I have been really impressed with Ngani's performances, plenty of intent/focus and pretty good all round.
However after the last game, I do believe it is the right thing to do - he needs to improve his positioning just a little and be quick laterally.
If he doesnt get put back in vulcans, then I hope he plays centre.
The warriors have done a good job on Laumape, no doubt.
He will just get better - to be honest I had seen him play before last year, but he didnt have a blockboster year in nyc last year.
did anybody see Parramatta's team. They have named like three debutants (all kiwis)?
Pehwairangi (replacing loko), Peni Terepo, Kaysa Pritchard
Exactly. I'm thrilled with how Ngani has gone. Who honestly here thought the lad would A) play first grade B) be very good at it. I didn't see anything that jumped out at me in NYC.
I don't think he's being punished as much as, as you rightly point out, there's a couple of small things that has been worked out, that needs ironing out. I suspect they're doing the same with Hurrell. Last year with Hurrell they'd play him 40 minutes, but he'd never go back a grade to dominate and iron out some of the small flaws.
Ropatie needs more time in the vulcans. Manu has played like 2 games this year I would give him a week in the vulcans. I would have the warriors and vulcans back lines looking like this for this week
Vulcans
1 ropatie
2
3 tuimavave( if neilsen keeps getting injuried and hurrel doesn't come good we are going to need him to play centre in fg he is a much better option then secound rowers.
4 Taylor
5 Manu
Warriors
1 Locke
2 tupou
3 lauampe
4 hurrel
5 the fish
I like the thought of the Fish on the wing. I couldn't bring myself to watching the second half of the Eels game, and the other games he's played this year I thought he was quite good. He just needs half a yard of space and he could be very dominant. Maybe once Hurrell irons out his handling issues, it would be good to see Fish play outside him, as Hurrell can dominate his opposing centre, draw his wing and put his wing away. That's the type of centre that Fish could be exceptional outside of.
However I wouldn't put Tuimavave into centre. I know there was some discussion about it last year but I don't think it works to his strengths, and maximises his weaknesses. His weakness to me at the moment is he's a bit of a shirt grabber in defence. His strength to me is his passing ability, particularly long passing. I'd rather see him bringing defences up in the halves and setting us his outside backs with a bit of room off his passing. In other words, it'd be good if he just concentrates on five eighth, and if anything else, fullback.
In terms of Benry, I think he's solid enough as a centre.... as long as Elijah Taylor defends NOWHERE near him. I noticed on a number of occasions last year when it appeared Benry had made a bad read in the centres off a slide play that Taylor was either inside him, or two inside him, and as the rest of the team was sliding, had squared up and turned his shoulders in, allowing his man to get outside of him. The outside backs had to race in and got caught short from it.
:lol:
