Ultimate NPC: - Northland

[kev]

@taniwharugby Don’t get me wrong. All the players are in the frame. Warren Johnstone kicked the ball further and higher than anyone I have ever seen and was a good footballer for a big man. Holwell is the toughest player we have ever had and just got better every year....but Eddie Dunn played 20 times for ABs with two tests.

The other propping option is Wayne Neville.

[Pepe]

@kev said in Ultimate NPC: - Northland:

@Nepia After Holmes I would have gone for Neil Ruddell.

Ian Ruddell was very good, heady loose forward { No. 8 or 7). He made NZ age grade and trials from memory. Perhaps lacking a little mongrel at times?

The only slight problem with this discussion is that you are comparing amateurs with professionials (or semi professionials).
So the likes of Peter Sloane, Joe Morgan, Going/ Woodman/Dunn/Phillips whanau are all at at are slight disadvantage. It's all great fun though...

[Nepia]

@kev said in Ultimate NPC: - Northland:

@Nepia After Holmes I would have gone for Neil Ruddell.

As I’m not a dirty Northlander, I have no idea who Ruddell is but have watched rugby with Holmes.

[Pepe]

@taniwharugby
Are you alluding that he was a better rugby player than teacher? ... ...

[taniwharugby]

@Pepe Haha more like pushing something uphill with a toothpick getting him to sit still and learn

Yea always gonna encounter issues comparing players from eras.

Colin Meads is a prime example, one of our greatest ever players, yet isn't really tall enough for a lock in today's game, Bert Cooke, supposedly the Christian Cullen of his day, yet he weighed in at 65kg, arent many kids playing 1st 15 rugby that low anymore, but both still worthy of being considered greats of our game.

Always remember a bit in Meads book where the current AB dietician at the time was discussing it with Meads, and he was like we ate this, did that and we did well, the response was imagine how much better you could have been with current diet and training...which he didn't have a response to

[Higgins]

@Pepe Agree with you on Ruddell. He was a bit unlucky when it came to higher honours, sort of the Duane Monkely of North Auckland. Your finalised team looks very vulnerable without a Woodman on the wing and especially a Dunn at first five.

[kev]

@Nepia ...are you saying the Northland rugby team and its supporters are dirty?

[kev]

@taniwharugby yep that’s a quality side.

[kev]

@Pepe I would agree with the lack of mongrel comment. Similar for someone like Colin Phillips, whereas Ian ‘Wuz’ Phillips had plenty.

[kev]

@Higgins looks like Dunn didn’t make the cut, and looking a bit weak with Rupeni / Ranger wing combo.

[Pepe]

@kev

As a skinny, young winger (casually guarding the blindside) nothing grabs your attention more than Wuzz Phillips coming off the back of an Eastern (Kaiwaka) scrum.
It didn't end well ...