Blues 2017

[cgrant]

Isn't Pleasants-Tate with the Highlanders ?

[Duluth]

@cgrant

Has he signed with them again?

This year was a one year WTG contract

[Dice]

If we have offered GPT a contract, I think we'd have a good chance of getting him. He would make the 23 every week up here, but isn't guaranteed that at the Highlanders with Dixon and Coltman down there.

@African-Monkey said in Blues 2017:

As long as Kurt Eklund is nowhere near the side I don't care who it is. Su'a and Moulds would be my guess behind Parsons.

With the way Eklund throws the ball, he should just go to the MLB, because his curve ball is something else.

[Stargazer]

@Dice Doesn't Ranger's contract expire this year? Has he re-signed?

[taniwharugby]

His contract with NH was for 2 seasons, from which they got great value out of him....assume the Blues one woulda been the same too?

[African Monkey]

@Dice If Pleasants Tate is available then he walks into our matchday 23. Would be great value off the bench.

[Stargazer]

@taniwharugby said in Blues 2017:

His contract with NH was for 2 seasons, from which they got great value out of him....assume the Blues one woulda been the same too?

Media releases are sometimes very unclear on that point. From the media release from March 2015 (below), I understand that he was available for ITM/Mitre 10 Cup for N Harbour from 2015, so if his contract with NH was for two years, than I assume it was for 2015 and 2016.

The same media release only says that he will return to the Blues in 2016 but doesn't say for how long.

http://www.allblacks.com/News/26798/rene-ranger-signs-with-north-harbour-and-the-blues

[taniwharugby]

Yeah he was available in 2015 but had neck surgery before he left France.

[Tim]

As usual, 9 and 10 are probably the biggest concerns.

Hooker and lock deserve plenty of attention too.

Parsons is out of the EOYT with neck/concussion issues. Greg Pleasants-Tate missed most of the NPC with a neck injury. Hopefully both will be fit, and we pickup Gafatasi Su'a from Counties (and formerly Auckland). Adrian Smith looked pretty good for NH, and Molds is tidy.

Anyone else worth considering?

At lock we need a good an "athletic lock" who is a good lineout option to partner "power lock" Tuipulotu. Goodhue may be too young. Cowley-Tuioti is promising, but may not be up to it (in height and ability). It would be good to see Fatialofa in the squad.

Fullback and wing looked to be covered now.

[cgrant]

Scrafton is a good lineout option. But can he deliver in the other aspects of the game ? SR is not at the same level than the Mitre 10 Cup.

[Dice]

I'm interested to see who the WTG spots go to. I think we might see a surprise or two in there. We've consistently been a team that has taken a punt on a prospect or two with these spots.

[Stargazer]

The 2017 Blues squad is:

Backs: Michael Collins (Otago), Matt Duffie (North Harbour), TJ Faiane (Auckland), Billy Guyton ( Ta$man), Rieko Ioane (Auckland), Matt Vaega (North Harbour), George Moala (Auckland), Melani Nanai (Auckland), Sam Nock (Northland), Declan O’Donnell (Taranaki), Stephen Perofeta (Taranaki), Augustine Pulu (Counties Manukau), Rene Ranger (North Harbour), Jordon Trainor (Waikato), Ihaia West (Hawkes Bay), Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau), Piers Francis (Counties Manukau).

Forwards: Gerard Cowley-Tuioti (North Harbour), Epalahame Faiva (Waikato), Charlie Faumuina (Auckland), Blake Gibson (Auckland), Josh Goodhue (Northland), Alex Hodgman (Canterbury), Akira Ioane (Auckland), Jerome Kaino (Auckland), Steven Luatua (Auckland), Sione Mafileo (North Harbour), Pauliasi Manu (Counties Manukau), Matt Moulds (Northland), Brandon Nansen (North Harbour), James Parsons (North Harbour), Sam Prattley (Auckland), Kara Pryor (Northland), Scott Scrafton (Auckland), Murphy Taramai (North Harbour), Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland), Jimmy Tupou (Counties Manukau), Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Auckland),

http://theblues.co.nz/experienced-players-return-2017/

[Bovidae]

@Stargazer So Faiva makes the Blues squad. Little is still available to either the Canes and Landers.

[Tim]

A few lucky fellows in the backs.

Interesting to see Branden Nansen there.

[Tim]

@Bovidae Do you rate Faiva?

[KiwiMurph]

Happy with the Faiva pickup.

Outside backs is a bit of an issue - Declan is always injured, Rene hasnt refound his mojo, Nanai looks best at fullback, as do Trainor and Duffie.

Be interesting to see how Faiane goes - his knees have been wrecked and he hasnt played since the U20 World Cup over a year ago.

Forward pack looks promising.

[Bovidae]

@Tim I do. I would have happily have had him in the Chiefs. Faiva is excellent around the field and does his core roles well enough. He would probably be the 3rd choice hooker in that squad to start the season but if Parsons is rated no.1 anything can happen.

[taniwharugby]

bit gutted for Waa, reckon he made huge progress from 2015 ITM Cup, his few outings for the Blues and then for Northland this year.

[Tim]

Umaga on the squad:

[Tim]

So, what's the starting XV for the Blues? Lock, Wing, and Fullback probably the only contentious decisions. Though Pryor will push Gibson hard, and Hodgman should push Manu.

1. Manu
2. Parsons
3. Faumuina
4. Tuipulotu
5. Tupou/Cowley-Tuioti/Goodhue/Scrafton
6. Kaino (expect to see Kaino rested a bit, and Ioane get plenty of game time)
7. Gibson
8. Luatua
9. Pulu
10. West (with Francis getting significant game time from the bench)
11. Vaega/Nanai/Duffie
12. SBW
13. Moala
14. Ioane
15. Nanai/Collins/Duffie