Highlanders 2024
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What about Toby Arnold ? He's old but his legs are still very fine. He was one of the best fullbacks in the Top 14 this year. Class and plenty of experience. It did work with Heem at the Blues so why not with Arnold at the Landers ? Problem : he's from BoP.
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@cgrant said in Highlanders 2024:
What about Toby Arnold ? He's old but his legs are still very fine. He was one of the best fullbacks in the Top 14 this year. Class and plenty of experience. It did work with Heem at the Blues so why not with Arnold at the Landers ? Problem : he's from BoP.
I don't think we are even desperate enough to sign a 36 year old fullback.
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Thr Blues have signed a new lock from France. Does this lead to the rumours of a ‘Blues All Black’ coming to the Highlanders…
Patrick Tuipulotu… -
This post is deleted!
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@HLD2023Champions No Patrick is staying with blues
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@HLD2023Champions said in Highlanders 2024:
Thr Blues have signed a new lock from France. Does this lead to the rumours of a ‘Blues All Black’ coming to the Highlanders…
Patrick Tuipulotu…Maybe not an AB, but Darry is a SI boy. Family with strong North Otago links
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never been that big a tuipulotu fan if im honest...kind of has Jamie Mackintosh vibes in he never seems to dominate as much as someone that size should
probably do a shift though so not against it
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
never been that big a tuipulotu fan if im honest...kind of has Jamie Mackintosh vibes in he never seems to dominate as much as someone that size should
Every now and then he plays to his size. He seemed to show up in that regard a bit this year. But yeah, he often appeared to go into his shell.
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Wouldn't really matter who you got in the forwards. Without a decent pivot you'll still never get a backline going.
Is there a chance for Ioane to be a prodigal son or have bridges been burned? Trask is back at the Chiefs on a promise and they will presumably still have Reihana as well. If Ioane doesn't go overseas his options are Highlanders and MP.
His time with the Chiefs will have given him a bit of maturity I reckon -
@friedrugby or @SouthernMann probably have a better idea as seem to have the good oil but i didnlt think Joane burt his bridges too much, he kept playing for otago so there wasn't a "fuck this place"...just felt like the highlander wanted hunt as the first choice and Joane wanted to shot somewhere else closer to home?
As i said im not sure he's what we need though, would love to have him in the squad but i think a firm at 10 is whats needed, someone that does the basics really well, plug the corners, fast hands, solid D
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I doubt he will even be back at Otago let alone the Highlanders.
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@SouthernMann is he not back this year?
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@Kiwiwomble said in Highlanders 2024:
@SouthernMann is he not back this year?
Not on this page https://www.orfu.co.nz/NPC/2023-player-profiles
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@SouthernMann that looks different to the last time a looks so has been updated, fair enough
side point, come on hastie you miserable bugger, everyone else got the memo about how to stand
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J Ioane certainly burnt bridges, which is why he had his contract cut a year early. Coaches went off him after the boozy incident... and lets not forget when T Brown made the comment about shorts size on the breakdown... Could be different with Dermody, but more likely he either stays with the Chiefs or even more likely goes overseas. As he isn't playing for Otago, I'd suggest the latter.
He also isn't the answer everyone hopes he would be - if he was, we never would have let him go in the first place. Too inconsistent with serious gaps in his kicking game, and prone to brainfades. He effectively cost the Chiefs at the end in their loss v the Reds by trying to stop the ball with his foot as opposed to picking it up.
