Crusaders 2025
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Not sure quite where this belongs, but I'll leave it here.
Richie the Mo - wins a Championship for the ninth straight year!
Extraordinary!
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@Chris-B said in Crusaders 2025:
Not sure quite where this belongs, but I'll leave it here.
Richie the Mo - wins a Championship for the ninth straight year!
Extraordinary!
11 straight titles if you include Canterbury winning the NPC in 2015 and 2016.
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Soerious question, if the Crusaders go on to win it this year, what are the opinions of Rob Penney? Would his achievement be considered one of the biggest considering he doesn't have a star 10 at his disposal unlike previous Crusaders sides and from where the team was last year? Or will it just be considered a fluke?
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@African-Monkey considering how competitive this season has been in particular, and the level of opposition they'd have to get through to get there, it'd have to be considered one of the best wins in their franchise history. At this point, it'd be impossible to call it a fluke.
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@African-Monkey That's a big IF.
Last season injuries to our most important players was a major issue. Williams, Taylor (sabbatical), Barrett, Burke and Jordan played little or no part in proceedings. Getting a few of these guys back towards the end of the season made us more threatening, but too little too late.
But, Penney also lost his way a bit with selections - he'd backed a bunch of pensioners - Franks, Moody, Crotty, Halfpenney - and they were pedestrian. The rest of the team lost confidence and we were in any case fielding some pretty NPC looking teams. At times Sevu Reece was carrying pretty much the whole show.
This year, we've mostly had those guys available. Moananu, Shalfoon, Hotham, Kemara, and Reihana have all had another year under their belts and are much improved and O'Connor is a pensioner who has largely worked out.
I'd also guess Penney and his coaching team have had any and all complacency knocked out of them and have done a better job. e.g. the weird-looking deep backline configuration has disappeared.
However, we still don't look like title winners to me. Bursts of good play, but then scuppered by errors and impatience - turning the ball over and conceding rafts of points or playing exhausting defence. Rob needs to find more answers and quite quickly.
If he does, well it will be an excellent redemption for him.
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@African-Monkey AB front row, AB captain at lock. former AB, AB, AB XV loosies. AB halfback. AB 12, former AB 13. AB 14. AB 11, AB 15.
Just because they were shit last year, doesn't make that team underdogs, even with inexperienced 10s. -
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@ACT-Crusader said in Final - Crusaders v Chiefs:
@Snowy love it bro.
Newell’s play along side Bell and Bower was pretty important at the end and it showed with the scrum dominance. The drop off beyond our 3 ABs is still a little more than you’d want in such a big game.
I wonder what they will do about Finlay Brewis next year?
If he were fit, maybe you'd deploy 1. Williams. 3. Newell. 17. Brewis. 18. Bower - dunno how George goes at tighthead these days, but I've not been impressed with either KSM or Calder there, to date.
If they cut him, we need to recruit a better second tighthead.
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@Landers92 said in Crusaders 2025:
Braydon Ennor has told newstalk zb he has extended for 1 year with the Crusaders
yeah um they must value him greatly given the foodbill riskfactor.
I didn't quite see the appeal on Saturday.
