2016 Northland Mitre 10 Cup Squad.

kev

Agree with comments about our midfield. Last year our scrum was so poor they got not front foot ball but they do lack a bit of pace. But I missed the Auckland game where Dunn was the only knew that played well by all accounts. 
Maybe time to insert a few of the young guys especially at fullback.

taniwharugby

Odd cos I thought Dunn looked a bit quicker last year, looked to have trimmed down from the year before where he looked like he'd been doing too many weights and not enough speed work.

Chiefy

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="598394" data-time="1469045133">
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Odd cos I thought Dunn looked a bit quicker last year, looked to have trimmed down from the year before where he looked like he'd been doing too many weights and not enough speed work.
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Settle down Jake

Duluth

The midfield should go better this year playing outside a competent flyhalf

taniwharugby

what I've seen of Breen so far, I like! 
 
Hopefully he and Nock can combine well, if they do, Breen might even get a sniff at the Blues.
 
If it is true the Chiefs are looking at Alaimalo, then FB is probably the biggest concern in the backs.

Duluth

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="598424" data-time="1469057981">
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what I've seen of Breen so far, I like! 
 
Hopefully he and Nock can combine well, if they do, Breen might even get a sniff at the Blues.
 
If it is true the Chiefs are looking at Alaimalo, then FB is probably the biggest concern in the backs.
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For him to squeeze into a 3rd flyhalf position, at any franchise, I think he'd need to prove his utility value. He did play some games for Otago at 12 & 15 but I'd be disappointed if he spent any time away from 10 for Northland.
 
He did play well for the Blues dev team which I saw him play. Although I think Gatland subbed on for him and made more of an impact. 
 
I suspect McGahans spot in the Blues squad is under threat. So there's probably a contest between McGahan, Gatland, Breen and Fonoti

taniwharugby

From what I heard, the Blues were keen on him, or at least keen to see how he goes, so will be a wait and see there, obviously how Northland goes will be a big factor for how he goes and vice versa.

Steven Harris

Just before I give my ten cents worth,just some info on this kid,Epineri Uluviti (Academy, Awanui 0),came out to NZ a few years back with Fijian secondary schools team back in 2014,and then attended Rotorua Boys High,might be a bit of footage around from 2014 on utube,he's only young,around 19,but very sizeable,around 6 foot 4 or 5,is in the Academy,but I have been reliably informed he's one to watch in the future. 
On the squad it's,really excited to see two young midfielders in the mix,Tamati Tua is a great story,as a year ago,he was playing XV rugby at Kaitaia College,since then he's played for the Blues development team against the NZ Under 20 rugby team,made this years Mitre 10 cup squad and potentially could be playing against the All Blacks in a few weeks time, 
Along with Tua,is James Cherrington,a youngster as well,has played for Auckland Under 19,either last year or back in 2014,been told both boys have got good skill sets,and are both harty in contact,hopefully this will be a good learning year for both of these kids,if Tua can get some game time and impress,he is elidigble for NZ U20s next year, 
On the rest of the backline,really excited about seeing Solomon Alaimalo running around at Mitre 10 cup level,has been devasting at club level,has the potential to be next big thing out of Northland,hope I'm not jinxing him..!,also had the ability to play centre and fullback,very good skill set according to those in the know. 
Regarding the Unknown factors,the 2 back up halfbacks,Marwick and McLeod,have'nt heard the most flattering things regarding the quality of these 2 squad members,hopefully when they do get their chances,they make the most of it,in perfect world,Sam Nock stays fit. 
The other concern,like many of you posting,is Fullback,plenty of contenders,but one player,I reckon who has the skill set to play in the 15 jersey,is Troy Gilbert,played much of his junior rugby at the back,and has turned out for OBM over the last few years and has looked right at home,other options are Peter Breen,which means Dan Hawkins reverts back to first five,Hawkins is still awaiting a medical clearance from a recently completed operation on his back. 
May also be an opportunity for Levi Clark to step,I'm sure he will be given some game time in the warm up games, 
Not to much to be said,regarding the rest of the forwards selected,I'm picking the coaching staff has got this about right,some real up and comers,along with some guys with super rugby experience,our loosies look outstanding,only issue might what mix you would want to start with,it also might pay to check the new breakdown laws,having gone over them,you get the impression the jackler may be a thing of the past. 
Unlucky to miss out in my opinion,Ersnimo Tau from Waipu,may have paid the price for being played at centre,I believe he is close to the top try scorer in the club comp,along with Tom Halse,although depending on Hawkins fitness,Halse could be the first cab off the rack, 
Some really good news I have heard from the camp is,their is a ton work being put in on the scrum,and from all reports,you will see some dramatic improvement,the blues apparently were very complimentary,and some scrum experts have been supporting the team during the team training camps,also the build up,in terms of where they were last year,are poles apart,3 build games were played to find the squad,and of course 3 build up games to critique before the comp starts proper.

taniwharugby

Lets hope Dans time I. Melbourne has made him a better player, cos him at 10 has me dreading the season already....what is it coaches see in him that I am missing?

Steven Harris

The other little concern has been in and around Peter Breens goal kicking,whilst his general play has been first class,his goal kicking has been sub par,probably another reason Hawkins is still in the hunt,hopefully with a much better preparation across the board,we can see the best of Dan 
I thinks it's a case of the devil they know with Dan,let's look at what he does do well,Kicks goals and tackles,and has got experience,the reality is,if you look in the cupboard in the Northland area,it's pretty bare,like I said,it is depending on a medical,one guy who probably would have been a shoe in,if he attended the training camps is Ben Mather from Waipu,saw him playing for Waipu,looked really classy,playing first five,can also play fullback and halfback,I'm JacNath would agree with me.

Chiefy

It looks to be a decent squad on paper - especially in the forwards. I'm not getting too carried away though as I was expecting us to be good last season and we definitely weren't!
 
On Hawkins and the fullback/first-five issue, why didn't we give Tyler Landsdowne another crack? Think he would have been a handy fullback option too if needed. Matt Wright definitely leaves a big hole. Can see the rationale behind bringing Hawkins back - they know what he can do and would be a solid guy to have on the bench.
 
I like the idea of the academy players added to the squad and happy with most of the positions that are covered but would have thought focusing on positions we have been traditionally weak would've been a good bet. Think a young first-five academy player would have been a good idea.

taniwharugby

Tua does look a good prospect, so would be a great story if he can make the cut this season!

Chiefy

Anyone watched much club rugby and can give a bit of a run down on some of the newbies.
 
Mainly thinking guys like Apoua, Kite, Tupou, Larsen, Markwick, Mcleod, Tua, Cherrington, Lama, Alaimalo.
 
Can obviously see their positions, but more of a rundown of what they're good at how they play etc
 
On another note, I hope Michael Faleafa is a massive step up from Dan Faleafa...

taniwharugby

I've only watched a few games with these teams: Kamo/Hika/Sharks/Wellsford, so not much help really!
 
As an aside, if we have to play Hawkins, throw him at FB where he is less likely to stifle our backline, he and Breen can alternate on offence/defence there if need be.

Steven Harris

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="598664" data-time="1469139132">
Tua does look a good prospect, so would be a great story if he can make the cut this season!</blockquote>Just remember Tua is very young and Cherrington are both very young,if they were in Auckland,I suspect they would be either in the Auckland colts or their development teams given the log jam, 
On the club comp,I have seen a few games this year,OBM and Mid Northern,even though they have been tipped up on the odd occasion,with all their players available are light years ahead of everybody else,Western Sharks and Waipu have been the big improvers ,Sharks,not unexpected with Tom Robinson and Matt Matich, on board,and Mark Wells doing a good job at Waipu,although with so many Fijian boys can be loose at times, 
Wellsford with all the injuries,and unavailable players from last year are not a patch on the 2015 side,but will finally be at full strength for their semi final tomorrow,their coaches have done a great job to get them this far,considering, 
Other sides,like Otamatea and Mid-Western have gone backwards,Otamatea especially,struggling at times to field a quality premier team,hate to keep harking on about it,but if club rugby is not addressed moving forward,there will be bigger issues fielding a quality Taniwha team. 
Just on a final,I have spoken to a couple of referees from Auckland that have officiated games in the southern districts comp,according to these chaps I spoke to,the top reserve grade teams in Auckland would compete favourably in the Southern districts comp,scary thought when you think about it..! 
Also thought I would mention,Tyler Landsdowne has only,as of 2 x weeks ago returned from injury,been out most of the year..!

Gunner

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Steven Harris" data-cid="598700" data-time="1469148173">
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 Mid-Western have gone backwards
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Yep, too many injuries and not enough depth to cover them.
 
And just general lack of numbers through retirements and people moving away, meant the reserve team was struggling to get 15 on the park each week. In the last few games they had the odd player playing 2 games, which is never good. They finished their last game with 8 guys on the field, who had played a minimum of 40 minutes for the reserves.
 
Not a good year, but we'll bounce back.

Gunner

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chiefy" data-cid="598675" data-time="1469141169">
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On another note, I hope Michael Faleafa is a massive step up from Dan Faleafa...
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He'll have some work to do to achieve that, as from what I hear he is hopelessly unfit.
 
And if he's not at least 10% better than Taniela Manu or Jaycob Matiu, after they both got cut, I'll be really pissed off!

taniwharugby

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Steven Harris" data-cid="598700" data-time="1469148173">
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Just remember Tua is very young and Cherrington are both very young,if they were in Auckland,I suspect they would be either in the Auckland colts or their development teams given the log jam, 
On the club comp,I have seen a few games this year,OBM and Mid Northern,even though they have Ben tipped up on the odd occasion,with all their players available are light years ahead of everybody else,Western Sharks and Waipu have been the big improvers ,Sharks,not unexpected with Tom Robinson and Matt Matich, on board,and Mark Wells doing a good job at Waipu,although with so many Fijian boys can be loose at times, 
Wellsford with all the injuries,and unavailable players from last year are not a patch on the 2015 side,but will finally be at full strength for their semi final tomorrow,their coaches have done a great job to get them this far,considering, 
Other sides,like Otamatea and Mid-Western have gone backwards,Otamatea especially,struggling at times to field a quality premier team,hate to keep harking on about it,but if club rugby is not addressed moving forward,there will be bigger issues fielding a quality Taniwha team. 
Just on a final,I have spoken to a couple of referees from Auckland that have officiated games in the southern districts comp,according to these chaps I spoke to,the top reserve grade teams in Auckland would compete favourably in the Southern districts comp,scary thought when you think about it..! 
Also thought I would mention,Tyler Landsdowne has only,as of 2 x weeks ago returned from injury,been out most of the year..!
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I know Tua is very young, just saying that it would be a cool story if he can make the step up so quickly, and obviously a promising sign.

taniwharugby

bit of an oddly worded article with a couple of comments, specifically the first bolded ones.
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503448&objectid=11679309'>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503448&objectid=11679309</a>
 
Rugby: Super players bolster squad
 
Northland won't be relying on their Super Rugby players, but are hoping they'll contribute to a successful Mitre 10 Cup season.
Northland have named a 36-strong squad, with eight Super players in the mix.
They are hooker Matt Moulds, prop Namatahi Wa'a, loose forwards Dan Pryor, Kara Pryor and Jack Ram, NZ under-20 halfback Sam Nock, first-five Dan Hawkins and wing Jone Macilai.
Coach Richie Harris said while it's great to have the experience of those players, they won't be answering an S.O.S. call.
"They come in on their own terms and add to the group," he said.
"Last year they came to save us on the field, but the goal is for the team to effectively function without the Super players."
Northland will contest for the Championship after a disappointing 2015 campaign where they went winless in 10 games.
However Harris feels the side is in a far better position this year.
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"We are way further in our development than last year in terms of what our players and coaching staff know," he said.
"Now we know what the players are about and what the Mitre 10 Cup is all about."
Northland have three pre-season hit outs before the season starts, beginning with North Harbour next Friday.
They then take on Bay of Plenty on August 5 before battling it out in the 'Game of Three Halves' against Counties-Manukau and the All Blacks.
 
They have definitive goals they want to achieve during the pre-season.
Harris is hoping his side makes a decent fist of the season.
"Ideally, we'll make the finals of the Championship. To get there though, it's all about getting our processes right."
Five academy players have been included in order to further develop and to provide cover for injured players, returning Super players and players involved in club finals through the pre-season window.
Of note among those academy players is prop Sesimani Tupou, fresh out of St Kentigern College, where he played in an unprecedented five 1A finals.
The Taniwha open their Championship campaign on August 19 against the Manawatu Turbos in Whangarei.
 
Northland 2016 Mitre 10 Cup Squad:
Forwards: Chris Apoua, Phil Kite, Howard Sililoto, Matt Talaese, Namatahi Wa'a (Blues), Sesimani Tupou (Academy), Matt Moulds (Blues), Jordan Olsen, Ross Wright, Josh Goodhue, Shane Neville, Tom Robinson, Sean Sweetman, Josh Larsen (Academy), Michael Faleafa, Matt Matich, Dan Pryor (Highlanders), Kara Pryor (Blues), Jack Ram (Blues), Aorangi Stokes, Epineri Uluviti (Academy).
Backs: Matty Markwick, Malcolm McLeod, Sam Nock (Blues), Peter Breen, Dan Hawkins (Rebels), Warren Dunn, Troy Gilbert, Jordan Hyland, Tamati Tua, James Cherrington (Academy), Solomon Alaimalo, Monty Lama, Waisea Lawebuka, Jone Macilai (Crusaders), Levi Clark (Academy).
- <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/'>Northern Advocate</a>

taniwharugby

new jersey, would prefer a slightly darker shade of blue, but otherwise like it
 
<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.taniwha.co.nz/merchandise/attachment/2016-northland-rugby-merchandise/'><img height="800" src="http://www.taniwha.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/2016-Northland-Rugby-Merchandise.jpg" width="554" alt="2016-Northland-Rugby-Merchandise.jpg"></a>

The Silver Fern

2016 Northland Mitre 10 Cup Squad.