Pacific Cup 2024

[Blair]

The jersey:



The jersey is by Classic and is old school. The only patch I could find is the one I've ironed on it. It's long-sleeved. I was wearing it to the final next week.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Well played MMT, deserved the win. AFB and Taumalolo were immense in the first 30 especially.

If they can repeat that effort they’ll give the Roos a good run, but they’ll need to figure out how to keep the momentum going when their two main men get spelled.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

I was wrong in backing the legend as a coach.
Stacey is not a good coach. That is all.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Tonga winning just seals a shit 2024 for NZ Warriors and Kiwis for me.
2025 is not looking better.

 

[Blair]

I was wrong in backing the legend as a coach.
Stacey is not a good coach. That is all.

Is he still hanging around the Warriors?

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Is he still hanging around the Warriors?

I am uncertain. Blairy being around is enough

Knights move is good for all of NZ.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Tonga winning just seals a shit 2024 for NZ Warriors and Kiwis for me.
2025 is not looking better.

Kiwis will be much better next year if they get their full complement of players.

NAS and Leota will stiffen up the middle even more; Hughes, Brown and Smith/JMK completely change the spine dynamic and Nikora will add genuine threat on the edge.

Biggest issue will be in the coaching box cos unfortunately Stacey is not a head coach. I can’t see him getting flicked or stepping down though, so dunno how NZRL are going to fix the mess they created.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Can we just go back to a normal old fashioned haka ?

Don’t know if there is anything in it, but all the big boppers that put so much into the pre match performance were awful for the 20mins after it

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Kiwis will be much better next year if they get their full complement of players.

NAS and Leota will stiffen up the middle even more; Hughes, Brown and Smith/JMK completely change the spine dynamic and Nikora will add genuine threat on the edge.

Biggest issue will be in the coaching box cos unfortunately Stacey is not a head coach. I can’t see him getting flicked or stepping down though, so dunno how NZRL are going to fix the mess they created.

Oh, I understand that our Kiwis squad was weakened due to injuries and the long season.

Australia is also missing key players.

Tonga will be lucky to be competitive against the Australians in the final

The coaching is where I am worried. Stacey left Sorensen on way too long and I questioned Riki being dropped. Riki made a mistake last week but played good other than that.

 

[Blair]

Can we just go back to a normal old fashioned haka ?

Don’t know if there is anything in it, but all the big boppers that put so much into the pre match performance were awful for the 20mins after it.

I'd often think the Kiwis were all haka and no football, when we'd capitulate to the Kangaroos over many years.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

I’m prepared to give Stacey more of a crack at it. I didn’t expect us to win either game with the squad we had, and we were competitive, without being overly flash in either game. Tonight in the first half, not sure I put that down to coaching, the senior players like Fish and Tapine were terrible and error after error was made

I remember back to Maguires first year, and we lost 3 out of 4 to England

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Tonight in the first half, not sure I put that down to coaching, the senior players like Fish and Tapine were terrible and error after error was made

Could be wrong here, will need to watch a replay to see for sure.. but did it seem like the Kiwis deliberately played on the edges more in the first 40? Seemed like Fish especially was passing at the line a lot more than I’ve seen him do before.

If so, that was definitely a coaching call - a shit one at that - and explains why Tapine and Fish were anonymous till their second stints in the second 40 when the team was finally playing more direct.

 

[Blair]

The elephant in the room might be the crowd. It was like a home game for Tonga, a sea of red.

There might not be much of an NZ crowd next week either, as it's a plate final but under the same expensive ticket as the final.