Magpies 2023
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@Billsy111 said in Magpies 2023:
Squad announcement on Tuesday. But Tiatia is back and will start at 12.
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Pouri Rakete Stones has joined the NZ XV in Auckland
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Pouri Rakete Stones has joined the NZ XV in Auckland
@Steven-Harris Great news!
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From Magpies Facebook page:
:white_heart:
Charity Jersey :white_heart:February 14, 2023, will be etched in the memories of everyone in Hawke’s Bay.
In spite of its destruction and unimaginable chaos, Cyclone Gabrielle brought people together, created connections and banded Hawke’s Bay together in a way no one could have foreseen. With this in mind, the team at Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union spent hours planning, designing - wondering how we could encompass that in a charity jersey design.
Hawke’s Bay is black and white. There’s no doubt about it. So a simple design that nods to our strength and ability to overcome, featuring an outline of the region, would be the most impactful.
To read the full Charity Jersey Release, head to https://bit.ly/CharityJersey2023
To get your hands on one of these jerseys, head to TeamShop.co.nz to pre order! https://bit.ly/CharityJerseyPreOrder
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No Toala???I thought the 2nd five from tech might have got in.
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No Toala???I thought the 2nd five from tech might have got in.
@kiwimatrix said in Magpies 2023:
No Toala???I thought the 2nd five from tech might have got in.
No Enari or Funaki either. :thumbs_down_medium_skin_tone:
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This is a very small squad. They've left a lot of players out who are in the Samoa and Tonga squads, but not all of them. I assume the players that have not been named were off-contract, while the players who were named were still signed for 2023.
Last year, we had 7 props. Now 6, one of them may be unavailable.
We had 4 hookers (one injured for the season), now 3.
We had 6 locks, now again 6 locks. Two of them out of our Acedemy; one of them (Allen) first year out of high school.
In 2023, we had 9 loose forwards. This year we have 7 and two of them are fresh out of our Academy.
Last year, we had 4 halfbacks (one unavailable for most of the season), now 3. One of them is new.
No change at first five-eighth.
Last year, we had 5 midfielders, now 3.
In 2022, we had 7 outside backs. This year we have 6. -
@kiwimatrix said in Magpies 2023:
No Toala???I thought the 2nd five from tech might have got in.
No Enari or Funaki either. :thumbs_down_medium_skin_tone:
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This is a very small squad. They've left a lot of players out who are in the Samoa and Tonga squads, but not all of them. I assume the players that have not been named were off-contract, while the players who were named were still signed for 2023.
Last year, we had 7 props. Now 6, one of them may be unavailable.
We had 4 hookers (one injured for the season), now 3.
We had 6 locks, now again 6 locks. Two of them out of our Acedemy; one of them (Allen) first year out of high school.
In 2023, we had 9 loose forwards. This year we have 7 and two of them are fresh out of our Academy.
Last year, we had 4 halfbacks (one unavailable for most of the season), now 3. One of them is new.
No change at first five-eighth.
Last year, we had 5 midfielders, now 3.
In 2022, we had 7 outside backs. This year we have 6.@Stargazer Sam Wye is a good Ponsonby boy. Was with Auckland last season. I rate him and i'm disappointed that he is not in my team, but pleased that he has a gig if Auckland did not want him.
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@Billsy111 said in Magpies 2023:
@Nepia World Cup
We have other players named who might be in the RWC too, as @Stargazer notes the ones not named appear to be off contract.
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The biggest mystery naming to me is Paula Balekana. He's a Fijian winger who currently plays for NE Free Jacks (same team as Hintz and Kereru-Symes). I attended Kelston Boys'.
He has quite a bit of experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Balekana -
The biggest mystery naming to me is Paula Balekana. He's a Fijian winger who currently plays for NE Free Jacks (same team as Hintz and Kereru-Symes). I attended Kelston Boys'.
He has quite a bit of experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Balekana@Stargazer said in Magpies 2023:
The biggest mystery naming to me is Paula Balekana. He's a Fijian winger who plays for NE Free Jacks (same team as Hintz and Kereru-Symes).
He has quite a bit of experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_BalekanaReading that career and his signing is even weirder, a journeyman 30 year old. Surely there are some young wings at home who could do the same job as him?
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@Stargazer said in Magpies 2023:
The biggest mystery naming to me is Paula Balekana. He's a Fijian winger who plays for NE Free Jacks (same team as Hintz and Kereru-Symes).
He has quite a bit of experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_BalekanaReading that career and his signing is even weirder, a journeyman 30 year old. Surely there are some young wings at home who could do the same job as him?
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@Stargazer Here are highlights from his time with Zebre -
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The biggest disappointment from this squad naming is that the squad doesn't have a Sullivan in it. The second biggest disappointment is that Smith, Tiatia, Grigg and Higgins are still there. The first three are all Syms' signings and he isn't even there anymore.
The huge positives of this squad is that it's an extremely young squad. Even if we end up near the bottom of the table this season, we're building great potential for the future. Hopefully, Brock James can coach and we'll see another surge to the higher end of the table like we saw under Ozich.
