Blues 2020
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The season drawing to a close, so it's time to start looking ahead to 2021.
Overall our forwards have been really good, we have an excellent forwards coach, and good depth. We need to improve accuracy at the ruck, and gain a few more turnovers.
Our top four props are clear, with the 3rd loosehead and tighthead spots in contention. Lindenmuth is promising, but needs more game time. Renata has shown he can play both sides, but might be a better loosehead. Fepulea'i and Adams are other possibilities, as is Lua Li. Might be too soon for some of the age group players.
Eklund is the number one hooker going forward, with Parsons having maybe one more year ahead of him. Tolai is a good prospect, and Niuia might be back. Any good recruitment prospects?
We're pretty solid at lock. Not sure if there any new standouts coming along.
At loose forward, will be interesting to see if Jones or Choat can force their way into the squad.
Now the hard part, the backs.
Nock is the only halfback who I'm comfortable with starting. Christie is okay off the bench, but not a starter. TTT and Taumateine might be worth targeting. Some good young players coming through, but too green.
At 10 we are okay. Zarn Sullivan might force his way in though.
Midfield is tough. We really only have one good option at 12 and 13 until Tele'a is back. Hope he can stay fit next year. Tamati Tua is in the squad as a replacement 12, but it's a long time since I've seen him play. AJ Lam might be worth a look at 13 and wing, and maybe Clarke can play centre too. Clarke may be preparing for olympic sevens next year though. Solofa Silipa plays 12 and wing in club rugby. Any other possibilities from the region, or players worth recruiting?
We might need a couple of wings too. Hopefully Talea and Narawa improve their defence.
Perofeta went well at fullback, but is prone to injury. Duffie is okay but that's about it. I've yet to see Page play. Trainor is a possibility. Any others? Maybe nab Stevenson.
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@Tim said in Blues 2020:
Midfield is tough. We really only have one good option at 12 and 13 until Tele'a is back.Blues have had PUJ in their sights for a while now but after his recent performances the Canes will prolly up the ante on him
@Nogusta I remember thinking that we should take a punt on him when off contract because he had plenty of potential, but seemed out of favor down there. If the Canes didn't suddenly play him, we might've had a good chance to grab him, but his stocks are too high now.
He's pretty similar to Tanielu as a player(injuries included), but Tanielu is a better defender and PUJ probably has a bit more polish as an attacker.
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@Tim said in Blues 2020:
Interesting stat given all the talk about locks: Pierce is listed at 202 cm tall.
and he's added a lot of muscle in the last couple of years. Good skillset, but still learning. I'm confident he'll be an AB in 2-3 years
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@Nogusta I remember thinking that we should take a punt on him when off contract because he had plenty of potential, but seemed out of favor down there. If the Canes didn't suddenly play him, we might've had a good chance to grab him, but his stocks are too high now.
He's pretty similar to Tanielu as a player(injuries included), but Tanielu is a better defender and PUJ probably has a bit more polish as an attacker.
@Dice said in Blues 2020:
He's pretty similar to Tanielu as a player(injuries included), but Tanielu is a better defender and PUJ probably has a bit more polish as an attacker.
Pretty spot on with your assessment there Dice I reckon. PUJ and his brother were rugbys hottest property coming out of school IMO.
Hopefully the 2 of them (Umaga Jensen bros) can put the injuries behind them and string some consistent games together...actually that goes for Telea as well! -
@Nogusta I remember thinking that we should take a punt on him when off contract because he had plenty of potential, but seemed out of favor down there. If the Canes didn't suddenly play him, we might've had a good chance to grab him, but his stocks are too high now.
He's pretty similar to Tanielu as a player(injuries included), but Tanielu is a better defender and PUJ probably has a bit more polish as an attacker.
@Dice the Canes already have PUJ locked up for next year, TUJ is a free agent though I believe and could do worse than linking up with his uncle.
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Stevenson is the old flakey type player we used to try and target, don’t want him anywhere near the Blues.
Would rather get Goodhue to come home and play with his brother.
And the other Barrett for fullback.
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Stevenson is the old flakey type player we used to try and target, don’t want him anywhere near the Blues.
Would rather get Goodhue to come home and play with his brother.
And the other Barrett for fullback.
@Kirwan said in Blues 2020:
And the other Barrett for fullback.
Keep your dirty mitts off the best Barrett.
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@Kirwan said in Blues 2020:
And the other Barrett for fullback.
I reckon you could be onto something there....:shushing_face:
@Nogusta said in Blues 2020:
@Kirwan said in Blues 2020:
And the other Barrett for fullback.
I reckon you could be onto something there....:shushing_face:
Virtual chocolate fish for my favourite poster
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@Nogusta said in Blues 2020:
@Kirwan said in Blues 2020:
And the other Barrett for fullback.
I reckon you could be onto something there....:shushing_face:
Virtual chocolate fish for my favourite poster
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@Daffy-Jaffy thanks for that, nice (tinged with sadness) watch.
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Loose forward injuries are certainly mounting:
Robinson
Sotutu
Gibson
PapaliiI wonder if GCT can play six?
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Well, we've had a good season. Winning against teh Crusaders in a fortnight would set up next year nicely I reckon, give the lads some confidence.
Massive improvements all over teh park. I think the most visible thing is the defence - Blues are now hard to break down, and have even built a maul defence. Well done Tom Coventry, he's got those guys really playing for each other up front.
Improved players for me - there are plenty. Ofa, Kurt, PT, GCT, all loosies, Nock/Christie.
Our scrum has become a real weapon. Lineout not wobbly any more,a nd we even scored some maul tries.
Backs speak for themselves. TJ >> Plummer (and I"m a massive Plummer fan, but he hasn't delivered this year). Rieko is going to be hard to go past in the ABs at 13 I suspect - so much upside, and starting to really find his feet.
BB a really mixed bag. Probably gave teh team some confidence, and kicked very very well at times, but also responsible for some absolute howlers. Goalkicking a real workon ... again.
So, for next year. Keep building; not sure we're losing any big names which is nice. We have shown that we can win despite conceding massive penalty counts, territory and possession. Need to play smarter and just dismantle teams; a lot of that is in the top two inches.
Overall, I'm absolutely stoked with the year. If we win on the last weekend, we finish with the same number of wins as teh Crusaders, and don't win the comp due to bonus points. I'll take that every single day, particularly given how far back we've come from. The franchise has created a credible place to play rugby and push for higher honours, and that more than anything should keep us on the up for years to come. Watch out 2021/2022.. could easily be our years!
Also, a shoutout to every damn team in this competition. It's been sensational, no easy beats, everyone has competed all the way through. Awesome for testing the ABs, but not sustainable I fear, with all the injuries we're seeing.
