Highlanders 2024
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@Tim said in Highlanders 2024:
Highlanders centre Tanielu Tele’a suspended for three weeks
Highlanders centre Tanielu Tele’a has been suspended for three weeks and won’t be available to return until April 19.
It's a shame. He's the form centre of the competition IMO.
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There was hope this would be the year before the year. I think we might be more like two years away as Haig and Stodart bulk up etc.
If I'm Roger Clark, I am moving heaven and earth to get Shannon Frizell back next season. Desperately missing a big dynamic number six. The continued selection of Sean Withy is just bizarre.
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It will be interesting to see if Harmon hunts overseas $$$. If he does, it'll be easy to just push Withy to seven. Withy is a good player. Just not a six. We are really missing Renton at the moment. We don't have options at eight at the moment. Could be worrying without a few of the lads who got injured tonight.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
It will be interesting to see if Harmon hunts overseas $$$. If he does, it'll be easy to just push Withy to seven. Withy is a good player. Just not a six. We are really missing Renton at the moment. We don't have options at eight at the moment. Could be worrying without a few of the lads who got injured tonight.
maybe shift Max Hicks to 8, Oliver Haig starting 6.
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A third of the way through the season. what is the good and what is the bad?
Good:
Some decent attacking opportunities:
Not saying we are anything close to the top couple of teams in the Chiefs and Hurricanes, but certainly generally an improvement from 2023. We are a different team without Tele'a. But, with him we can straighten out point of attack, and the back three does threaten.
Ajay Faleafaga:
Started the season as our no3 10. I feel like he will finish the year as our top first five. Whether he starts there or remains on the bench. Will be up to the coaching staff. His development has been fairly swift and he has shown he can run a team at this level.
Fabian Holland:
Looks like he is now settled t this level. Handles the collisions well, a strong ball carrier and enjoys putting on some big hits on D.
Fakatava improving with game time:
This is the first year of his career he has had consistent game time. He is looking better, and is especially getting more confidence on attack. Kicking and defence still needs a lot of work.
Harmon: Hands down our best player.
Jack Taylor and Henry Bell:
Both hugely inexperienced at this level, but, have looked competitive against other some top notch hookers. Not there yet, on the right trajectory though.
Bad:
Sam Gilbert:
A bit of a poor man's Jordie Barrett. Struggles in D. Can't move laterally at pace. Not running the cutter well from 12. Has all the physical attributes, just doesn't seem to put it together.
Rhys Patchell:
Looed great in the first couple of games. Seems teams are reading him more easily now, especially his flat balls at the line.
Loosie mix:
Withy, Harmon and small no8s just isn't working. Looks like we need a big boy back at six. Withy is one of our best players, just doesn't suit the make up. I'd like to see us show some faith in Will Stodart as well.
Cam Millar:
I had my doubts around Millar. Seems they were founded. I hope be can make the necessary improvements in his game, as he doesn't have two more years as a contracted player. Will be interested to see how Byron Smith goes for Southland.
Pari Pari Parkinson:
Looks like he is gooone. Is currently fit to play and running around in club rugby. Obviously something up with the big fella.
Should get four more wins, if things go really well, may be sneak six. Then get flogged in the first round of the play offs.
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im going to say it....this is what i was telling you all about gilbert at 12, everyone else was bloody raving about him there and all i could see was it was the worst of the 3 positions we'd seen him in
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He is still the best option we have there. It is just a case of a player with the skillset, who just can't put it together. His issue is that he is one of our best six backs, but not the best fullback, 10 or winger. Just means he has to play 12.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
im going to say it....this is what i was telling you all about gilbert at 12, everyone else was bloody raving about him there and all i could see was it was the worst of the 3 positions we'd seen him in
Gilbert's issues have been laid bare now that he has better players around him. It is really that simple.
Has Gilbert been bad? No... but you'd find it hard to argue for him to play any other position. With his lack of top-end pace, he is 100% a second five in the modern game.
He needs to work out how to use his body better, because as has been said, he is current just the B-Tec Jordie Barrett. The exact same player, just 5-20% worse at basically everything.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
im going to say it....this is what i was telling you all about gilbert at 12, everyone else was bloody raving about him there and all i could see was it was the worst of the 3 positions we'd seen him in
Gilbert's issues have been laid bare now that he has better players around him. It is really that simple.
Has Gilbert been bad? No... but you'd find it hard to argue for him to play any other position. With his lack of top-end pace, he is 100% a second five in the modern game.
He needs to work out how to use his body better, because as has been said, he is current just the B-Tec Jordie Barrett. The exact same player, just 5-20% worse at basically everything.
Yeah, runs so bloody hard and doesn't dent. Maybe time to look at your footwork and lines Sam.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Rhys Patchell:
Looed great in the first couple of games. Seems teams are reading him more easily now, especially his flat balls at the line.
Loosie mix:
Withy, Harmon and small no8s just isn't working. Looks like we need a big boy back at six. Withy is one of our best players, just doesn't suit the make up. I'd like to see us show some faith in Will Stodart as well.
These issues are linked IMO. Before we played the Brumbies, the ODT was raving about how we had the most turnovers, but teams have now cottoned on to the fact we don't commit numbers to the breakdown, and they are butchering us there. Our loosies also aren't getting us go forward, so Fakatava and by extension Patchell are working on slow, messy, flat-footed ball.
Have to shake up the loose trio... Haig has to start at 6, and Renton should be back for the Reds/Rebels. I'd be inclined to give Broughton another crack in the meantime, because we need to give him a proper chance to get a proper read. Stodart's time will come, but he is probably still a year fresh, and after Wingham's butchering the coaches might be reticent.
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@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Rhys Patchell:
Looed great in the first couple of games. Seems teams are reading him more easily now, especially his flat balls at the line.
Loosie mix:
Withy, Harmon and small no8s just isn't working. Looks like we need a big boy back at six. Withy is one of our best players, just doesn't suit the make up. I'd like to see us show some faith in Will Stodart as well.
These issues are linked IMO. Before we played the Brumbies, the ODT was raving about how we had the most turnovers, but teams have now cottoned on to the fact we don't commit numbers to the breakdown, and they are butchering us there. Our loosies also aren't getting us go forward, so Fakatava and by extension Patchell are working on slow, messy, flat-footed ball.
Have to shake up the loose trio... Haig has to start at 6, and Renton should be back for the Reds/Rebels. I'd be inclined to give Broughton another crack in the meantime, because we need to give him a proper chance to get a proper read. Stodart's time will come, but he is probably still a year fresh, and after Wingham's butchering the coaches might be reticent.
I guess around someone like Stodart. We don't know unless we try them. Six months ago, we would have said Cam Millar is clearly our number two first five. Faleafaga got a chance and proved he is the back up. Some of the guys have managed to prove themselves, it takes an opportunity to be able to make that decision in a game scenario. We can't simply say that because player A had a poor debut performance, we can't risk player B. We go back to Renton, and chuck Stodart on the bench. He can't do any worse than the other lads. It is a risk/reward game. We are a team who has to give it a go.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
@frugby said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2024:
Rhys Patchell:
Looed great in the first couple of games. Seems teams are reading him more easily now, especially his flat balls at the line.
Loosie mix:
Withy, Harmon and small no8s just isn't working. Looks like we need a big boy back at six. Withy is one of our best players, just doesn't suit the make up. I'd like to see us show some faith in Will Stodart as well.
These issues are linked IMO. Before we played the Brumbies, the ODT was raving about how we had the most turnovers, but teams have now cottoned on to the fact we don't commit numbers to the breakdown, and they are butchering us there. Our loosies also aren't getting us go forward, so Fakatava and by extension Patchell are working on slow, messy, flat-footed ball.
Have to shake up the loose trio... Haig has to start at 6, and Renton should be back for the Reds/Rebels. I'd be inclined to give Broughton another crack in the meantime, because we need to give him a proper chance to get a proper read. Stodart's time will come, but he is probably still a year fresh, and after Wingham's butchering the coaches might be reticent.
I guess around someone like Stodart. We don't know unless we try them. Six months ago, we would have said Cam Millar is clearly our number two first five. Faleafaga got a chance and proved he is the back up. Some of the guys have managed to prove themselves, it takes an opportunity to be able to make that decision in a game scenario. We can't simply say that because player A had a poor debut performance, we can't risk player B. We go back to Renton, and chuck Stodart on the bench. He can't do any worse than the other lads. It is a risk/reward game. We are a team who has to give it a go.
I guess with Stodart, my other point is that there are other guys (Haig and Broughton) who should get a go first.
Stodart's time will come.
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Next three weeks are huge for our season. Can't help but feel like if we want to be a serious side we need to go 3/3.
Obviously Rebels and particularly the Reds won't be easy, but at some point we need to stop making excuses... I'd accept 2/3, but if we are actually serious we'll go 3/3.
Follow that up by beating Moana in Tonga, and all of a sudden our record would be back to 6-4 heading into the Crusaders game, which obviously a long way away, but at this point regardless it is a must win, because our derby record is embarrassing.
Ball is in the coaches court... fix-up the loose forward trio and back Faleafaga... if we still lose because of weak depth in the tight five/a weak midfield without Tele'a, then I'll suck it up, but there has to be a response to that Canes performance IMO.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
@frugby you're not wrong...i just dont have the faith it will happen
I think we scrape 1/2 in Australia, then smoke the Force... we should smoke Moana, because they are also rubbish, but not guaranteed.
Outside of the absolute abomination against the Canes, it has been more good than bad (even if at times frustrating)... we can certainly take 6th spot, which should have been the rough goal at the start of the year.
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At this point, how more excuses are there for Dermody. I had high hopes for him, but with a squad that is arguably better than last year (certainly one with more attacking weapons) we're tracking to finish even worse.
We are by no means the best in the comp, but we just aren't this bad. We're going backwards and not forwards, we aren't learning. Tele'a will come back in next week, and I guess that might improve things slightly, but that just goes to the point that it is moments of brilliance from the players digging us out, not the other way around.
The Highlanders nearly won that trans-tasman tournament with a backline of Smith, Hunt, Nareki, Gregory, Collins, Tomkinson and J Ioane. The forward pack was hardly any better, if not worse. The bench was a 6-2 split including the likes of Teariki Ben-Nicholas and Kayne Hammington. Funnily enough Dermody was the coach, though clearly Brown was the overarching figure and had only dipped off.
T Brown might have been a reluctant head coach - I think that is clear, but in terms of getting the squad to play to their level of ability, he is the only one to have managed it since Jamie.
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Sacking the coach(es) is an easy reactionary approach. Am major issue we are facing is that the squad, at the moment is either very young or doesn't have high ceilings player wise. Often the top player in a position may be settled. Then, there won't be a lot between say player ranked 2 - 5 in that position. People with their glasses half full would say this is good competition. In reality, it says you can move the deck chairs around, but nothing eill change. Look at lock, this week we had Parkinson, Haig and Plummer. Playing club rugby (coming back from injury) was Dunshea, Tucker as well as Max Hicks. You could swap those six players around and it is likely no one would notice. At hooker, most would say there is stuff all between the three options. Behind Tele'a, we went for an average winger, due to a lack of confidence in the signed centres. The list goes on. We have players who would fill roles in other squads, but not be relied upon like we have to. There won't be a quick cure with this team, especially as it is focused on looking in before out with players. We talk about the Joseph era. He is there. Some of the tactics were pretty average last night, especially allowing a speedster like the young winger to have space and our covering defender not following the play. Some of the younger lads just don't appear battle hardened. They haven't played enough at the level below, let alone dominated there. So, hard to expext them to be world beaters at this level. Then there are guys who shoupd be strong, that just aren't clicking. Guys like Gilbert, Parkinson, Withy - who should be leading the way, and just look like they are trying too much. On the plus side the Highlanders fan engagement has come on leaps and bounds. I just don't know how much rope and goodwill the fans will give a team that is getting pumped, and making basic errors.
