Blues 2024

Steven Harris

@nostrildamus
Lakai is very small ,probably put him in the Jordon Taufua category
I have a bit of time for Devon Flanders ,in the modern game especially with scrum rules he is so quick off the back
Work rate is out the gate can also be used as a line-out option ,very intelligent player
Hoping that Razzor reverts back to a specialist number number 8

Have a bit of time for Cameron Sufua ,just gives you gain line every time ,hands can be a bit suspect and lateral tackling needs a bit of looking at.

nostrildamus

@Steven-Harris said in Blues 2024:

@nostrildamus
Lakai is very small ,probably put him in the Jordon Taufua category
I have a bit of time for Devon Flanders ,in the modern game especially with scrum rules he is so quick off the back
Work rate is out the gate can also be used as a line-out option ,very intelligent player
Hoping that Razzor reverts back to a specialist number number 8

Have a bit of time for Cameron Sufua ,just gives you gain line every time ,hands can be a bit suspect and lateral tackling needs a bit of looking at.

yes 8 will be interesting, they have some gainline busters, I imagine they will want someone good in the lineout with 2 of our locks leaving..

Stargazer

@nostrildamus said in Blues 2024:

Is Flanders a specialist 8?

Yes, the Canes just haven't used him there enough, because he's a good blindside, too, and they had Ardie at 8.
During the NPC, he always plays at 8, with MMT moving to 6. I hope that, with Ardie not there in 2024, he'll become the incumbent no. 8 for the Canes. The main thing is that he's playing though.

Bovidae

Getting back to Akira, Cotter will need to make an important decision on who is the starting no.8. It will be hard to push for an AB spot in a position you are not regularly playing for your SR team.

nostrildamus

@Bovidae said in Blues 2024:

Getting back to Akira, Cotter will need to make an important decision on who is the starting no.8. It will be hard to push for an AB spot in a position you are not regularly playing for your SR team.

But Jordan!

nostrildamus

More seriously, I agree, an 8 needs time there. But this refers to Luke Jacobson as well.

Bovidae

@nostrildamus Wings/fullbacks are more interchangeable. The roles of a 6 and 8 are quite different.

Jacobson is the Chiefs no.8.

nostrildamus

@Bovidae said in Blues 2024:

@nostrildamus Wings/fullbacks are more interchangeable. The roles of a 6 and 8 are quite different.

Jacobson is the Chiefs no.8.

yes that is why I said "More seriously"...
I thought Jacobson shuffled a bit for the Chiefs? If not, my bad.

Steven Harris

@Bovidae would love to see Rob Rush given some game time his stats were off the chart for the Northland during the NPC,game minutes were the highest of any of the Blues Franchise teams
He just has another year left on his contract and if he isn’t getting game time a possible Franchise move is very much on the cards

gt12

@nostrildamus said in Blues 2024:

@Bovidae said in Blues 2024:

@nostrildamus Wings/fullbacks are more interchangeable. The roles of a 6 and 8 are quite different.

Jacobson is the Chiefs no.8.

yes that is why I said "More seriously"...
I thought Jacobson shuffled a bit for the Chiefs? If not, my bad.

He often fills in at 7, and 6, but he has been our first choice 8 for a while. He and Blackadder are very similar 'Masoe' style players who can cover all three positions.

I'm intrigued about what happens with Sotutu. I wonder whether he should try to turn himself into a utility - I don't think he'll make it as a straight out 8.

frugby

@Steven-Harris said in Blues 2024:

@Bovidae would love to see Rob Rush given some game time his stats were off the chart for the Northland during the NPC,game minutes were the highest of any of the Blues Franchise teams
He just has another year left on his contract and if he isn’t getting game time a possible Franchise move is very much on the cards

I think Rush might well be a bit of a home body though? Didn't he turn down the Highlanders in the first instance? With the way contracting works, he is likely to have few if any viable options for 2025 locally anyway.

nostrildamus

@gt12 said in Blues 2024:

I'm intrigued about what happens with Sotutu. I wonder whether he should try to turn himself into a utility - I don't think he'll make it as a straight out 8.

I just don't think he has the body shape / mass for 6 and is too tall for a typical 7, I still think 8 is his best position but he needs to convince the coaches on dominant tackles.

Steven Harris

@frugby yes you are correct ,he turned down the Highlanders knowing if he stayed at the Blues he could help his club mid northern win back to back titles but like so many other players who have gone to the Blues , got very little game time in most cases they have gone on to carve out good careers at other franchises
Could write a book on that one but there’s always a common theme
Spoke to Sam Nock’s dad Peter a couple of seasons back ,talk Sam into going to the Crusaders I said that was when Bryn Hall was heading overseas unfortunately he’s got a lot of close mates in the Blues , the Ioane Brothers , Kurt Eklund and Hoskins Sotutu and a couple of others ..
Needs a new group of friends in my opinion which was what I said to his dad , I hear you was Peter’s response

If you look at what that move did for Bryn Hall you can only wonder what a move for Sam Nock may have done , hells teeth even Jaimeson Gibson Park
Imagine if he went to the Saders .

frugby

@Steven-Harris said in Blues 2024:

@frugby yes you are correct ,he turned down the Highlanders knowing if he stayed at the Blues he could help his club mid northern win back to back titles but like so many other players who have gone to the Blues , got very little game time in most cases they gone on to carve out good careers at other franchises
Could write a book on that one but there’s always a common theme
Spoke to Sam Nock’s dad Peter a couple of seasons back ,talk Sam into going to the Crusaders , that was when Bryn Hall was heading overseas , unfortunately he’s got a lot of close mates in the Blues , the Ioane Brothers , Kurt Eklund and Hoskins Sotutu ..
Needs a new group of friends in my opinion which was what I said to his dad , I hear you was Peter’s response

If you look at what that move did for Bryn Hall you can only wonder what a move for Sam Nock may have done , hells teeth even Jaimeson Gibson Park
Imagine if he went to the Saders .

For sure. It is always easy from the outside looking in, but the ultimate goal for all these guys I would think is to play for the All Blacks, and I struggle to understand why they wouldn't move heaven and earth to make it happen.

AJ Lam is a classic example of this. Immensely talented player, but has been stuck behind Telea and Clarke, which will likely continue. Hard to make the ABs as an outside back if you aren't consistently playing.

Steven Harris

@frugby
AJ Lam was in negotiations with a possible move to Northland for the NPC 2024 but was making Northland wait to see if he could get a Blues extension past next year , needless to say Northland said thanks but no thanks.
Be interesting to compile a number of players that were in the Blues player roster who left and advanced their careers
Waisake Naholo always sticks in my mind , be interesting to see how Jacob Ratuvaimuki Kneepkins goes at the highlanders , looked bloody good in the 15 jersey for Naki

nzzp

@Steven-Harris said in Blues 2024:

Waisake Naholo always sticks in my mind

and Aaron Smith

Sometimes the shift is what makes them though - the kick up the butt and risk of genuine failure. I think Naholo said he showed up drunk to training once in the WTG for Blues? In any case, moving to a different environment can make a big difference

Edit: happens moderately frequently - Brodie to the Chiefs from Canterbury is a classic.

frugby

@Steven-Harris said in Blues 2024:

@frugby
AJ Lam was in negotiations with a possible move to Northland for the NPC 2024 but was making Northland wait to see if he could get a Blues extension past next year , needless to say Northland said thanks but no thanks.
Be first be interesting to compile a number of players that were in the Blues player roster who left and advanced their careers
Waisake Naholo always sticks in my mind , be interesting to see how Jacob Ratuvaimuki Kneepkins goes at the highlanders , looked bloody good in the 15 jersey for Naki

Here is what I got:

Tim Perry
Greg Pleasants-Tate (Weak entry)
Angus Ta'avao
Bryn Evans
Scott Scarfton
Dan Pryor
Sione Havili Talitui
Joe Edwards (Weak entry)
Jamison Gibson-Park
Bryn Gatland
Rico Gear
Levi Aumua
Malakai Fekitoa
Waisake Naholo
Emoni Narawa

The thing to remember, is when did players leave and why. A lot of these players left because of a lack of opportunity at a time the Blues weren't doing very well. Could the Blues have got more out of Emoni Narawa? Obviously, but this time last year Telea and Clarke were rated the #2 and #3 wings in the country behind Will Jordan, so they weren't short of talent.

At the time Malakai Fekitoa couldn't get a run, Jackson Willison was starting games in a side who won just 6/16.

Steven Harris

@frugby there’s a theme if you join the dots together

Steven Harris

@frugby
Siua Halanukonuka was easily the best scrummaging tighthead in Auckland club rugby back 2012 , everyone in Auckland could see his ability bar the Auckland coaches ended up playing at Counties Manukau and the Highlanders for 2 seasons

Also Taleni Seu , easily the best lineout forward in Auckland club rugby bar none , looked at home at NPC level playing for Auckland but was only ever offered a wider training squad contract at the Blues , Dave Rennie jumped on the opportunity to get him to the Chiefs straight away

I have no doubt there are players who have got to bide their time but to me this is where having a real ability to identify and see pictures where a player has a possible skill set that makes your team better comes into play .

Kirwan

Man, Steven. I get you hate Auckland rugby, but give it a rest. Some coaches disagreed on selections and picked other players. We have the largest player pool to pick from and the same sized squad, there will always be people that miss out.

The Silver Fern

Blues 2024