Blues 2019

Dice

@bovidae said in Blues 2019:

@dice Aumua would be available, as would Verney, unless they have been re-signed.

If Aumua's available, I don't like our chances of landing him. I think the Crusaders will make a play for him as they'll want another power player to replace Tamanivalu, and Aumua fits the bill perfectly. He said he wants to be an All Black and there's no better place to be to make that happen than at the Crusaders.

Leon McDonald is our only hope of swaying him our way.

Tim

Ben Afeaki is Samoa's new scrum coach. Don't think it interferes with his Blues commitments.

Dice

Robbie Abel was interviewed yesterday and it doesn't sound like he has a Super deal. He talked about just waiting around and hoping to get a phone call when injuries hit.

taniwharugby

@dice problem is most super teams only have a few spots each year come end of NPC.

Duluth

@taniwharugby said in Blues 2019:

problem is most super teams only have a few spots each year come end of NPC.

Maybe there needs to be a change in the contracting where franchises are forced to keep a set number of spots open for promoting players from the NPC?
The NZRU should be wanting to keep a link between NPC performance and new contracts. They can't all be 18 year olds

As for who the Blues might miss out on.. I'm less concerned about missing out on people like Whetton/Abel because that can be explained by the contracting situation.
I'm more concerned about missing guys like Renata or Manu. Both of them played well for the Blues Dev team. Renata has been steadily improving for two years now. Manu even played well in his limited opportunities for the full side

The Blues should not be missing talent that is right under their noses

Hopefully the rumours are wrong and they have signed a few of the guys mentioned

KiwiMurph

The problem is the Blues continue to make average signings like giving Leni Apisai a 2 year deal.

The Blues could well keep spots open but time and again they rush to sign mediocre players. Why re-sign Tupou and Collins before the season was even over?

It's been happening for years. Like when they signed Hoani Matenga before the Mitre 10 Cup then had no spot to sign either Taleni Seu or Michael Fatialofa.

Dice

@taniwharugby Unfortunately for him, overseas teams also have all their spots filled at this time of the year too.

He asked to get out of his Brumbies contract so he could come over here, so hopefully he gets picked up at some point soon.

Duluth

@kiwimurph

Hanks, Kirwan & Umaga have been disasters

How does Hanks still have a job? He was appointed early in 2014. Think how many errors have been made in 'talent identification' in that time

Standards are so low at this organisation

KiwiMurph

@duluth Completely agree. Add Michael Redman to your list.

taniwharugby

@duluth and yet Umaga and Hanks supposedly attending games looking at players this season...

Bones

@kiwimurph can players really afford to wait that long though? Pretty sure if a player hasn't got a spot before the end of the NPC they'll be looking overseas.

KiwiMurph

@bones said in Blues 2019:

@kiwimurph can players really afford to wait that long though? Pretty sure if a player hasn't got a spot before the end of the NPC they'll be looking overseas.

I'm not saying Blues should wait until the end of the NPC - by mid-NPC you get a clear picture of who is and who isn't up to Super standard.

The problem is the Blues are signing up players well before the Mitre 10 Cup begins. They don't give themselves a chance.

Steven Harris

Scott Gregory has been offered a spot with the wider training squad at the Blues,be interesting to see if Rayasi hangs around if he misses a contract with the Blues.
Hope he hangs around,simply because as we saw last year injuries do happen,in my opinion Caleb Clark was signed far too early last year as well,should have been offered a wider training spot,I see the same issue with Hoskins Sotutu,has’nt exactly rocked the world at Mitre 10 Cup level in my opinion..it would a real bugger to see Evan Olmstead miss because once again they signed a guy far too early.

KiwiMurph

@steven-harris Sotutu is a better signing than Jimmy Tupou. That's who Olmstead should be there instead of.

Tim

In 2002 Graham Henry came back to Auckland and they won the NPC. I looked forward to 2003's Super Rugby season thinking that we'd murder it.

This year I look to 2019 Super Rugby thinking "well, we might qualify 7th or 8th."

Stargazer

@tim I guess it will depend on who really does the coaching, decides on the game plan and selections. If Tana is still taking all decisions and doesn't listen to his assistants, I fear for the Blues, but if there is significant input from the assistant coaches, they should improve a lot.

Kirwan

@stargazer said in Blues 2019:

@tim I guess it will depend on who really does the coaching, decides on the game plan and selections. If Tana is still taking all decisions and doesn't listen to his assistants, I fear for the Blues, but if there is significant input from the assistant coaches, they should improve a lot.

Tana is still picking shit players. Doesn’t matter how good your assistants are if you serve dross like Collins for them to work with.

Tim

@kirwan Might've been a sly dig from Henry on the Short Ball podcast, when he stated that Nanai was a pretty good "communicator".

Kirwan

@tim said in Blues 2019:

@kirwan Might've been a sly dig from Henry on the Short Ball podcast, when he stated that Nanai was a pretty good "communicator".

I missed that, Ted is very dry.

It’s unbelievable that they have signed Nonu when TJ is playing so well. If he got an extended run at 12 we could see his recent form at SR level.

Tim

@kirwan Only worry I have about Faiane is that he might be a bit small at higher levels.

Might see him at 12 and Nonu at 13 next year.

I'm not enthusiastic about Nonu. Would've preferred we signed Manu, Little, and Matt Vaega. Two good centres, two good 12s, plus SBW.

The Silver Fern

Blues 2019