Mitre 10 Cup 2018
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Crossover matches;
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v Taranaki
v AucklandAway
v Counties
v North HarbourFinally get Auckland at home...
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So, after things looking like being on an upward trajectory from 2017, we lose one of our star players in Alaimalo who is off to Tasman!!
Also rumours swirling about other changes (not quite as significant as losing Alaimalo) but doesnt appear any are ones coming to Northland!
SO no Alaimalo and likely sporadic use of Goodhue, 2018 aint looking quite as rosy as it was a few weeks back...
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So, after things looking like being on an upward trajectory from 2017, we lose one of our star players in Alaimalo who is off to Tasman!!
Also rumours swirling about other changes (not quite as significant as losing Alaimalo) but doesnt appear any are ones coming to Northland!
SO no Alaimalo and likely sporadic use of Goodhue, 2018 aint looking quite as rosy as it was a few weeks back...
In better less surprising news:
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@taniwharugby this whole thing stinks like a fat pile of shit. How on earth do we let one of our stars go after building what’s verging on one of the more successful Northland sides in a long time?? Beats me.
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The Northland Union has totally dropped the ball,the biggest loss is Dale Macleod , Alaimalo was quite prepared to stay with Northland as he has a great relationship with the assistant coach which goes back to his days in Canterbury but only if Macleod was resigned as the Northland assistant coach.
The union kept MacLeod on tender hooks waiting to reconfirm his position for 2018 , from what I understand he had lured Otago first five Fletcher Smith North to check out the facilities at toll stadium as they had a player coaching relationship previously down in Canterbury, Smith was very impressed with what he saw and was looking good to move until he heard about the assistant coaches possible departure.
The great thing about MacLeod he has awesome contacts and has been working recently at the NZ under 20 camps which means there are great opportunities for networking with up and coming players.
Most intriguing thing he received glowing player feedback from the reviews and is well liked around the region for much of the work he does outside his role.
Not to mention the work he does to promote our players,both Douglas and Matich picked up contracts with both the Canes and Chiefs simply because their was an advocate to push their claims and more importantly had contacts within their respective franchises.This fuck up of epic proportions pisses me off no end,sometimes in life you have got to work out what an individual brings to the table , the union should have been walking over broken glass to keep him given what he has bought to the table.
The union in a panick after hearing Alaimalo and Smith were not going to sign,tried to offer Macleod a job within the union , but not the assistant coaching job which I suspect he will decline.
At this time I really am wondering who is running the Northland rugby union Alister McGinn or Derrin Whitcombe.
With George Konia returning as assistant coach in 2018,the only confirms to me who really is running the ship.
What really worries me,Do Whitcombe and Konia really have Northland at heart. .?,or they just looking to push their own claims as career coaches..?,after all they were they were both quick to bail and head off to Japan at the end of the 2014 season.
I understand there are some very disappointed people within the union on how this has played , but unfortunately at times like this people need to stand up.
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Forgot to mention,from the mail I have heard both first fives will not be returning to Northland
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@steven-harris fuck!
We have enough issues getting it right on the park, we dont need this adminstrative BS undermining things as well!
Yeah would seem odd both Konia & DW would come back from big salaries in Japan to coach Northland for what has to be much, much less money, so they are doing it for the love, or there is another agenda...
Yeah I have heard nothing but good things about MacLeod, so to lose him and Alaimalo is a huge blow...
So 2018 with off-field issues, does that mean we will be scrapping with Southland for the wooden spoon, or will these issues be sorted and we will make back to back semi finals??
So Blundell looking very likely steering us about next year!
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Agree 100% about Dale. He was Sydenham coach and/or rugby development guy for around 10 years. He helped establish the Sydenham rugby academy graduates of which are currently All Blacks (Taylor and Laulala) and Scottish internationals (Berghan and Jonny Gray - Jonny was at Sydenham for a year as an 18 yr old) and a former Irish international (Ah You). He managed to stop the standard Christchurch thing where junior club players going off to Boys’ High and St Bede’s were snapped up by HSOB and Marist (think Nasi Manu and Elliot Dixon) and got them back to Sydenham. He was hugely popular with the players. He is a genuinely nice guy who was always prepared to have a 10 minute conversation about rugby wherever you met him. I still txt him for advice about my car!
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Clap clap for the handicapped. Well done Northland rugby, you’ve done it again. Just when things look rosy you go and shit in your nest. Congratulations 👍
So that’s both 10’s, Ranger and Alaimalo now. Sounds very much like there could be more unless the NRU run an appropriate damage control operation. By the sounds of this saga they couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery.....
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@wally
I have found Dale awesome to deal with, I and am gutted how this has played out..He is a massive loss to Northland,the union has not not considered what McLeod has bought to the table,unfortunately they have taken the side of the head coach who it seems as self interest at heart..
Watch this space,when it all turns pear,because they won’t have Ranger,Alaimalo and Goodhue who were their best backs this year they could be battling it out with Southland , and that could be an irony given whom might be coaching the stags.
I wish Dale all the very best no matter where he lands up. -
@steven-harris fuckity fuck fuck...
GUess this just sums up what it is to be a NOrthland fan, go in with zero expectations, when they deliver you cant be upset, but if they do something decent as they did for part of this season, you bask!
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@steven-harris Dale sounds like a decent bloke and I wish him all the best on his next adventure, who knows he may come back one day when our current coaches decide they’ve had enough of Northland again..
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What happened to MacLeod? Has he got a new job?
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@tim he applied for the Auckland head coach role,got down to the last 3 or so but I guess they would’nt Know a decent coach if even if one fell into their lap,they certainly don’t know a decent player when they see one, rumour I have heard,he’s down to the last 2 in line for the Southland job,hope he gets it..
If that’s the case,the Northland v Southland game next season will have some extra spice.
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C L A P
C L A P
C L A P
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Seems as though self absorbed arrogance is getting in the way of making good decisions in this case. A union like Northland always has a battle in terms of recruitment and reatainment, but with the right people (Macleod) in the right places we have a fighting chance of being better than average. Lose those sort of blokes and it all becomes a little harder.
In this day and age player/coach relationships are important, as it doesn’t take much for someone to pull up stumps and move on if they aren’t happy. It’s just how it is in the professional era. Plenty of learnings here for the NRU.
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@higgins probably not knowing our past history...
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@higgins it would appear they have learned nothing in the past 10-15 years...think back to when Northland and Tasman had thier heads on the block...one team has plodded along and had the odd moment to keep thier fans coming, the other was in the final again this year...
Granted Tasman enjoys a considerably better relationship with the Crusaders than we have had with the Blues up until the past couple of years...and even then it isn't as helpful as it could be given Lomax was supposedly looking at coming here but was no support from the blues so he went to Tasman/Highlanders
Just hope the good fortune we have had with super contracts the past couple of seasons will mitigate this off field stuff somewhat.
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So MacLeod didn't get the Southland job, does that mean the NRU have done enough to keep him or did they shit the bed so bad he is off anyway...?
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Great news for CM.
Sam Henwood has signed for the next 2 years.
Would have liked to see him stay with the Chiefs as well but I guess he has a bit more chance for playing time at the Canes.
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@crucial er ok
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@taniwharugby said in Mitre 10 Cup 2018:
@crucial er ok
Stupid TR board! Thought this was the general thread
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@crucial the Henwoods are Northlanders so it has some relavance! 😂
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@j77 said in Mitre 10 Cup 2018:
@crucial the Henwoods are Northlanders so it has some relavance! 😂
I thought he was BOP originally.
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@taniwharugby meh, we’ll claim him with that surname.
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@tim I dont know anything about him, but assume he woulda been looking to play mid-field or maybe wing, probably the one area at the start of the season he probably wouldnt have been looking to get much of a chance (without an injury) even on the bench?
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@northlandallday pretty tough start there...cliché time - gotta hit the field running!
NH away, Auckland and 'naki at home then Otago away.
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@taniwharugby
I like the draw, I think it's one of the better ones we've had, sure NH, Auckland and Naki are next tier but we haven't played Auckland at home for a few years. Any points gained in these weeks are good points. Bring it on, I'm sure the Taniwha will be hitting the ground hard and fast. -
NZ Vikings (Northland HP Squad) vs Counties Manukau HP
Wednesday 16th May 2018
Kaiwaka Sports Complex
Kick off 6:30pmThe NZ Vikings team will consist of all available contracted Northland Mitre 10 Cup squad members (Super players are not available) along with others selected from the High Performance group who are vying for selection to the Mitre 10 Cup, Development and Under 19 teams. They will be playing against a Counties team featuring a similar makeup.
There will be two teams of 15 (each playing 40 mins each) and 8 floating substitutions across both teams.
1st Half
1 Isileli Tu’ungafasi (Mid Northern)
2 Jaycob Matiu (Hora Hora)
3 Devron Phillips (Hikurangi)
4 Sean Sweetman (Wellsford)
5 Francois Marias (OBM)
6 Sam McNamara (Waipu)
7 Kane Jacobson (Kamo)
8 Taniela Manu (OBM)
9 Jono Kitto (Hikurangi)
10 Tim Blundell (Wellsford)
11 Waylen Skipps (OBM)
12 Blake Hohaia (Kamo)
13 Noah Cooper (Kerikeri)
14 Shelford Murray (Kamo)
15 Matt Tuatagaloa (Awanui)2nd Half
1 Tom Stevens (OBM)
2 Jordan Olsen (Mid Northern)
3 Boys Wiggins (OBM)
4 Alex Smith (Waipu)
5 Temo Mayanaranua (Waipu)
6 Fano Funaki (Waipu)
7 Aorangi Stokes (OBM)
8 Tom Barlow (Kamo)
9 Emil Pittman (Waipu)
10 Myles Throughgood (Kamo)
11 Renata Roberts-Te Nana (OBM)
12 Hamish Pomare (Awanui)
13 Tevite Gadeisuva (Waipu)
14 Leigh Bristowe (Hora Hora)
15 Matty Wright (Wellsford)Substitutions
1 Cambell Matthews (Hikurangi)
2 Matt Hewitt (UK/Moerewa)
3 Matt Jenson (Waipu)
4 Dane Subritzky-Clark (Awanui)
5 Ngapuhi Rogers (Kerikeri)
6 Lyric Brownlee (Hora Hora)
7 Lucas Albonoz (Waipu)
8 Jordan Hyland (Wellsford)Unavailable
Matt Matich (Chiefs)
Scott Gregory (NZ U20s)
Tom Robinson (Injured)
Jack Straker (Injured)
NZ VIKINGS (Northland HP Squad) vs COUNTIES MANUKAU HP
NZ Vikings (Northland HP Squad) vs Counties Manukau HP Wednesday 16th May 2018 Kaiwaka Sports Complex Kick off 6:30pm ...
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Matiu at hooker...
Pitman is back too, thought he was gone.
Assume Temo Mayanaranua is the big Fijian kid, heard he is a unit.
As we know, results don't always get results in rep sides, given how dominant Kamo are, isn't really reflected in those team sheets.
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Temo Mayanaranua is the Fijian Boy from Waipu,very big lad,Fano Funaki from Waipu is also a very big unit.
Very exciting looking teams,the outside backs look very impressive.
Will be very interstesting to see how Jacob Matiu goes as a hooker and we get our first look at Jono Kitto at halfback,
Great to see Sean Sweetman back playing,will be interested to see his progress.
I see a few boys from the Mangonui have been rewarded for their efforts.On paper,without all the contracted players,it looks a stronger HP squad than 2017.
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@steven-harris said in Mitre 10 Cup 2018:
Jono Kitto
Jono Kitto played for BOP a few years back. He will be a good aquisition.
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@snollygoster even better is with him and Emil Pittman, Nock will be under huge pressure to step up or he will be gone.
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Francois Marias is a former North Harbour age group player if he makes the Northland squad,could had some real height,iand is a very big man,list at 2.04 metres 118kgs..
