AB squad for the EOYT
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@nostrildamus said in AB squad for the EOYT:
@pukunui isn't Ngatai a 12 as well as a 13?
Does it matter at this point? By the time he comes back, if ever, that Crotty-ALB midfield will have had a fair bit of time together and may well have cemented themselves as first choice. There is also SBW to consider.
@Billy-Tell said in AB squad for the EOYT:
@pukunui said in AB squad for the EOYT:
@Billy-Tell said in AB squad for the EOYT:
@pukunui said in AB squad for the EOYT:
Pretty good squad. Even with the guys we have missing. SBW/NMS/Harris/Ngatai
Not good that our locks both have i jury concerns now but im sure pat t and romero can do the job again Ireland if needed.
Happy to see Ioane there. He has a heap of potential. Will be interesting to see if they play him as a wing or a midfielder. Haven't see any comments for Hansen so this might have been covered. Also haven't therefore heard about Dmac. Where are they seeing him playing now?
Also good to see Luatua there. But they have a lot of back rowers now with Todd in. Will be interesting to see how they play it.
Bit surprised to see S Barrett and Fifita (more so)called in ahead of Bird. Fifita doesn't strike me as a test lock and we have plenty of 6 cover.
Good to see Jordie taken as an apprentice. Can only be good for him IMO.
It's my little bugbear but Ngātai has currently done nil of note at international level. Based on an excellent half season of super rugby he keeps getting suggested as an essential missing cog of the ABs wheel. Not yet IMO...
Don't think anyone is saying he is an essential cog. But the fact is he is part our depth and was looking likea potential starter. Losing a potential starter would cause damage to a lot of teams, the ABs not so much at the moment, which was the point i was making.
And for the record he has been good for more than a 'half season'. He has been consistently good for chiefs/naki/maori for a long time now. Unfortunately he is consistently injured too. So when he has a 'half season' where he is easily the best midfielder in NZ,!after we just lost the best ABs midfield partnership ever, IMO people putting him in the equation is justified.
Bit of a moot point anyway. He may never play again and ALB is killing it.It's also a moot point whether he was intended as the designated 12. I have never seen nor read a quote from Hansen along the lines of "we intended Ngatai to be our 12, but due to his injury we are forced to go with Crotty".
I'm not dissing Ngatai, he very much impressed me too, but the jury is completely out on his international class. Hopefully he does come back from injury.
Still not seeing people claiming he is an "essential missing cog" though. We seem to agree he is in the mix.
My original point stands that despite having two guys who were very much in the hunt for that starting midfield out injured we have a pretty good crop of players available for this tour. -
@nostrildamus He can play in both positions. Ngatai was at centre in the 2013 Super final vs the Brumbies so it's not like he has just appeared this season.
If everyone is fit and in form next year, the AB selectors will have some difficult decisions to make. That has to be a good thing.
