Out thought. Out enthused

[Blake]

Kemp simply is a mug. IF there is anytime to use baxter or someone new at fullback then it has to be against Newcastle this week. They are looking likely woodenspooners. Ropati to 6 and be done with it. Get rid of Meli and Toopi. Amazes me how Toopi can be dropped for a match then get the break of a lifetime and be back - to silance people for one game. What is up with the kid? Talk about believing your own hype.

What embarasses me the most is the fact that Cleary and Campion are part of this humiliating piece of theatre.

If the season continues like this - then when should Kemp go and who should take over from him?

 

[bayrep]

I think if we keep this up we will struggle to make the 8. To me it was the discipline that let us down again Monty leading by example in this again

 

[Blake]

have fantastic forwards - but no one really runs off the hip. I thought they were fit this year?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

As soon as the rain started I knew we were in for trouble, for some reason (god knows why considering how wet the Auckland winter is) the Warriors have never been a wet weather side. Afew points to note from the game:
1: We got suckered into playing the Tigers at their own game. The Tigers spin it at every opportunity because they lack size upfront and have talent to burn in the backline. The Warriors aren't like that; chucking it around does us no good unless our big men already have them backpedalling. No more lightweight bench selection, the first objective in every game has to be to dominate up front.
2: Sione is not a centre. He's a great ball-playing back rower and should be selected as such. Byrne or Martin should be at centre and Vatuvei on the wing.
3: Hohaia is a crap 5/8. Every time I hear "Jones to Hohaia, the two halves combinig" I cringe, because in fact it means "Jones to Hohaia, Hohaia gets tackled". He triesto take on the line every time when he should be trying to put his centres away occaisionally.
4: Ropati ain't a fullback. He's a damn good 5/8 though, drop Hohaia, and if Webb isn't fit (he sure wasn't this week) give Atkins or Laiseni a crack.
5: You don't pick a side with only two specialist props and then only use one of them for 25 min.

Next week drop Hohaia, play Ropati at 5/8, bring Villa or Tuimavave onto the bench and Sione to the second row.
I think this year is shaping up to be another 2001; were going to go most of the season in a LWLWLW sequence, and probably finish around 7-8. The players should b plenty motivaterd for the trip to Newcastle next weekend at least. (they'd better, because I'll probably head up there for the game)

 

[Blake]

Why on earth are we too slow to adapt to the rushing defence and in saying that - why are our boys too slow to adopt this technique?

The roosters beat us with it a few years back and the cowboys started it last year on us and now the tigers know they have an edge on us.

Why are we SO much dumber when it comes to league intelligence? Price isn't, neither are byrne or fien. So why the kiwis?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

It has nothing to do with whether a player is a Kiwi or an Aussie, plenty of Kiwis playing in Aussie teams have great tactical nous. I'd blame the coaching staff.

 

[Blake]

This nous you talk off has never really been around - perhaps Anderson had it - but that disappeared from the team very very quickly.

So you are suggesting the coaching Price, Fien and Byrne received prior to joining the warriors is the reason they are so much smarter on the field? Doesn't take a street sweeper to know you shouldn't always rush out of a line on defence leaving you exposed out wide. Yet how many times does Meli do this? So many examples in this team of the boys believing their own hype. Yet they talk about God etc etc then act like chumps on the field. It's embarassing.

 

[NZ Warrior]

I think you would be looking at a totally different side if you dropped Toopi & Meli together. No more "hollier than thou" defense down the wings. Shit, I hope Kemp has some balls about him this week and makes the big calls.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

This nous you talk off has never really been around - perhaps Anderson had it - but that disappeared from the team very very quickly.

So you are suggesting the coaching Price, Fien and Byrne received prior to joining the warriors is the reason they are so much smarter on the field? Doesn't take a street sweeper to know you shouldn't always rush out of a line on defence leaving you exposed out wide. Yet how many times does Meli do this? So many examples in this team of the boys believing their own hype. Yet they talk about God etc etc then act like chumps on the field. It's embarassing.

Of course some of our team are boofheads, Meli and Toopi are the obvious ones. But guys like Jones, L. Anderson, Koopu, Ropati certainly look as smart as anyone else on the paddock to me. I get sick of the inferiority complex that some people seem to have about our players not being as smart as Australians.

 

[Blake]

Your right about the four players you named as being smart. But consistently too many of our players show themselves to have sweet f.a. between the ears. I don't see nearly as many aussies make the f'n dumb mistakes our boys make. And when you think about the amount of aussie's in the comp vs NZ's then I think you will see this subject is not a inferiority complex but pretty close to fact, reality what ever you wanna call it.