New Zealand 2 will deal a massive blow to NZ rugby

[BuffaloRules]

Wellington to chch 435 kms
Canberra to Sydney (gws) 286 km

Maybe 1 game won’t be enough then…. Should they play 2 in Wellington ?

Wellington to Auckland - 640 km

 

[Wb1234]

Maybe 1 game won’t be enough then…. Should they play 2 in Wellington ?

Wellington to Auckland - 640 km

Nrl should encourage Australian clubs to take games v nz clubs to Wellington Hamilton and other regional towns

Once chch is sucesful (10 yrs as you said) bring in Wellington

 

[BuffaloRules]

TBF, if the SI team genuinely support NZ talent, and don't fill up the team with Oz journeymen like the Warriors have too often in the past then I might switch, but I'd feel ditry

Unfortunately if you want to win ..then Aussie journeymen are a must …

The likes of Metcalf, Ford, Barnett, Egan and others turned around that team last year

 

[BuffaloRules]

Nrl should encourage Australian clubs to take games v nz clubs to Wellington Hamilton and other regional towns

Once chch is sucesful (10 yrs as you said) bring in Wellington

I said decades , not 10 years …

I doubt there will be Nz3 prior to 2050…

 

[Wb1234]

I said decades , not 10 years …

I doubt there will be Nz3 prior to 2050…

Depends on how sucesful chch are and how much money the tv deal is and also if png and nz start producing a lot more players

The purpose of adding these expansion clubs is to grow the game

 

[Matua]

Unfortunately if you want to win ..then Aussie journeymen are a must …

The likes of Metcalf, Ford, Barnett, Egan and others turned around that team last year

Our best period was when we had minimal Oz journeyman.

Barnett is not a journeyman, he plays Origin and Roos.

Players with Ford's error rate are a dime a dozen in NZ. I'd rather see NZ plods plodding around than Aussie plods. We lucked out (pun intended) with Michael Luck and the stupid Warriors have been trying to find another him ever since, instead all we get are poor facsimiles.

Metcalf is a running 6 who looked good when Johnson was dominating last year because he didn't have to play make at all.

Egan went from hero to zero in the space of a few weeks this season. His was the worst drop in form. Granted he has been better than his early form for the Warriors suggested he would be.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Our best period was when we had minimal Oz journeyman.

Barnett is not a journeyman, he plays Origin and Roos.

Players with Ford's error rate are a dime a dozen in NZ. I'd rather see NZ plods plodding around than Aussie plods. We lucked out (pun intended) with Michael Luck and the stupid Warriors have been trying to find another him ever since, instead all we get are poor facsimiles.

Metcalf is a running 6 who looked good when Johnson was dominating last year because he didn't have to play make at all.

Egan went from hero to zero in the space of a few weeks this season. His was the worst drop in form. Granted he has been better than his early form for the Warriors suggested he would be.

I think you are underselling them … it’s interesting that they went from the cellar to the Top 4 in one year after they joined in 2023

I can very much tell you that Barnett was your definition of a journeyman before he went over there … never a chance of a rep jersey …more like an anonymous plodder working away for years off the bench in obscurity in Canberra and Newcastle …now he was your best player in 2024..

Metcalf had a great year in 2023 and SJ looked lost without him after he got injured in 2024

Ford is a solid worker that you have lacked most of the Warriors existence… missed a few games this year through injury .. but certainly not out of place in the team.

Egan was crap most of last season …don’t know what happened there after a great 2023 … maybe thought he had to do too much after SJ was struggling

 

[Gobsmacked]

Our best period was when we had minimal Oz journeyman.

Barnett is not a journeyman, he plays Origin and Roos.

Players with Ford's error rate are a dime a dozen in NZ. I'd rather see NZ plods plodding around than Aussie plods. We lucked out (pun intended) with Michael Luck and the stupid Warriors have been trying to find another him ever since, instead all we get are poor facsimiles.

Metcalf is a running 6 who looked good when Johnson was dominating last year because he didn't have to play make at all.

Egan went from hero to zero in the space of a few weeks this season. His was the worst drop in form. Granted he has been better than his early form for the Warriors suggested he would be.

It's such a dumb position. You needed a front rower, hopefully the best available within your budget.. who's available and within your budget? Well only 30% of the comp are kiwis, so chances are there's not even a prop suitable available that's a kiwi.. so you get Mitch Barnett, one of the best props in the game.
O he's a " journey man.." no thanks lol
News flash... the whole comp is " journey men" !
What percentage of players are from the area they're playing for? It's actually very rare.
Maybe all the Aussie teams only buy Aussies? Do you know how little an pathetic that would make our great comp?

What you’re suggesting is akin to Super League where players are fixed mostly to their national heritage..how's that working out?
Besides the fact that it's actually racist in a sense.
Idiot.

 

[BuffaloRules]

It's such a dumb position. You needed a front rower, hopefully the best available within your budget.. who's available and within your budget? Well only 30% of the comp are kiwis, so chances are there's not even a prop suitable available that's a kiwi.. so you get Mitch Barnett, one of the best props in the game.
O he's a " journey man.." no thanks lol
News flash... the whole comp is " journey men" !

I agree with your overall point … but in respect of Barnett,,,

He was an average player at best before he went over there at age 28 and found his best form ..there is no way you could describe him as “one of the best props” beforehand ..

 

[Gobsmacked]

I agree with your overall point … but in respect of Barnett,,,

He was an average player at best before he went over there at age 28 and found his best form ..there is no way you could describe him as “one of the best props” beforehand ..

That why I said " for your budget "
Everyone is trying to maintain a cap which makes the matter infinitely more complex.

You limit your search to your geographical location is a monumental strategical disadvantage.

There's not a reputable comp in the world that does that.. NBA, NFL, Premier league.

It's really really stupid.

 

[Wb1234]

That why I said " for your budget "
Everyone is trying to maintain a cap which makes the matter infinitely more complex.

You limit your search to your geographical location is a monumental strategical disadvantage.

There's not a reputable comp in the world that does that.. NBA, NFL, Premier league.

It's really really stupid.

He’s not totally wrong though

They don’t produce the best kiwi players

If they did the team would have hardly any Aussies

 

[Gobsmacked]

He’s not totally wrong though

They don’t produce the best kiwi players

If they did the team would have hardly any Aussies

No club does, the best players come from all over

 

[BuffaloRules]

He’s not totally wrong though

They don’t produce the best kiwi players

If they did the team would have hardly any Aussies

The Warriors also have to compete against the other Aussie clubs for NZ best young players …seems odd that they wouldn’t do the same trying to acquire talent in Australia

 

[Wb1234]

No club does, the best players come from all over

Its a club for all nz

He’s saying more locals more people will like them

It’s like les Catalans in super league have hardly any French players

Players like Hughes and fisher Harris can be developed to that standard and the warriors have missed them as juniors

 

[Wb1234]

The Warriors also have to compete against the other Aussie clubs for NZ best young players …seems odd that they wouldn’t do the same trying to acquire talent in Australia

It’s like the broncos missing the best qld talent to the storm (slater smith Inglis Munster grant etc)

 

[Gobsmacked]

The Warriors also have to compete against the other Aussie clubs for NZ best young players …seems odd that they wouldn’t do the same trying to acquire talent in Australia

Exactly, Warriors miss out on some good kiwis while Aus missed out on Metcalf and Barnett.
It's an even comp , with a salary cap.
His premise is plainly stupid.

 

[Wb1234]

The most successful club in nrl history gets most of their juniors locally

 

[Gobsmacked]

Its a club for all nz

He’s saying more locals more people will like them

It’s like les Catalans in super league have hardly any French players

Players like Hughes and fisher Harris can be developed to that standard and the warriors have missed them as juniors

You can't keep them all. There's 2 full international teams worth of talent in NZ, like 40 million dollars of talent.. the cap is 12.
Second team!!!

 

[Wb1234]

You can't keep them all. There's 2 full international teams worth of talent in NZ, like 40 million dollars of talent.. the cap is 12.
Second team!!!

All the best ones aren’t from the warriors pathways

 

[Gobsmacked]

The most successful club in nrl history gets most of their juniors locally

Lol ... who? Surely not the Pathers who are stacked with Kiwis and Samoans..?