Ultimate NPC: - Waikato
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Who ya gonna select?
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I'll have a think about this. I've seen 3 eras of successful Waikato teams in person but some of the names from the 1950s and 60s are legendary.
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- Richard Loe
- Warren Gatland
- Graham Purvis
- Royce Willis
- Keith Robinson
- Aaron Hopa
- Duane Monkley
- John Mitchell ( c )
- Rhys Duggan
- John Boe
- Bruce Reihana
- Rhys Ellis
- Richard Kahui
- Sitiveni Sivivatu
- Daryl Halligan
(Don Clarke)
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Hopa had to be in the team and he did play 6 a bit but Mitchell Starts and Captains the team from 8.
Wrote and swapped TKB and Duggan in and out about 6 times.
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@Hooroo Rhys Ellison or Chris Ellis? I would lean towards McLeod.
So mainly the 1992 pack. I will pick an amateur era and professional era team and then decide.
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@Bovidae said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
@Hooroo Rhys Ellison or Chris Ellis? I would lean towards McLeod.
So mainly the 1992 pack. I will pick an amateur era and professional era team and then decide.
I wasn't a fan of McLeod as a player. I have fond memories of being at Rugby park watching Rhys Ellison so that's why he gets the nod from me.
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Holah over Monkley
Also, Todd Miller was incredible when he first arrived
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@Duluth said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
Holah over Monkley
Also, Todd Miller was incredible when he first arrived
Couldn't play Sundays
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@Duluth said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
Holah over Monkley
Also, Todd Miller was incredible when he first arrived
Holah is on the bench
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Based on playing post 1976 my team would be:
- Loe
- Gatland
- Purvis
- Gibbes (c)
- Robinson
- Hopa
- Holah
- Messam
- Duggan
- Donald
- Sivivatu
- ALB
- Kahui
- Randle
- DMac
I've left out some of my favourite Mooloo players.
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@Bovidae I thought Loe played tighthead? Was he a loosehead?
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@Hooroo He played both but LH when playing with Purvis, who was only a TH.
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@Bovidae said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
@Hooroo He played both but LH when playing with Purvis, who was only a TH.
Nice! I need to switch mine around then.
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There was a time when Loe was at LH for Waikato but TH for the ABs (e.g. 1988). Not too common now.
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I could have picked Mils at fullback but he is really an Auckland player.
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A team from the amateur era.
- Paul Koteka
- Ron Hemi
- Ian Clarke
- Steve Gordon
- Richard Jerram
- Rex Pickering
- Duane Monkley
- John Mitchell
- Ponty Reid
- Ian Foster
- Jason Goldsmith
- Rhys Ellison
- Arthur Stone
- Bruce Smith
- Don Clarke
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The Gordon brothers were good.
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@Bovidae I thought we were doing players who participated in the NPC?
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@Tim Refer to my first team posted.
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@Bovidae Jasin Goldsmith wasn't it?
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Oops, there I go caring.
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OK, to get some input from other Waikato fans.
The front row would be unanimous.
Choices for other positions:
Locks - Steve Gordon, Brent Anderson, Mark Cooksley, Keith Robinson, Royce Willis, Jono Gibbes
Blindsides - Miah Melsom, Richard Jerram, Aaron Hopa, Steven Bates, Liam Messam
Opensides - Duane Monkley vs Marty Holah
No.8s - Brian Morrissey, John Mitchell, Deon Muir, Sione Lauaki
Halfbacks - Rhys Duggan vs Tawera Kerr-Barlow. Kevin Putt, Simon Crabb, Brendon Leonard and Byron Kelleher also in the mix.
1st 5s - John Boe, Ian Foster, Glen Jackson, David Hill, Stephen Donald
Midfield - Chris Ellis, Arthur Stone, Matthew Cooper, Rhys Ellison, Scott McLeod, Keith Lowen, Richard Kahui, Anton Lienert-Brown
Wingers - Bruce Smith (70 tries in 83 games), Bruce Reihana (45 in 81), Roger Randle (50 in 59), Sitiveni Sivivatu (19 in 30), Sevu Reece (26 in 33)
Fullbacks - Andrew Strawbridge, Daryl Halligan, Matthew Cooper, Todd Miller, Mils Muliaina, Damian McKenzie -
@Bovidae
will add some more names for us old buggers
foxy bennett i think he was still playing when npc started
hud ricket
geoff hines
dick myers
kevin greene -
@Hooroo said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
- Richard Loe
- Warren Gatland
- Graham Purvis
- Royce Willis
- Keith Robinson
- Aaron Hopa
- Duane Monkley
- John Mitchell ( c )
- Rhys Duggan
- John Boe
- Bruce Reihana
Rhys EllisArthur Stone- Richard Kahui
- Sitiveni Sivivatu
- Daryl Halligan (Don Clarke)
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@booboo Your 12 there is "he who shall never be mentioned" around me (and my father).
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@Snowy said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
@booboo Your 12 there is "he who shall never be mentioned" around me (and my father).
Can you mention why?
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@booboo 1980 (I think) Ranfurly shield challenge. Intercept try. 7 - 3. We left Eden Park in "Stony" silence.
Back to bloody counselling for me.
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@ploughboy said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
@Bovidae
will add some more names for us old buggers
foxy bennett i think he was still playing when npc started
hud ricket
geoff hines
dick myers
kevin greeneMy first Waikato game as a kid was in 1980 so the first 3 on that list were stalwarts of that RS team. Add in Koteka and Searancke in the front row. Up and under here we go!
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@Bovidae myers was on the bench when they won the shield off auckland . george simpkins called himup to add experence. didnt add kiwi as didnt think he should be in mix good player though.
my team
bam bam koteka
gatland
loe
ricket
robinson
hopa
monkley
myers
greene
foster
sivivtu
ellis
kahui
smith
strawbridge -
@ploughboy I don't remember Hud Rickit being that great around the field, more just a tall lineout forward. John Fleming was another good lock from that period.
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@Bovidae to be fair around the park wasnt his strong point but that era that wasnt what they trained for.
ALB and DMAC proberly should be in team . -
murray tayler at ten was awesome till he broke his leg never got back to same form afterwards
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If we have to pick a captain, to me it comes down to Mitchell, Gibbes or Messam. Bennett doesn't make the team ahead of Gatland and neither would Bates.
It's amazing that Mitchell remains the 2nd highest try-scorer for Waikato with 67. I wonder how many of those were from pushover tries?
For lock I think you need a power lock to complement Robinson. Anderson, Gordon or Willis.
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gats could captain team. i would pick willis if we had to go for a power lock. captain has to be a starter pick your best players not your captain and make him a starter.
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@Bovidae said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
OK, to get some input from other Waikato fans.
The front row would be unanimous.
Choices for other positions:
Locks - Steve Gordon, Brent Anderson, Mark Cooksley, Keith Robinson, Royce Willis, Jono Gibbes
Blindsides - Miah Melsom, Richard Jerram, Aaron Hopa, Steven Bates, Liam Messam
Opensides - Duane Monkley vs Marty Holah
No.8s - Brian Morrissey, John Mitchell, Deon Muir, Sione Lauaki
Halfbacks - Rhys Duggan vs Tawera Kerr-Barlow. Kevin Putt, Simon Crabb, Brendon Leonard and Byron Kelleher also in the mix.
1st 5s - John Boe, Ian Foster, Glen Jackson, David Hill, Stephen Donald
Midfield - Chris Ellis, Arthur Stone, Matthew Cooper, Rhys Ellison, Scott McLeod, Keith Lowen, Richard Kahui, Anton Lienert-Brown
Wingers - Bruce Smith (70 tries in 83 games), Bruce Reihana (45 in 81), Roger Randle (50 in 59), Sitiveni Sivivatu (19 in 30), Sevu Reece (26 in 33)
Fullbacks - Andrew Strawbridge, Daryl Halligan, Matthew Cooper, Todd Miller, Mils Muliaina, Damian McKenzieKeith Lowen wasn't alone in that NPC winning midfield...he had a future AB next to him, who at least deserves to make a list featuring Ellis, Lowen and Ellison....
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@ploughboy said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
gats could captain team. i would pick willis if we had to go for a power lock. captain has to be a starter pick your best players not your captain and make him a starter.
Fair enough. Honestly, I always thought Mitchell was the least deserving of that loose forward trio to make the ABs. Jerram and Monkley should have made the ABs ahead of him.
I would happily pick Hopa at 6 and Messam at no.8. I would still select Holah though.
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@shark said in Ultimate NPC: - Waikato:
Keith Lowen wasn't alone in that NPC winning midfield...he had a future AB next to him, who at least deserves to make a list featuring Ellis, Lowen and Ellison....
The reason I didn't include Regan King was that he only played 23 games for Waikato. The others played 50+, and in some cases 100+. None of them makes my team anyway.
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I fucked that up anyway. Waikato didn't win the NPC in 2002, did they? But they must have had a good run. I was living in Australia at the time but recall the hype around King and Lowen and Waikato doing well??
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Updated team:
- Koteka
- Gatland
- Loe
- Willis
- Robinson
- Hopa
- Holah/Monkley
- Messam
- Duggan/Greene
- Donald/Jackson/Foster/W Smith
- Sivivatu
- Lienert-Brown
- Kahui
- Randle/B Smith
- Muliaina/McKenzie/Strawbridge
