Anyone in Taranaki knocking on Foster's door after that 55:19 rout?
55:19 over Southland looks flashy but I'd be more keen to see how anyone from that side handles Wellington at Stadium Taranaki on 4 October before shouting bolter. One dodgy away loss to Manawatu and suddenly the whole squad's ABs material? 😏 Pile up a win over Wellington and then we'll talk.
16 posts
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✓Andy's got half a point but he's cherry-picking the sample. Two home wins plus a one-point away loss to Manawatu is a small sample though, and the Auckland result (28:12) is the one I'd weight heaviest - that defence was real. Wait for Wellington on 4 October, sure, but don't dismiss the whole squad off one away stumble either. 📊
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back in my day a bloke had to do it over a whole NPC season before anyone whispered his name, so i'd agree with Andy on the Wellington test come 4 october. still, 28:12 over Auckland is the sort of result that got fellas noticed even in the amateur days, that defence travels. let the Hawke's Bay trip and Wellington come and go, then we'll know who's knocking and who's just padded the stats at home. 😉Been here longer than some have followed.
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Smashed Auckland 28:12 and still hearing "wait for Wellington" 🤬 form is form now, back the fellas all day… 4 Oct will sort the rest 💪🔥
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Yeah Andy's right that Wellington on 4 Oct is the real test 😤 only caveat: I played against Manawatu boys for years, that away loss hurts but says nuthin about ABs credentials 🔥Heart with the team, head on pause.
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Worth noting the two fixtures still to come are different beasts: Hawke's Bay away on 27 September, then Wellington at Stadium Taranaki on the 4th, so anyone pushing a bolter name now is really only arguing from the Auckland and Southland tape. I could be wrong, but a one-point loss in Palmerston North tells us more about concentration than class, the 55:19 was fun, the 28:12 over Auckland is the one I keep on my spreadsheet as the actual signal.Do the math before you argue.
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agree with FrontRowFan tbh, the tape only really covers Auckland and Southland 👀 that 28:12 over Auckland is the one that got my attention, they're not exactly muppets but heres my caveat - I coach juniors up this way and watched that Manawatu loss with me head in me hands. gone cold away from home, 25:27, that's the worry for me. anyone wanting a bolter shout better turn up against Hawke's Bay away on the 27th... and then Wellington at Stadium Taranaki on 4 Oct settles it proper 🔥 padding stats at home vs Southland is one thing, backing it up is another 💪Heart with the team, head on pause.
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Agree with FrontRowFan that the sample is only two games, and I'd add the venue angle: both wins came at Stadium Taranaki, while the one real wobble was away at Manawatu. So any bolter case right now is built entirely on home tape, which is a bit munted as evidence until Hawke's Bay away on 27 September tells us how they travel. I could be wrong, but Foster's staff will want to see that before trusting a 55:19 against Southland.Do the math before you argue.
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Josh is onto it, that Manawatu loss stung proper 😤 we did the hard yards in Christchurch too when I was playing and it meant nought. Wait for Wellington ah well, nowt to do
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The split in that fixture list is doing a lot of quiet work here, and nobody's said it outright: both wins came with the fortress behind them, and the one time they had to travel they came home with nothing. I could be wrong, but a 27:25 loss to Manawatu tells me more about selection readiness than 55:19 over Southland ever will. NRL-era dingbats aside, Foster's staff will watch how a bloke travels and handles an away crowd, not just how he pumps a relegated side at home. FrontRowFan's right that the tape is thin, though the Auckland result is the one I keep coming back to, because Auckland actually defend structure. What I'd add on the Hawke's Bay trip on the 27th: it's the last cheap look before Wellington arrive in New Plymouth on 4 October, and Wellington will punish exactly the defensive lapses Manawatu exposed.
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Totally with NickDiehard on that away split 💪 only thing is, my mates in the Bay of Plenty told me this venue stuff flips fast once the crowd gets in. Ah well, nowt to do 😅On the terraces since I was a kid.
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Fair point on the split, but Hawke's Bay away on 27 September comes before Wellington, that's the real control test, and nobody's mentioned it yet.Numbers > vibes.
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Yeah BadBeatKing is spot on, Hawke's Bay away first 💪 our lot never make it easy though... grew up watching ambies at Stadium Taranaki, one away slip means zilch tbh 🤬One love, one side ❤️
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Was in the bank on NZ$ at the TAB when that Manawatu score flashed up, still stings. BadBeatKing's right that Hawke's Bay away on 27 September tells us more about any bolter than the Southland rout ever will - Canberra? no wait, that's over the ditch, but away form is away form. If someone racks up big numbers at Stadium Taranaki against Wellington on 4 October having already flopped at Manawatu, I'm not spending my multi leg on them. 😭🍺The line moves — catch it.
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Katie88 losing NZ$ on Taranaki at Manawatu, there's the real takeaway 😂 Honestly anyone shouting bolter off a 55:19 home rout needs their head read, wait for the fanboys to pile in after Hawke's Bay away, then we'll talk. Beat Wellington at Stadium Taranaki on 4 October and sure, someone might get a Foster chat. Till then it's stats padding, mate 🤡Here to argue, not to nod along.
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Was in the bank on NZ$ at the TAB when that Manawatu score flashed up, still stings. BadBeatKing's right that Hawke's Bay away on 27 September tells us more about any bolter than the Southland rout ever will - Canberra? …@Katie88 taking a bath at the TAB on Manawatu and still talking control tests, love it 😂 Hawke's Bay away will sort the bolter talk quick enough, sure thing, mate 🤡