Highlanders 2026
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@cgrant said in Highlanders 2026:
I think Pledger will leapfrog Fakatava in the pecking order before the end of the 2026 SR.
I think by end of next year he will be pretty close to be ahead of everyone not named Roigard, Ratima and potentially Hotham.
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As a neutral, I really, really want to see the Highlanders land Jacomb now. It's an exciting squad, but so much hangs on that 10 spot.
Be good for the comp, good for the ABs. We need to have competitive teams to give each other hard games, and we need guys like Jacomb and Love playing 10 every week. -
@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2026:
@cgrant said in Highlanders 2026:
I think Pledger will leapfrog Fakatava in the pecking order before the end of the 2026 SR.I think by end of next year he will be pretty close to be ahead of everyone not named Roigard, Ratima and potentially Hotham.
I honestly think you could stretch that to everyone not named Roigard.
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@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
A bit odd that Casey is only a WTG member for 2026. Would that indicate we’ve signed another loose forward?
There are probably some contractual issues being played out behind closed doors that mean he is being called a WTG member until they are ironed out. With them being Hayden Michaels, who as @frugby says we are trying to/have moved on. As well as the ongoing injury issues with Hugh Renton. Renton hasn't played since halfway through Super footy meaning there is a high chance he is scratched. Reflecting on those pieces of the puzzle at play, it is likely Casey is a full squad member for next year. They just can't say it.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
A bit odd that Casey is only a WTG member for 2026. Would that indicate we’ve signed another loose forward?
There are probably some contractual issues being played out behind closed doors that mean he is being called a WTG member until they are ironed out. With them being Hayden Michaels, who as @frugby says we are trying to/have moved on. As well as the ongoing injury issues with Hugh Renton. Renton hasn't played since halfway through Super footy meaning there is a high chance he is scratched. Reflecting on those pieces of the puzzle at play, it is likely Casey is a full squad member for next year. They just can't say it.
Still sounds weird. It's poor if the best players in the NPC can't be elevated to a main Super Squad - especially a Super Squad that came dead last in the last SRP.
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@brodean well yeah Casey is bloody good isn't he, I was nervous he was gonna head back up home, he would most definitely start in a blues loose trio with Papalii at 6 & Sotutu at 8
regardless I expect Casey to feature often for the landers in 2026, on weeks Lennox makes the team we will be able to carry 5 loosies in the 23 -
@Grooter said in Highlanders 2026:
@brodean well yeah Casey is bloody good isn't he, I was nervous he was gonna head back up home, he would most definitely start in a blues loose trio with Papalii at 6 & Sotutu at 8
regardless I expect Casey to feature often for the landers in 2026, on weeks Lennox makes the team we will be able to carry 5 loosies in the 23Yeah Papali'i has been playing very well at 6 for Counties and Segner hasn't set the world on fire this year so I'm a bit miffed that the Blues didn't pick him up as a replacement for Choat. That would have been a great combo.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
A bit odd that Casey is only a WTG member for 2026. Would that indicate we’ve signed another loose forward?
There are probably some contractual issues being played out behind closed doors that mean he is being called a WTG member until they are ironed out. With them being Hayden Michaels, who as @frugby says we are trying to/have moved on. As well as the ongoing injury issues with Hugh Renton. Renton hasn't played since halfway through Super footy meaning there is a high chance he is scratched. Reflecting on those pieces of the puzzle at play, it is likely Casey is a full squad member for next year. They just can't say it.
I think Super Rugby needs to get out of the Stone Age. We should know who is contracted and how long for, and it should’ve normalised that these things are announced as soon as things are signed on the dotted line.
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@brodean said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
A bit odd that Casey is only a WTG member for 2026. Would that indicate we’ve signed another loose forward?
There are probably some contractual issues being played out behind closed doors that mean he is being called a WTG member until they are ironed out. With them being Hayden Michaels, who as @frugby says we are trying to/have moved on. As well as the ongoing injury issues with Hugh Renton. Renton hasn't played since halfway through Super footy meaning there is a high chance he is scratched. Reflecting on those pieces of the puzzle at play, it is likely Casey is a full squad member for next year. They just can't say it.
Still sounds weird. It's poor if the best players in the NPC can't be elevated to a main Super Squad - especially a Super Squad that came dead last in the last SRP.
It is the problem with offering guys contracts on promise like we did a few years ago. Some of them will never be at the level required while others take some years to get there. Michaels, in two years of Super has played just one game for 15 or 20 minutes of action. Funnily enough he is affiliated to the same club (Kaikorai) as Casey in Dunedin. Guys like Te Hiwi, Whaanga, Faleafaga, Millar, Arscott and Wingham either were not up to it or were not ready to compete at this level. We essentially soaked up high performance contracts onnfevelopment players. With several of them getting three year contracts.
When you look at the national U20s squads in recent years. As a franchise, we had the fewest players but the highest proportion of players graduating from national U20s to fully contracted players. We were so desperate to lock in youth, we effectively contracted guys who did not have the skills or experience ag that time to perform at that level. We weren't picking the best national reps. We were just picking our reps.
There was a feel good narrative to it. Young Otago/Southland kids getting professional gigs. We just set them up to fail and gave fans false hope that these lads cpuld succeed in a competition full of All Blacks and Wallabies.
It is clear we have now moved away from three year contracts for unproven players. In the past Pledger and Tengblad would have been given three years. Now just two. Three year deals are limited for guys who have proven themselves. This year JRK, Tangitau and Holland have all been extended until 2028.
Giving young guys long deals meant we didn't have the flexibility to lock in breakout stars like Casey. That approach is changing. The Highlander's squad while young, is now in the best position it has potentially ever been in.
Super is a very hard comp. There are very few players who are ready for it at 20 or 21.
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@SouthernMann you make a lot of valid points
The chort of Haig, Holland, Hurley, Michaels, Te Hiwi and Millar all came from the 2022 side. By my count, that side had five players that didn't progress to Super. Which when you consider Hayden Michaels and Jake Te Hiwi probably should have pushed that number to seven.
Then factor in some bang average results that year, and you have to consider it one of the weaker squads to begin with. So we were selecting the highest proportion of our players ever, from one of the weaker NZ U20 squads in the past decade - not a recipe to thrive.
Additionally arguably the best players of that cohort in George Bell & Noah Hotham were mismanaged to the point they left the province.
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@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2026:
In an article on Stuff today, Casey says no other SR teams were chasing him.
Yup and Im not sure if that's because of the contract situation or because they're stupid. Probably a bit of both.
He's clearly been playing better than Lakai in this years NPC. He'd be in the top 5 players of the comp this year. He puts Segners efforts this year to shame. A guy with many years of experience.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
It is the problem with offering guys contracts on promise like we did a few years ago. Some of them will never be at the level required while others take some years to get there. Michaels, in two years of Super has played just one game for 15 or 20 minutes of action. Funnily enough he is affiliated to the same club (Kaikorai) as Casey in Dunedin. Guys like Te Hiwi, Whaanga, Faleafaga, Millar, Arscott and Wingham either were not up to it or were not ready to compete at this level. We essentially soaked up high performance contracts onnfevelopment players. With several of them getting three year contracts.
When you look at the national U20s squads in recent years. As a franchise, we had the fewest players but the highest proportion of players graduating from national U20s to fully contracted players. We were so desperate to lock in youth, we effectively contracted guys who did not have the skills or experience ag that time to perform at that level. We weren't picking the best national reps. We were just picking our reps.
There was a feel good narrative to it. Young Otago/Southland kids getting professional gigs. We just set them up to fail and gave fans false hope that these lads cpuld succeed in a competition full of All Blacks and Wallabies.
It is clear we have now moved away from three year contracts for unproven players. In the past Pledger and Tengblad would have been given three years. Now just two. Three year deals are limited for guys who have proven themselves. This year JRK, Tangitau and Holland have all been extended until 2028.
Giving young guys long deals meant we didn't have the flexibility to lock in breakout stars like Casey. That approach is changing. The Highlander's squad while young, is now in the best position it has potentially ever been in.
Super is a very hard comp. There are very few players who are ready for it at 20 or 21.
Thanks for the explanation.
As an aside I will add that in 2024 from purely a stats perspective Jake Te Hiwi looked to be a promising player.
Defensively he was in the top 3 NZ midfielders and in terms of total attack/defensive impacts per 80 minutes he was 13 out of 29 which was just ahead of Rona, Ioane, Macleod, Havili, Pohipi, and Tele'a. Not sure where he stands at the moment with the Highlanders but imo he has better long term promise than Tele'a who while physically talented lacks composure and still makes the same silly mistakes.
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@brodean said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
It is the problem with offering guys contracts on promise like we did a few years ago. Some of them will never be at the level required while others take some years to get there. Michaels, in two years of Super has played just one game for 15 or 20 minutes of action. Funnily enough he is affiliated to the same club (Kaikorai) as Casey in Dunedin. Guys like Te Hiwi, Whaanga, Faleafaga, Millar, Arscott and Wingham either were not up to it or were not ready to compete at this level. We essentially soaked up high performance contracts onnfevelopment players. With several of them getting three year contracts.
When you look at the national U20s squads in recent years. As a franchise, we had the fewest players but the highest proportion of players graduating from national U20s to fully contracted players. We were so desperate to lock in youth, we effectively contracted guys who did not have the skills or experience ag that time to perform at that level. We weren't picking the best national reps. We were just picking our reps.
There was a feel good narrative to it. Young Otago/Southland kids getting professional gigs. We just set them up to fail and gave fans false hope that these lads cpuld succeed in a competition full of All Blacks and Wallabies.
It is clear we have now moved away from three year contracts for unproven players. In the past Pledger and Tengblad would have been given three years. Now just two. Three year deals are limited for guys who have proven themselves. This year JRK, Tangitau and Holland have all been extended until 2028.
Giving young guys long deals meant we didn't have the flexibility to lock in breakout stars like Casey. That approach is changing. The Highlander's squad while young, is now in the best position it has potentially ever been in.
Super is a very hard comp. There are very few players who are ready for it at 20 or 21.
I generally agree with your points but will add that in 2024 from purely a stats perspective Jake Te Hiwi looked to be a promising player.
Defensively he was in the top 3 NZ midfielders and in terms of total attack/defensive impacts per 80 minutes he was 13 out of 29 which was just ahead of Rona, Ioane, Macleod, Havili, Pohipi, and Tele'a. Not sure where he stands at the moment with the Highlanders but imo he has better long term promise than Tele'a who while physically talented lacks composure and still makes the same silly mistakes.
I am still fully on-board with Te Hiwi. The games he played before getting injured this year were really good. He has been injury prone though. What I meant when I mentioned him was he probably wasn't Super ready when initially contracted. I still have high hopes for him. The names I listed were more about reflecting who guys across a range that have taken up spots and for one reason or the other not quite got there at the time they were first contracted.
Te Hiwi for example, I think could really push into a starting type player over the next couple of years. We stick with him and his best years are in front of him.
Wingham is a guy who is benefiting from being in a high performance programme. His NPC has looked strong. Just at 21/22 he was not ready to compete against international props.
Cam Millar was not been ready to be the primary playmaker in a poor performing side. He was not the guy to lead change.
Josh Whaanga was handed a three year contract at 20. There was no threat of other teams taking him. Could have kept him in the set up without giving him a three year deal. Even now, he is probably still a year away from being an NPC starting centre. Then another couple from being a consistent force at Super level.
Then there have been several guys who have had some good, some bad. But, have shown promise and indications they are worth persevering with.
It isn't about individuals. It was a flawed youth first policy. Signing kids to long-term deals to get them ready for future campaigns.
It is difficult to work out whether this approach was borne out of necessity. Looking at the 2022 squad. We were picking up the left overs. A change of approach was required. It just meant there was going to be pain along the way and some tweaking required. We were not a desirable landing spot for good prospects.
The playing group we are developing is looking up. As well as having a future proofing element to it. Looking at the outside backs. Fullback we have JRK, Hurley and Solomon. Wings we have Tangitau, Tito-Harris, Nareki and Lowe. When Nareki and Lowe leave. There will not be a massive hole. As Tito-Harris will be ready to step in. Statistically, apart from tries he is still behind Nareki in the NPC campaign.
Loosies is another area we are now looking strong. Especially at six and seven. With players who fit the Joseph gameplan. Howden, Stodart and Haig at six. With Lasaqa and Casey at seven.
Tracking the signings and the players being brought in. There is becoming clear what the vision is.
Anyway, rant over.
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@Bovidae said in Highlanders 2026:
In an article on Stuff today, Casey says no other SR teams were chasing him.
Is this down to how the squads are selected these days and the fact they're mostly sorted before the NPC?
I remember back in the day when all the squad's were released in October and you could see the guys who performed in the NPC be elevated. Sometimes it fucked things up when Mark Robinson, the halfback, didn't get selected one year, but you'd often see NPC players be rewarded with spots.
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I remain a bit unconvinced about Te Hiwi.
He’s clearly shown some flashes of brilliance, but I wonder if he’s Josh Timu or TUJ 2.0. Ironically, both have been relatively injury-free this year.
He’s been in the NPC for four seasons but has only played fifteen games out of about forty. In his first start for the Highlanders, he went down injured two minutes into the game, and he seems to have been made of glass since then. There are blokes with all the attributes of excellent midfielders—size, pace, power, and decision-making—but they can’t stay on the field long enough to turn that into consistent results.
To be clear, I’m not advocating pulling the pin on him yet. But I am reminded that both TUJ and Timu had people calling for higher honours early on, yet neither has really kicked on consistently at Super Rugby level because of injuries. This feels like that again.
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@Nepia As mentioned, I am sure contracting and available places in the 38-man squad mean some teams don't have slots available, even if you have a great NPC. And the younger players don't seem to be patient enough to wait if only a WTG contract is available.
In the article, Casey said that Joseph first spoke to him after the Wellington-Otago game, and just basically said just keep playing as he was. It wasn't until a couple of weeks later when they met again that a contract was offered and signed.
