What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

SHOCKING ADMISSION - Adam Blair Admits "Warriors Are Not Tough Enough To Play NRL"

Blair

Coach
Messages
10,083
PRODIGAL SONS TO RETURN HOME

PACKER PACKING BAGS TO COME HOME ON 4 YEAR DEAL

MATULINO FORGIVES WARRIORS - SIGNS FOR $1.3m Per SEASON FOR 3 YEARS

STEPHEN KEARNEY SIGNS EXTENSION - 3 YEARS

'Mannering re-signs for one-year mega-deal, "Duty called,", said inspirational former skipper.'
 

Iron Lion

Juniors
Messages
1,216
“Iron lion to debut after watmough signing goes sour”.

You wouldn't want the Iron Lion in the team. He would upset the bro culture with some very direct talk.

There may be punch ups inside the squad before the Roosters sign Iron Lion on a life-changing deal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hov

Rich102

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,524
To be honest Mr Angry I haven't seen any improvement since Stacey joined the coaches.
 

Mr Angry

Not a Referee
Messages
51,764
To be honest Mr Angry I haven't seen any improvement since Stacey joined the coaches.
I cannot argue, but not in charge either.

But yeah, not helping it seems.

Neither is Brian, I am at a loss for an answer.

Well starts with the potato.
 

Mr Angry

Not a Referee
Messages
51,764
Hey much could you use him now?
Stacey+Jones+NRL+Rd+14+Warriors+v+Knights+wdqnDS_Rjt4l.jpg

Legend
 
Messages
13,584
How can the Warriors owners, management be so out of touch with the supporting fan base?

If you could even call it supporting any more?

If a blind man and his dog can see there is only one good forward at the Warriors called Tohu Harris. How can't they?

It's not just Adam Blair who is a joke its the whole forward pack.

Isaiah Papalii is shit. How the f@ck this guy made the kiwi's is an enigma. He has no talent. NONE. Yet he is picked every week in the NRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's like they just decided he can lift weights, only 18 years old, good at cross fit. Yep here is a NRL Warriors starting jersey. You can do it. You can play grow men every week.

How are you Adam Blair you made 10m last week, Almost at 300 games. Yep Starting Backrow.

Satae you signed for 3 years. We only signed you because the Storm wanted you. It was a knee-jerk reaction. You can play once every 6 weeks.

Sao, you suck but not as much as these guys starting before you. Ok you can play once every 5 weeks.

AK we are backing you to play 6. You start week one. Good game son you start week two. Nah you suck. Never play first grade again.

CHT your time now son. Yep your good you start next week. Oh whats that?? "Seibold thinks Nikorima is shit" Quick quick quick he is kiwi and a maori lets sign him. It works. Smash out that cap. Sorry CHT you still need to develop.

Issac Luke. People in stand doing haka. Best highlight of your game.

Gerrard Beale. Safe with good ball skills. Yeah safe with Kearneys balls in his mouth.

Persist playing Kata for 5 years. Opps just realised he's shit. Drop him.

Pulu 3 year contract. No game for you your shit too.

Pita Hiku cant tackle released by Manly. Starting Warriors centre.

I CAN'T BELIEVE that Stephen Kearney is that thick and stupid.

Yet here we are. And YES He is.

The Warriors are the biggest embarrassment in New Zealand sport.

Even more embarrassing than the Auckland blues!!!

We used to have young talented jnrs who gave us hope.

Now we dont even have those anymore.

Kearney you f@ckwit. Play Perham. Give us something you dick!

“Gerrard Beale. Safe with good ball skills. Yeah safe with Kearneys balls in his mouth.“

:joy:
 

Iafeta

Referee
Messages
24,357
Listened to a podcast with Kevin Campion. He mentioned that when he was at the club it seemed to go well because it had a mix of Australians to lead the way, yet I look at this mob and mostly it’s Kiwi lads (and it seems that’s the recruitment strategy too).

He mentioned when he was back as an assistant coach he found the young local lads seemed to think they’d made it and didn’t need to put the hard yards in to prepare.

I wonder if over a decade on from Kevs time at the club that he’s still right on the mark. Dollar for dollar it’s probably true that Kiwi lads will come here or play here for less on average. But you look at this weeks team, we have Green, Burr and Lawton, and locals.

Perhaps the kiwis only approach would work if the local comp was as hard nailsed as it was back in the day. But from what I can see it seems a massive step up even into reserve grade where we are regularly getting belted.

If I go back and this may be simplistic, but the successful Warriors teams have had tough as teak Australians. Whether it be Campion, Cleary, Carlaw, Marsh, Steve Price, George Gatis, Mick Luck, James Maloney...

Thoughts?
 
Messages
16,409
Listened to a podcast with Kevin Campion. He mentioned that when he was at the club it seemed to go well because it had a mix of Australians to lead the way, yet I look at this mob and mostly it’s Kiwi lads (and it seems that’s the recruitment strategy too).

He mentioned when he was back as an assistant coach he found the young local lads seemed to think they’d made it and didn’t need to put the hard yards in to prepare.

I wonder if over a decade on from Kevs time at the club that he’s still right on the mark. Dollar for dollar it’s probably true that Kiwi lads will come here or play here for less on average. But you look at this weeks team, we have Green, Burr and Lawton, and locals.

Perhaps the kiwis only approach would work if the local comp was as hard nailsed as it was back in the day. But from what I can see it seems a massive step up even into reserve grade where we are regularly getting belted.

If I go back and this may be simplistic, but the successful Warriors teams have had tough as teak Australians. Whether it be Campion, Cleary, Carlaw, Marsh, Steve Price, George Gatis, Mick Luck, James Maloney...

Thoughts?

I'd love to see some stats, number of Aussies in the team and position on the ladder.

It is hard to judge character/quality of Aussie players vs pure quantity though.
 

Rich102

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,524
I sent Jim Doyle an email when the club began this "Recruit Kiwi" campaign asking if it was now club policy.
His reply, which I posted on here, was that they would recruit the best they could get.
So either the overseas players don't want to come here or they want massive overs to come. (Though Blair hardly seems like a bargain.)The coach would have a say in this as well.
We used to be overflowing with second string Aussies, now I would think they would walk into the starting side.
 

spear tackle

Juniors
Messages
1,176
Listened to a podcast with Kevin Campion. He mentioned that when he was at the club it seemed to go well because it had a mix of Australians to lead the way, yet I look at this mob and mostly it’s Kiwi lads (and it seems that’s the recruitment strategy too).

He mentioned when he was back as an assistant coach he found the young local lads seemed to think they’d made it and didn’t need to put the hard yards in to prepare.

I wonder if over a decade on from Kevs time at the club that he’s still right on the mark. Dollar for dollar it’s probably true that Kiwi lads will come here or play here for less on average. But you look at this weeks team, we have Green, Burr and Lawton, and locals.

Perhaps the kiwis only approach would work if the local comp was as hard nailsed as it was back in the day. But from what I can see it seems a massive step up even into reserve grade where we are regularly getting belted.

If I go back and this may be simplistic, but the successful Warriors teams have had tough as teak Australians. Whether it be Campion, Cleary, Carlaw, Marsh, Steve Price, George Gatis, Mick Luck, James Maloney...

Thoughts?

I think it is a recruitment thing, we seem to be obsessed with getting kiwis into the side where as you say in the past we were at our best with a decent smattering of Australian's in the side as well. They certainly don't need to be superstars either just handy players that for one reason or another keep missing out on a regular first grade spot. For example James Maloney wasn't wanted by any other NRL club at one point we took him probably because we were desperate for a number 6 and he was desperate for a gig but while he was here it worked well for both parties.
I'm not fussed if we sign a few Australians that want to use us as a stepping stone to get to another club (some will stay some wont) as long as they put in while they are here and maybe ,just maybe inspire some of the local players to step up.I think when you boil it down fans don't really care where our players are from so long as they are wearing the jersey with pride and we're on the right side of the scoreboard.
On a side note when the new owners took over I was terrified to hear one of them say that they wanted to ditch reserve grade and pull players out of the local comp to throw straight into the first grade side, not the way to go if you want a good long term career.
 

JJ

Immortal
Messages
31,738
Listened to a podcast with Kevin Campion. He mentioned that when he was at the club it seemed to go well because it had a mix of Australians to lead the way, yet I look at this mob and mostly it’s Kiwi lads (and it seems that’s the recruitment strategy too).

He mentioned when he was back as an assistant coach he found the young local lads seemed to think they’d made it and didn’t need to put the hard yards in to prepare.

I wonder if over a decade on from Kevs time at the club that he’s still right on the mark. Dollar for dollar it’s probably true that Kiwi lads will come here or play here for less on average. But you look at this weeks team, we have Green, Burr and Lawton, and locals.

Perhaps the kiwis only approach would work if the local comp was as hard nailsed as it was back in the day. But from what I can see it seems a massive step up even into reserve grade where we are regularly getting belted.

If I go back and this may be simplistic, but the successful Warriors teams have had tough as teak Australians. Whether it be Campion, Cleary, Carlaw, Marsh, Steve Price, George Gatis, Mick Luck, James Maloney...

Thoughts?

It's spot on - not so much about Aussies per se, for me it's more about those that have had to work hard to get there, and have the fundamental skills and mental toughness to do the little things. It seems to come too easy for the Kiwi kids in the lower grades, they lack the fundamental skills and work ethic, and struggle at the top end - and don't seem to handle adversity well

Tohu Harris and RTS don't take short cuts, and offer everything that those Aussies did (perhaps with the exception of the leadership of Campion, Price, and Luck - to some extent anyway in that the Aussies tend to back up their play with a strong verbal presence).

Big Adam presumably was signed for similar reasons, but I can only assume that nobody had actually been watching him play... even at the Broncos he was pretty shithouse, but clearly he's a bit of a downhill skier - has been good/decent when surrounded by talent, when supposed to be a leader he's largely invisible on field. s I've said elsewhere, Newcastle must be smiling so hard on the inside that they 'lost' the battle for him lol
 

Iron Lion

Juniors
Messages
1,216
I have said this time and time again.

The warriors should be actively targetting 2 - 3 rugby converts (Grown men not kids) from the local provincial competition every year to train preseason with them.

There is a MASSIVE talent base of rugby players in New Zealand. It's ENORMOUS.

Players coming through the high school structures into New Zealand provincial rugby have higher skill levels. They do the basics extremely well and they all cant be super rugby players or All Blacks.

  • Other NRL teams scout Fiji and the islands.
  • The Warriors are ignoring the greatest player growth nursery in their own back yard.
Here is an example of players they should be after

Auckland

Hoskins Sotutu
Salesi Rayasi

Counties

TEVITA NABURA
VILIAMI TAULANI

Waikato

Samisoni Taukei'aho
Quinn Tupaea (PRIORITY TARGET) THROW THE CASH!

Warriors have simply got it wrong. They should be raiding rugby ranks. Yes, you win some lose some but at the end of the day. ALL THE TALENT IS IN RUGBY. SO F@#KING SIGN THEM UP.
 

ZEROMISSTACKLES

First Grade
Messages
8,666
I have said this time and time again.

The warriors should be actively targetting 2 - 3 rugby converts (Grown men not kids) from the local provincial competition every year to train preseason with them.

There is a MASSIVE talent base of rugby players in New Zealand. It's ENORMOUS.

Players coming through the high school structures into New Zealand provincial rugby have higher skill levels. They do the basics extremely well and they all cant be super rugby players or All Blacks.

  • Other NRL teams scout Fiji and the islands.
  • The Warriors are ignoring the greatest player growth nursery in their own back yard.
Here is an example of players they should be after

Auckland

Hoskins Sotutu
Salesi Rayasi

Counties

TEVITA NABURA
VILIAMI TAULANI

Waikato

Samisoni Taukei'aho
Quinn Tupaea (PRIORITY TARGET) THROW THE CASH!

Warriors have simply got it wrong. They should be raiding rugby ranks. Yes, you win some lose some but at the end of the day. ALL THE TALENT IS IN RUGBY. SO F@#KING SIGN THEM UP.
I agree but even then they need to be thorough with their analysis of who and how far up their union recruit is compared to what we already have. You don't want to pick someone and keep saying "see he's good, he's good", when in actuality, he's only slightly better than who he replaced. The scouting needs to be on point.
 

Iron Lion

Juniors
Messages
1,216
I agree but even then they need to be thorough with their analysis of who and how far up their union recruit is compared to what we already have. You don't want to pick someone and keep saying "see he's good, he's good", when in actuality, he's only slightly better than who he replaced. The scouting needs to be on point.

I agree. The analysis would need to be accurate.

The thinking process around this is The New Zealand Rugby investment in their development systems has done the core skill work. These players already have a rock solid base to work from.

Warriors have been trying to sign 16 - 18 year olds.

Their focus should be on 20 - 24-year-olds.

Forget the next young rock star. Sign players who are talented and good to go now.

Then put them in the fire pan and see who can respond. You wouldn't think it is rocket science right?

So why should the Warriors target provincial rugby players in the 20 - 24 year age group?

  • These players have already worked with high-level systematic coaches
  • They are educated to professional work standards and will have a higher work ethic
  • They have come from an ultra-competitive environment.
  • They understand core duties in their roles
  • They are drilled to compete
  • They understand stats and their importance
  • They are wanting an opportunity to break out and be 'known'
  • You have to worry less about player development and more about actual coaching strategy
  • Physically they are better developed due to the fierce competition they have already faced
  • Their conditioning is likely to be higher
  • They want to be stars
Do you like smart investments? I do, do the Warriors?
 

Latest posts

Top