Wellington Lions 2023
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@Canes4life what's your 23 with everyone available? (e.g. when Love and co are back).
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@foobaNZ with everyone available minus A Savea & Coles (ABs) and Higgins & J Savea (injured), I would reward mostly last year's players and go with the following 23:
- X Numia
- A Aumua
- PJ Sheck
- J Blackwell
- D Bird
- C Delany
- D Kirifi (c)
- P Lakai
- T Perenara
- A Morgan
- P Patafilo
- P Umaga-Jensen (Riley is out until mid NPC)
- B Proctor
- C Garden-Bachop (Savea is out until mid NPC)
- R Love
- O'Reilly / Gaulalofa (there are talks of O'Reilly making a return)
- B Chrichton (I can't think of anyone else)
- S Lauaki
- H Plummer
- T Plumtree / B Shields
- L Henry
- Sam Clarke or TJ Clarke (or someone else coming through the club scene)
- L Filipo
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Touch wood, but if that 15 stays together we should be able to go back to back. Possibly some question marks on the bench.
Morgan was disappointing during Super, but I think will go okay at NPC level. He's a pretty damaging runner against NPC level players, and his lack of a big boot won't matter so much. I'd like to see him improve his decision making this season.
Higgins is a loss for sure, him or PUJ on the bench would add a lot of strength.
Even with Jules fit I don't think he'd start for me over anyone in your back line.
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Blackwell, Shields and Delany missing in the forwards
Bird and Sheck the only 2 starting forwards from last year's final
The only starting back is Pepesana Patafilo. PUJ is also there along with Morgan
It will give the next level players game time. Including Hugo Plummer who hopefully impresses
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@foobaNZ said in Wellington Lions 2023:
@Canes4life what's your 23 with everyone available? (e.g. when Love and co are back).
It will be a strong starting forward pack. Hopefully injuries are few
Numia Aumua Sheck >> ?? ?? Lauaki >> O’Reilly might be a big loss
Blackwell Bird >>Hugo Plummer. Alos Delany.
Delany Lakai Kirifi >> Shields
Hopefully the team can find a strong backup LH prop and hooker
Backline could be very good. Hopefully TJ returns soon and Morgan can find better form at 1st than last year and SRP
TJ >> Richard Judd or Hauiti-Parapara
Morgan >> ??
PUJ >> Higgins when recovered
Proctor
Savea / Patafilo / Connor Garden-Bachop
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@Winger Gaulalofa is ready for the step up, he's been fantastic for Tawa this year. He's been a part of that awesome Tawa front row alongside Sheck and Lauaki for a couple seasons. Getting O'Reilly back will be a bonus though.
Overall we are covered in most areas which is great to see. Hopefully we can have another fairly injury free year and go back to back. I'm not saying it's a given by any stretch because of our history but we have the squad to compete for another title.
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@Canes4life said in Wellington Lions 2023:
@Winger Gaulalofa is ready for the step up, he's been fantastic for Tawa this year. He's been a part of that awesome Tawa front row alongside Sheck and Lauaki for a couple seasons. Getting O'Reilly back will be a bonus though.
Overall we are covered in most areas which is great to see. Hopefully we can have another fairly injury free year and go back to back. I'm not saying it's a given by any stretch because of our history but we have the squad to compete for another title.
Who was the LH and TH
And agree. Without injuries we will be in with a good shot to win it. Esp if Ellison is a super coach as he's being promoted as.
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I've named the squad by position as it's not very clear:
2023 Wellington Lions Wider Training Squad:
Forwards
Hookers:
Joyner Gaualofa (Tawa)
Louis Calvert (Old Boys University)
James Douglas (Johnsonville)
Penieli Poasa (Oriental-Rongotai)Props:
Ha’amea Ahio (Johnsonville)
Josiah Tavita-Metcalfe (Northern United)
Solomona Sakalia (Northern United)
Senio Sanele (Upper Hutt Rams)
PJ Sheck (Tawa)
Nonu Tuia (Hutt Old Boys Marist)Locks
Dominic Bird (Upper Hutt Rams)
Anthony Pettett (Johnsonville)
Hugo Plummer (Tawa)Loose forwards:
Toby Crosby (Upper Hutt Rams)
Akira Ieremia (Tawa)
George Risale (Tawa)
Dominic Ropeti (Oriental-Rongotai)
Keelan Whitman (Marist St Pats)Backs
Halfbacks:
Kemara Hauiti-Parapara (Tawa)
Logan Henry (Petone)
Sam Howling (Pōneke)
Kyle Preston (Old Boys University)First fives:
Sam Clarke (Paremata-Plimmerton)
Aidan Morgan (Marist St Pats)Centres:
Losi Filipo (Petone)
Ollie Paotonu (Johnsonville)
Peter Umaga-Jensen (Wainuiomata)
Ethan Webster-Nonu (Paremata-Plimmerton)
Joe Faleafaga (Paremata-Plimmerton)Outside backs:
TJ Clarke (Petone)
Zane Ainslie (Hutt Old Boys Marist)
Chicago Doyle (Marist St Pats)
Luke Kapene (Paremata-Plimmerton)
Louis Northcott (Paremata-Plimmerton)
Pepesana Patafilo (Tawa)
Isi Saumaki (Tawa)
Jason Tuitama (Johnsonville) -
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@foobaNZ you missed one, Jville have 5.
Para-Plim have 5 aswell, it's great to see.
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@Canes4life said in Wellington Lions 2023:
@foobaNZ you missed one, Jville have 5.
Para-Plim have 5 aswell, it's great to see.
It shows the depth in Wellington rugby when Ardie isn't even good enough to play prems.
He could try moving to hobm.
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@Winger yeah he's promising and he's spent a good couple years learning from the master in Aaron Smith. He looks to be a better player than when he left Wellington so hopefully he can light it up before TJ comes back.
I'd say Hauiti-Parapara will be the bench guy until TJ returns.
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Went down and watched Wainui - Jville yesterday.
Ollie Paotonu (Johnsonville) really stood out. I'd never seen him but was saying to a mate I wonder if 12 made that wider Lions squad, and sure enough, he did. Looked built like a pro compared to most of the others. Big lad, good offload game.
Hopefully does well in the early games and gets a spot in the squad proper.
On a side note, the Wainui number 8 should uppercut himself, pretty embarrassing conduct with the ref throughout the game.
PUJ was classy post game coming over and shaking hands with the ref.
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@foobaNZ how did big Anthony Pettett go for Jville? He apparently stands at 2.01m and is also part of that initial Lions squad.
On further inspection, it looks like he didn't play on Saturday so you can ignore that question.
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@Canes4life yea we were looking out for him, but he didn't play as you pointed out.
The Jville loose head that made the wider squad did play, but I can't say he really stood out. The others that were named didn't play either. Not sure if Jville were resting them or they were injured.
Love was good for Wainui but he lost his rag a bit. A few loose cannons in that team.
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Taine Plumtree and the Wellington Lions have mutually agreed to terminate his contract as he departs to join Welsh club Scarlets almost immediately.
Not the biggest loss in the world, the Lions have Caleb Delany and Brad Shields covering 6, and Plummer, Bird, Blackwell and most likely Pettett covering lock.
Screenshot of their FB post.
