Blues 2018
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Interesting article
How to fix the Blues - What the other teams are doing the Blues aren't
The Blues have lost their way, lost the interest of Aucklanders and the players and coaching staff look lost for answers. How did this happen? What we do know is that other teams do things differently and are having far more success.
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I can't say I'm convinced by Tana, but I agree that the problems run far deeper.
A competitive Blues team naturally follows from Auckland being in the top two or three in the Mitre 10.
With all the resources this in fact the MINIMUM which ought to be acceptable to the Auckland union.
Reminds me of what happened to Transvaal, traditionally the strongest Bok province, but for many years reduced to whipping boys.
Don't know how they changed things, but as long suffering Blues supporter 'I want what they had'! -
@machpants I found this bit illuminating:
Currently, every player that grew up outside of the Blues region that is on the Blues roster did not go through a Blues academy. Meaning, they went through someone else’s academy and that franchise let them go. -
That line from the article is an exaggeration. Saying other franchises ‘let them go’ is more dramatic but isn’t always accurate. Some players were offered contracts by their local franchise and the Blues.. then they opted for the Blues (more money or more opportunities in a particular position)
The article also misses an important point about Blues academy players being poached by other teams. This happens because Kirwan/Umaga have been poor at promoting the good players that were under their own noses. Also, players will opt to play for a well coached full side if they have multiple options.
A chicken and the egg situation.. Yup the wider organisation has problems but I see this as another article absolving the celebrity coach of responsibility.
There is no accountability at the Blues. No media pressure on the board or coaches, no expectation on the players. -
@pakman said in Blues 2018:
Transvaal
Digressing.
But Transvaal are not traditionally the strongest Bok province. Northern Transvaal and Western Province far and away the top two (equivalent of Auckland and Canterbury).
Transvaal more like Wellington. The traditional big under achiever.
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According to the Blues' instagram, Blake Gibson is back training with the team now.
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@tim said in Blues 2018:
According to the Blues' instagram, Blake Gibson is back training with the team now.
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@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@tim said in Blues 2018:
According to the Blues' instagram, Blake Gibson is back training with the team now.
Is Charlie Ngatai ok with you using his image for someone else?
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@kirwan said in Blues 2018:
Blake Gibson has been consistently good for years, not sure what Nepia has been watching.
He’s been a huge loss for us this year. Pryor is fine, but more a bench player and prone to silly penalties.
I've been watching the same Blues games you have (probably not seen as many Auckland NPC games though), I'm not saying he's been crap (when he's been on the field) but I haven't seen a level of play that meets the hype of when he came through - and you Aucklanders are telling yourselves porkies if you don't think he's been hyped.
I hope he does meet that hype, Todd is getting on a bit so it would be nice to have him to go with Cane and Hunt.
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@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@kirwan said in Blues 2018:
Blake Gibson has been consistently good for years, not sure what Nepia has been watching.
He’s been a huge loss for us this year. Pryor is fine, but more a bench player and prone to silly penalties.
I've been watching the same Blues games you have (probably not seen as many Auckland NPC games though), I'm not saying he's been crap (when he's been on the field) but I haven't seen a level of play that meets the hype of when he came through - and you Aucklanders are telling yourselves porkies if you don't think he's been hyped.
I hope he does meet that hype, Todd is getting on a bit so it would be nice to have him to go with Cane and Hunt.
You keep using that word hype, I don’t think it means what you think it means....
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@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@kirwan Gave you the like for The Princess Bride reference, but Gibson was hyped something shocking on here, not quite to the levels of Robbie Robinson is the best 10 in Cruden's under 20s year, but close.
No he wasn’t, you are just making stuff up now.
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@kirwan said in Blues 2018:
@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@kirwan Gave you the like for The Princess Bride reference, but Gibson was hyped something shocking on here, not quite to the levels of Robbie Robinson is the best 10 in Cruden's under 20s year, but close.
No he wasn’t, you are just making stuff up now.
Bollocks, every young potentially star player gets hyped on here, pretending Gibson didn't get hyped is flat earth stuff.
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@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@kirwan said in Blues 2018:
@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@kirwan Gave you the like for The Princess Bride reference, but Gibson was hyped something shocking on here, not quite to the levels of Robbie Robinson is the best 10 in Cruden's under 20s year, but close.
No he wasn’t, you are just making stuff up now.
Bollocks, every young potentially star player gets hyped on here, pretending Gibson didn't get hyped is flat earth stuff.
Wait so he has been hyped the same as every other young potentially star player? Wouldnt that indicate he hasnt been placed above those others? And if every young potentially star player gets hyped why are you singling him out?
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@kiwimurph said in Blues 2018:
@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@kirwan said in Blues 2018:
@nepia said in Blues 2018:
@kirwan Gave you the like for The Princess Bride reference, but Gibson was hyped something shocking on here, not quite to the levels of Robbie Robinson is the best 10 in Cruden's under 20s year, but close.
No he wasn’t, you are just making stuff up now.
Bollocks, every young potentially star player gets hyped on here, pretending Gibson didn't get hyped is flat earth stuff.
Wait so he has hyped the same as every other young potentially star player? Wouldnt that indicate he hasnt been placed above those others? And if every young potentially star player gets hyped why are you singling him out?
Apparently he was never ever hyped.
He's getting singled out because he's being discussed as @Steven-Harris brought him up and I said I'd like to see him play more (and not be injured) as I feel he's been hyped. Then I made a joke about him being injured as much as Ngatai. Then all you Aucklanders circled the wagons.
As I said previously in this thread I want him to reach the hype ... not being injured would help.
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@rapido said in Blues 2018:
@pakman said in Blues 2018:
Transvaal
Digressing.
But Transvaal are not traditionally the strongest Bok province. Northern Transvaal and Western Province far and away the top two (equivalent of Auckland and Canterbury).
Transvaal more like Wellington. The traditional big under achiever.
Fair comment, more like third of the big three. But the point is that Lions have really got their shit sorted in last two or three years -- what changed?
