Chiefs v Blues
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@arhs said in Chiefs v Blues:
Jeepers, this has to be the weakest looking Chiefs lineup I have ever seen! Just hope they can cope with the Blues. Retallick, Cane and McKenzie will need to be on top form! Just don't get why Messam and Ngatai in the reserves.
Is it really weaker than the Chiefs team that beat the Blues at Eden Park a month or so back?
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Unfortunately from a Blues piece I am struggling to think they can get up against a chiefs team that never seems to lack motivation for these Darby’s against their near neighbour.
I realise injury is dictating a couple of selections but I do question a couple of themKara Pryor in my opinion in last years 2017 Mitre 10 Cup for Northland was very average ,in fact he almost single Handley cost Northland a win against Otago at home.
He was one of the most penalised players in the whole comp,based on form I thought he was very fortunate to have picked up a super contract.
and what I saw in his time off the bench against the sharks did not impress me one bit.
I think Pryor tackles too high,can see what he’s trying to do,ride the player down and then use the tacklers body to get to your feet quicker,in my opinion Dalton Papalii is more effective over the ball,and chops low and gets to his feet and is bigger body and carries well.The other player I am just not sure about is TJ Faiane ?,I question wether he has got an all round game at this level,I saw a lot of tucking the ball under the arm and crashing headlong into contact, at 5’9 and just over 90kgs ,I am not sure if that what I am looking for from a smaller midfielder,if I wanted that sort of midfielder I would have just stuck a bigger body In the form of George Moala in the 12 jersey.
2 very average kicks just after the Blues had regained the lead against the sharks also did not help his or the teams cause.One player whom the Blues had on their books a couple of seasons back was Micheal Little,I personally would have him in the 12 jersey every day of the week and twice on Sundays before any of the options they have available with SBW injured.
Like Faiane,not a big guy but has an ability find space for others around him,been running around for the Sunwolves and I have been highly impressed.Well just thought I would put it out there..am I being too harsh on both Pryor and Faiane..?
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@steven-harris said in Chiefs v Blues:
Well just thought I would put it out there..am I being too harsh on both Pryor and Faiane..?
No.
Pryor was quite good a few years ago, but hasnt' been near that recently.
Faiane just ... I dunno, I haven't been impressed. Hopefully he improves, but both those kicks were ... interesting.
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@steven-harris I've been a fan of Pryor in the past, but he had a poor game against Hurricanes dev team and was bumped off tackles.
I like Faiane's attitude and skills, but he might be too small for this level at the moment.
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Yeah I thought Faiane improved the Blues backline when he came on last week - he is an actual midfielder and helped open up the attack. He was quite willing in defense too. He does have a constant high error rate however - hopefully this week he shelves his kicking game. As mentioned I do worry about his size too.
Pryor.. well the pressure will be on with Papalii on the bench and Blake Gibson I think is only about 2 or 3 more games away too.
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@tim @Steven-Harris yep Pryor hasnt moved on as much as you'd have expected in fact probably gone back. As above was average for Northland last year, had 1 very good game then rest all pretty much worth forgetting.
Even his running g game seems off, not getting the ball nit in the right parts of the field.
Needs a huge game this weekend if only to get some confidence back into his game, but playing in a teamseemingly low on confidence makes that a little harder.
I've never got the love for Faiane??
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@nepia said in Chiefs v Blues:
Why on earth would Cooper not start Ngatai? FFS, he plays for the Naki too.
more time on the field means more chance of getting injured or concussed!
save him for if we need him!
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Yes, I think starting 15 is far weaker than the team named to start that day. Weber, Seu, Laulala, Falcon, Stevenson and Brown all gone altogether.
I do see that Cooper might want a fresh Messam and Ngatai marshalling the troops in the second half, as the Blues are hard to stop when they get on a roll. But, I feel we need them for 80 minutes if possible.
I want to see Ngatai's long boot used to good effect, making Blues start from deep in their own territory. And I would have thought Messam's control at back of the scrum would be a valuable asset.
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I think the use of Messam is a key to how the team performs. In most games he has used his experience and leadership to identify periods in the game that need a lift in intensity and delivered for a massive burst of effort before running out of gas.
If I was coach I would also be tempted to see how this attribute works off the bench. -
interested to see how big Gus goes.. to be honest you'd think he'd be the perfect guy to come on in the last 20 and go nuts - Liam much better in the tighter early exchanges..
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Matson also said the coaching team had talked about the desire to have experienced players such as Messam and Ngatai to take the park at the back end of games, bringing composure to close them out.
I'd just play them for the whole game myself.
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