General Warriors SG Ball 2023

[Five&Last]

Juniors fail to become NRL players because they cannot slow the ruck and control the tempo i,e they play Junior ball.....end to end rubbish.......the ones who make it...the ones who are familiar names to us...need minders imported from Aus on overs to do the job for them.....this is a system that let Tohu Harris Harris and Adam Blair go offshore.....Grapplers should be king in a NZ system.

Grappling is the most coachable skill in rugby league by far.

The lack of players who are not able to slow the ruck down is on the coaching quality in this country.

We need forwards who can make plays for others (i.e. good passing game), can make good defensive reads in space (i.e. what man to take when defending set plays), can bend the line, have high motors, have physical attributes that can’t be taught such as athleticism/height and have intangible attributes (I.e. IQ and how teachable they are)

If we can’t back our coaching staff to develop an 18 year old to become a decent grappler by the time they are physically ready for first grade, then the coaching staff needs an overhaul.

If you’re recruiting juniors solely based on how well they grapple at 17 or 18 while ignoring the other aspects I mentioned, that team isn’t going to win a lot of games.

 

[Worried2Death]

He might be but don't we have an issue with his Management? He's a good team culture guy might even be good choice to replace Morgan.

That try from Fukofuka was standard strength. Feel sorry for the FB but he gave it a crack.

For your viewing pleasure of you missed it.

Fukofuka is trending, lot of banter about the name is helping. Looks like we've got a star on our hands after one game. He might make the All Stars yet, I've never heard of half the others.

I'm just glad the season's started with a win, was pretty nervous before this game. But stoked we went toe to toe with the bunnies system and matched them for 70, it's our year so far.

 

[Sup42]

Grappling is the most coachable skill in rugby league by far.

The lack of players who are not able to slow the ruck down is on the coaching quality in this country.

We need forwards who can make plays for others (i.e. good passing game), can make good defensive reads in space (i.e. what man to take when defending set plays), can bend the line, have high motors, have physical attributes that can’t be thought such as athleticism/height and have intangible attributes (I.e. IQ and how teachable they are)

If we can’t back our coaching staff to develop an 18 year old to become a decent grappler by the time they are physically ready for first grade, then the coaching staff needs an overhaul.

If you’re recruiting juniors solely based on how well they grapple at 17 or 18 while ignoring the other aspects I mentioned, that team isn’t going to win a lot of games.

We are arguing across each other here.

By the way let me say I appreciate you taking time out for this discussion.

As someone else said we can find room for both types of players, and this is the very point I made poorly myself, here, I am talking bout grabbing the exceptional tackler as a point of difference in a team full of all the things you speak of.

Styles make fights, skills compliment each other.

Young Harry has an exceptional upper body tackling technique for someone his age. That is all...you can claim that is the most teachable, this kid landed with it in his dna.

Even if we accept it as a fault of coaching in NZ.....lets be real man..why the fuck cant the NRL team do it for twenty seven years Under NRL coaches?

I will tell you why....coaches cannot teach a player to love tackling mate that is how this game has been understood for a hundred years. Anyone who has played any kind of Rugby knows there are kids that love hitting people...and most Kiwi kids have lost the desire.

You can teach technique but you cannot breed desire to hit people.

 

[Brother Faisal]

Grappling is the most coachable skill in rugby league by far.

The lack of players who are not able to slow the ruck down is on the coaching quality in this country.

We need forwards who can make plays for others (i.e. good passing game), can make good defensive reads in space (i.e. what man to take when defending set plays), can bend the line, have high motors, have physical attributes that can’t be thought such as athleticism/height and have intangible attributes (I.e. IQ and how teachable they are)

If we can’t back our coaching staff to develop an 18 year old to become a decent grappler by the time they are physically ready for first grade, then the coaching staff needs an overhaul.

If you’re recruiting juniors solely based on how well they grapple at 17 or 18 while ignoring the other aspects I mentioned, that team isn’t going to win a lot of games.

As mentioned grappling is a skill that can be taught. Reading a game and coming up with the right play at the right time is a whole other level.

I believe our players have the physical attributes to grapple and Blair of all people should be able to teach them the dark arts.

But I didn’t see anyone today really read the defense and setup anything constructive to exploit the defense. I saw a lot of misreads on defense as well. There are some great individual runners in that squad but the halves are far from being ready for a future in league and the overall direction on attack was pointless.

Your decision making positions are the ones who need a ton of coaching but hopefully are systems eventually can develop these young ones.

Give a man a fish he’ll eat for a day teach him how to fish he’ll eat for a lifetime.

Teach him how to grapple he can make the nrl
Teach him how to understand the game and read it he’ll win premierships and be a rep player.

 

[Sup42]

\

As mentioned grappling is a skill that can be taught. Reading a game and coming up with the right play at the right time is a whole other level.

I believe our players have the physical attributes to grapple and Blair of all people should be able to teach them the dark arts.

But I didn’t see anyone today really read the defense and setup anything constructive to exploit the defense. I saw a lot of misreads on defense as well. There are some great individual runners in that squad but the halves are far from being ready for a future in league and the overall direction on attack was pointless.

Your decision making positions are the ones who need a ton of coaching but hopefully are systems eventually can develop these young ones.

Give a man a fish he’ll eat for a day teach him how to fish he’ll eat for a lifetime.

Teach him how to grapple he can make the nrl
Teach him how to understand the game and read it he’ll win premierships and be a rep player.

Why cant the Warriors control the ruck speed off the ball?

You cannot teach Grappling easily.

Look at our entire history of poor defence.

In fact look at our track record against the Dragons who play second phase against us with offloading because we are so poor at trapping the upper body ball and all....to understand the importance of the wrestle....look at our worst NRL legacy against a fairly average Dragons outfit coached for decades to offload on us.

Our lack of grappling in the contact has made the Dragons vs Warriors a worst all time record in the NRL.

Why do we imagine Simon Mannering and Tohu Harris Harris and Michael Luck are on our hall of legends? Coz those guys can grapple better than any other players in our history.

Anyway good korero....I like people who can hit and stick...coz fuck all kiwis can.....I dont care how easy it is or who is coaching them...fk all Warriors hit and stick.

 

[Tragic]

This team should be good at controlling the ruck, their coach was the master. Learned his trade at the storm and Even when the rest of his game was average his ruck wrestle was first class.

 

[Sup42]

This team should be good at controlling the ruck, their coach was the master. Learned his trade at the storm and Even when the rest of his game was average his ruck wrestle was first class.

We saw that today on the try line especially.

 

[NgatiWarriors]

Great Game by the young guns today and you can see the work Blair has put into them defensively. Our Fullback has x factor plus which is promising. Our Hooker has that long fast pass every half craves to be outside. Our centers look like Laumape and Hurrell clones. The 13 is a monster. Boys still need to work on their draw pass and catching. Overall just a great game to watch 😎

 

[Tragic]

I found it a hard watch not knowing who was who. Appreciate bunny tv but be a lot happier to see it in sky with proper production. Although would take the bunny tv commentators over fox dicks anyday.

 

[Defence]

This team should be good at controlling the ruck, their coach was the master. Learned his trade at the storm and Even when the rest of his game was average his ruck wrestle was first class.

Even Cameron smith mentions him in his book as one of the best.
I think Blair’s a great fit for this team.

 

[Brother Faisal]

\


Why cant the Warriors control the ruck speed off the ball?

You cannot teach Grappling easily.

Look at our entire history of poor defence.

In fact look at our track record against the Dragons who play second phase against us with offloading because we are so poor at trapping the upper body ball and all....to understand the importance of the wrestle....look at our worst NRL legacy against a fairly average Dragons outfit coached for decades to offload on us.

Our lack of grappling in the contact has made the Dragons vs Warriors a worst all time record in the NRL.

Why do we imagine Simon Mannering and Tohu Harris Harris and Michael Luck are on our hall of legends? Coz those guys can grapple better than any other players in our history.

Anyway good korero....I like people who can hit and stick...coz fuck all kiwis can.....I dont care how easy it is or who is coaching them...fk all Warriors hit and stick.

Good korero bro. All valid points that i agree with.

In regards to grappling from a physical sense the 3 you mentioned all have that lanky long build with long levers that I believe helps them to stick tackles and wrap up. A memory I have of mannering is him simply wrapping up opposition one on one hence why he could be so versatile especially early in his career. I dont think theres anyone in our squad who can do a one on one like that tbh.

If I had to pick an area to develop in NZ league right now it wouldnt be grappling though. It would be footy smarts. Not saying grappling isnt important I'm just saying there is a massive lack of footy players in NZ and I mean footy players not union converts or physically gifted players. We dont have mentally strong footy players and its hurting the development as much as its hurting the first grade.

Guys could easily make NRL careers for themselves if they learnt how to grapple as you mentioned, it requires some physical attributes but ultimately it requires heart and passion. Yes mannering had the gifts but he applied them using mental strength and determination. Theres alot of guys with the physical gift to be greats of the game but are lacking the mental side of footy to take them beyond there natural talent.

 

[Gizzyfan]

I was impressed by their effort on effort on defence. The actual techniques can be coached, but that desire to defend is something that cannot be taught. Basically look for the young guy fighting cramp in the last 10 minutes making effort on effort. That sort of determination and work effort is a skill in itself.

 

[tr73]

Good korero bro. All valid points that i agree with.

In regards to grappling from a physical sense the 3 you mentioned all have that lanky long build with long levers that I believe helps them to stick tackles and wrap up. A memory I have of mannering is him simply wrapping up opposition one on one hence why he could be so versatile especially early in his career. I dont think theres anyone in our squad who can do a one on one like that tbh.

If I had to pick an area to develop in NZ league right now it wouldnt be grappling though. It would be footy smarts. Not saying grappling isnt important I'm just saying there is a massive lack of footy players in NZ and I mean footy players not union converts or physically gifted players. We dont have mentally strong footy players and its hurting the development as much as its hurting the first grade.

Guys could easily make NRL careers for themselves if they learnt how to grapple as you mentioned, it requires some physical attributes but ultimately it requires heart and passion. Yes mannering had the gifts but he applied them using mental strength and determination. Theres alot of guys with the physical gift to be greats of the game but are lacking the mental side of footy to take them beyond there natural talent.

Great succinct discussion today guys and I agree footy smarts and defensive determination are our road blocks and always have been. Neither of these areas are considered fun or attract fanfare which I suspect deep down is one of the reasons we don’t do it well.
When I lived in Australia I respected that professional sport was the working man’s dream. If your dad and those you look up too are praising you for your defensive technique, your fitness, support running and your determination you will gravitate towards being strong in those areas. On league fields and sidelines in NZ what gets noticed and rewarded is the occasional but inconsistent big hit or a stand out but inconsistent run along with a fight. Our crowds and families love that and as a result that’s what we excel at

 

[Five&Last]

If I had to pick an area to develop in NZ league right now it wouldnt be grappling though. It would be footy smarts. Not saying grappling isnt important I'm just saying there is a massive lack of footy players in NZ and I mean footy players not union converts or physically gifted players. We dont have mentally strong footy players and its hurting the development as much as its hurting the first grade.

Adam Blair is a great fit for this team in that regard.

I initially wasn't a fan of the appointment as I thought it was part of the agreement to get him to retire early to get his salary off the cap early (which I'm sure his TV gig was part of)

But he is definitely going to instil grit and mental fortitude in these young guys, which as you have already pointed out, is the number 1 reason why our talented juniors don't kick on. That mental determination is the biggest difference between someone that has come through the NZ system versus the Aus system

I just hope Blair has someone on his staff that can help him with the X's and O's. Because that's where I see this team struggling, both halves were invisible yesterday. Cowley-Lupo's kicking game looks to have improved, but he's still not a game manager at all and I don't think I remember Piliu being on the field at all tbh. The team had no direction for the majority of yesterday's game and relied on individual brilliance to get their points. Coming up with set plays and a game plan might not be Blairys specialty which won't help.

 

[Sup42]

A lot of us probably underestimated Adam Blair, I did, but not by a lot, I rate the guy as a person, he is of good strong character and no dummy.

Might have been a bit judgemental during his Career with his firebrand and ill discipline at times, but SK was like that, a mongrel.

If Blair trains juniors to shut down the try line, he is basically fixing the NZRL disease where it needs to be vaccinated, in the youth.

Stark contrast to a John Akland style big running team coach.

Obviously the young kids will worship the ground their coach walks on, he has the Mana of a tough fit determined winner.

I am starting to get hopeful after that SG ball game.

It is the small things, the building blocks that avalanche into chronic problems in our clubs dna.

So often the kids come through with the wrong mental focus.

I hope he loves his role and is valued in it...rather than being moved up as his coaching gets results. Or...if you are going to move him up, do so with his core of players from this year for continuity.

 

[Brother Faisal]

A lot of us probably underestimated Adam Blair, I did, but not by a lot, I rate the guy as a person, he is of good strong character and no dummy.

Might have been a bit judgemental during his Career with his firebrand and ill discipline at times, but SK was like that, a mongrel.

If Blair trains juniors to shut down the try line, he is basically fixing the NZRL disease where it needs to be vaccinated, in the youth.

Stark contrast to a John Akland style big running team coach.

Obviously the young kids will worship the ground their coach walks on, he has the Mana of a tough fit determined winner.

I am starting to get hopeful after that SG ball game.

It is the small things, the building blocks that avalanche into chronic problems in our clubs dna.

So often the kids come through with the wrong mental focus.

I hope he loves his role and is valued in it...rather than being moved up as his coaching gets results. Or...if you are going to move him up, do so with his core of players from this year for continuity.

I believe Blair is the right fit for this role. I hope he can stay in the system for awhile.

 

[TeetsNRL]

I think they put a lot of their eggs in the Tito-Harris basket as far as the half’s go. So losing him has probably forced the direction they’ve gone in.

But there’s still more natural half’s from the NZ scene in the other ball teams they could’ve had (Aumua @ Dogs and Lawry @ Tigers) so interesting we’ve landed on two physical specimens in the 6 and 7 who are better ball runners than anything else.

Phranklyn Mano Le-Memea probably doesn’t profile as a game manager (who is in the squad I believe) but he’s a way better ball player than the half’s we had today. The kind of trys he lays on with skill execution are more translatable to senior footy.

I actually don’t mind Piliu but more as a FB.

 

[TeetsNRL]

On the Peni/Durban thing.

I wouldn’t change a winning team. But you could put Halisima on an edge where’s he equally as destructive to accomodate both.

Tanner at his more natural 13 spot can carry into the line and play out the back so he might help our clunky attack too.

 

[RizNz]

Who have the boys got this week?

 

[Blackdot]

Who have the boys got this week?

Sea Eagles at home (pukekohe), Sunday 2 pm.