 10/15, and work out whether a loan deal might assist in player development.
For the NPC later in the year; Otago will have Josh Ioane (is he around this year?), Cam Millar, Villi Koroi, Ajay Faleafaga, Finn Hurley and Sam Gilbert competing for spots at 10/15 and some even able to play at 12 (Gilbert, Ioane and Faleafaga).
I think it would be worth considering whether some of the guys originally from Southland should be loaned back to them (Hurley and potentially Millar) to ensure they get game time. While putting load management conditions on the loans. In saying that, Koroi has probably well and truly slipped down the pecking order.
We need all these guys playing rugby to get a good understanding of their levels. If they are all locked up with Otago during the provincial season, it may be difficult.
We will be facing a similar issue with the young loosies coming through as well. Just not to the same level.
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@SouthernMann in principle, yeah, maybe
practically though, Voroi plays 4 time on the wing for every time he's at 10/15, Hurley and Faleafaga will be getting bench time at most t ease them in
so, really we have Gilbert as prefered 15 and Ioane and millar playing for 10...one or two injuries and we'd be in trouble or having to rely on kids
lets not get to cocky and just see how we go
Ioane cant hang around much longer, he's not originally from otago and NPC cant be enough to keep him hanging around
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2023:
Ioane cant hang around much longer, he's not originally from otago and NPC cant be enough to keep him hanging around
That's why I would be of the mentality it is a loan deal. Go down there and we can pull you back, if and when needed.
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@SouthernMann What is happening with Nareki?
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@SouthernMann Millar is our best 10, Gilbert is our best 15. Falefaga as the third string 10 at his age is perfectly fine, keep Ioane round as the 2nd choice for one more year, Koroi to cover the outsides.
Finn Hurley is way too small IMO, so if Southland want him, they are welcome to him.
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@Stargazer if you read a few posts back you'll see the thread took a small tangent to otago based on how so of the highlander are playing
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From the article below:
Five weeks into the Super Rugby season and injuries among the five New Zealand franchises are starting to mount up.
The Highlanders are currently without 13 of their original squad ...Things aren't much better at the Highlanders. A third of their squad is unavailable, with Saturday's clash with Fijian Drua inflicting more pain.
"We've had a couple of guys who've gone down to injury," Highlanders forwards coach Tom Donnelly said. "Martin Bogado and Jake Te Hiwi have both sustained injuries we'll need further information on." -
More complete list of injuries and some good news:
Meanwhile, Highlanders forwards Shannon Frizell and Marino Mikaele-Tu’u are back in training before the game against Moana Pasifika on Friday.
However, the unavailable list is still lengthy, with the following 13 players out of contention this week: Marty Banks, Martin Bogado, Freddie Burns, Josh Dickson, Scott Gregory, Fabian Holland, Luca Inch, Vilimoni Koroi, Rhys Marshall, Jona Nareki, Jake Te Hiwi, Josh Timu and Jeff Thwaites. -
for this week I'm thinking 9 Smith, 10 Millar, 11 lowe, 12 Gilbert, 13 TUJ, 14 CGB, 15 Hunt. Plenty of experienced players around Cam
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@FakatavaAllBlack said in Highlanders 2023:
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Thinking Nareki will be back. Chuck CGB back to fullback and Hunt can go to 10. Millar gets another 20 minutes off the bench, Quite interested to see how Gilbert might go in the midfield for a game. Like him getting his hands on the ball.
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@Bones said in Highlanders 2023:
@FakatavaAllBlack switch TUJ and Gilbert and that looks better than expected.
thats what i was thinking
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2023:
@FakatavaAllBlack said in Highlanders 2023:
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Thinking Nareki will be back. Chuck CGB back to fullback and Hunt can go to 10. Millar gets another 20 minutes off the bench, Quite interested to see how Gilbert might go in the midfield for a game. Like him getting his hands on the ball.
CGB to 15 and hunt to the bench, he can come on as impact
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In the throes of a grim situation, the Highlanders have thrown their support behind Josh Dickson after his younger brother was diagnosed with cancer.
Dickson removed himself from the Super Rugby Pacific squad in recent weeks to deal with the news.
In solidarity with Dickson and his brother Sam, the forwards have shaved their heads prior to the round six clash with Moana Pasifika.There is no return date for when Dickson will be back on the field, but it is clear the Highlanders will support him however long that may be.
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Media release:
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Same shit every week... we are too busy trying to play school boy rugby - it is embarrassing. Run it straight up the guts, hope they miss a tackle, and then even when we do we can't make the most of it.
Zero subtly in the backline, and very little of it in the forwards. Think Renton has been awesome, but not sure he offers the dynamic ball skills a Sotutu or a MMT offers. Back to the backs, we are too busy looking for individual shit, we never put a move together, nor get the ball in open space. Our in-play kicking is turgid... need to send it long, then reset and get the ball back, at the moment we just kick just past halfway, and are straight back onto defence.
We also overrate some of our players. Fakatava, TUJ, Gilbert namely... all have big weaknesses in their games for me - and I love them, especially Fakatava, but we look through things with rose-tinted glasses... Gilbert especially is an issue - when has that guy ever broken a game open?
Big changes needed after the bye, a TOTAL rethink... just as well Mitch Hunt will be back 🙃
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Disagree competent with TUJ and to certain degree Gilbert, TUJ was one of very free bright sparks, breaks the line and making great runs, Gilbert is blood solid at the back and very rarely get caught out of position, lots of people I would look at before them
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Changes for this side is just moving the deckchairs on the titanic. We just need to swallow this team will finish somewhere between 6th and 8th. It will beat the average teams and get smashed by the good sides. You are right, TUG, Fakatava and Gilbert are far from perfect players. But, they are well and truly some of the best we have. Fakatava would look better if he had a talented 10 beside him. TUG would be a more dangerous player if there was a half decent centre outside him who opposition's would see as a threat. Gilbert would be fine as a steady fullback if he had some decent wingers beside him. The lack of threats around these players has a huge impact on what they can do.
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@friedrugby thinking beyond this year is there any reason why we shouldn't attempt to make a play for Ruben love? he knows how to break a game open as seen against Ireland B, and with the Canes signing up that Godfrey fella maybe love might be off contract?
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@FakatavaAllBlack said in Highlanders 2023:
@friedrugby thinking beyond this year is there any reason why we shouldn't attempt to make a play for Ruben love? he knows how to break a game open as seen against Ireland B, and with the Canes signing up that Godfrey fella maybe love might be off contract?
Lol you’re not getting Ruben Love. He’s a fullback first and a 10 second anyway.
A better bet would be to go for someone like P Umaga-Jensen with the log jam of centres at the Canes.
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We won't be getting any other franchise's yop talent. U20s recruitment is where this needs to come from. We gave Umaga-Jensen a big push for this season I understand. With our U20s there isn't a lot there in terms of guys who will be rockstars. Perhaps Faleafaga will be a good player. Same with Hurley, although he is a heck of a midget. Backs are a big problem.
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@Canes4life
Agree. love has a great chance of being the canes starting FB when he returns. PUJ will never be a starter even with a new coach unless there are injuries -
Didn't realise the losing streak was up to 14 now.
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Jesus, neither did I
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@Tim Good article. If they tried to redistribute some of the excess talent from some of the leading Kiwi teams, they would also keep more players from going overseas. It is not in our best interests to have such a weakened Highlanders setup.
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