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Chiefy's Player v Player match-up |
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Written by Chiefy
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Thursday, 30 July 2009 |
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 Chiefy is a Northland fan who has assessed positions 1-15 for tomorrow's Bay v Northland game.
1. Bronson Murray Vs Joe Savage Bronson Murray. 70odd games for Northland added to experience with the Crusaders, Blues and NZ Maoris. Savage is good though and forms a good combo with McGougan.
2. Tim Dow Vs John Pareanga Tim Dow. Returning from Italy, looks in good form in pre-season, will be looking to impress and reclaim his Blues spot.
3. Karl Haitana Vs James McGougan James McGougan. Had a good debut season last year forming a good partnership with Savage and had a great season for the Chiefs earning selection for the Chiefs.
4. Daniel Goodwin Vs John Moore Dan Goodwin. Has been a cornerstone of the Northland pack for the last 3 or 4 seasons, very rarely has a bad game.
5. Daniel Faleafa Vs Callum Retallick Callum Retallick. Who the hell is Daniel Faleafa?? Callum Retallick seemed to improve alot last season and should have the wood over an unproven Auckland development player
6. Joel McKenty Vs Solomon King Joel McKenty. One of the most under rated players in the Air NZ Cup, shoould have been in the Blues squad this season, don't underestimate King though, a very handy player.
7. Matt Clutterbuck Vs Luke Braid Luke Braid. Luke Braid appears to be one of the brightest prospects in NZ Rugby at the moment. Clutterbuck seems good but unproven at Air NZ Cup level.
8. Cameron Eyre Vs Colin Bourke Colin Bourke. Another very underestimated player, Bourke however was recognised at Super 14 level even if he was under played. Very talented player, will put the new Cam Eyre under alot of pressure.
9. Luke Hamilton Vs Junior Polu Honours even. On paper you would suggest Polu with experience for Harbour, Auckland and Manu Samoa, however IMO always appears slow and cumbersome, like a poor mans Taniela Moa. Luke Hamilton is the polar opposite, he is fast and elusive with a snappy pass but very very small. Should be an interesting match up.
10. Lachie Munro Vs Mike Delany Mike Delany. Could be where the game is won and lost if it gets tight. Lachie Munro will be looking to live up to his potential after stagnating a bit at Auckland, will hopefully unlock Northland's powerful backline. He is up against an accomplished Air NZ Cup player however and was possibly under used a bit by the Chiefs this season. The battle of the kickers will be interesting.
11. Rene Ranger Vs Jason Hona Rene Ranger. No contest really. Hona is going to have his hands full with Ranger who appears to get better and better the higher level he plays.
12. Derek Carpenter Vs Cory Aporo Honours even. BoP fans might shake their heads at this but I feel Aporo has never really shone at Air NZ Cup level. Derek Carpenter has a wide range of skills and impressed last year in his debut season and played really well against C-M last week. Aporo does have the experience advantage though.
13. Brook Gilmore Vs Nigel Hunt Nigel Hunt. Had a handy season for BoP last season, although did have the blooper of the year on Blue Friday to gift David Holwell a try. Brook Gilmore is another on debut, definitely one to watch however expect him to have his hands full against Hunt.
14. Troy Woodman Vs Ben Smith Ben Smith. Time will tell that Troy Woodman is a far better player I think, has great pace and strength but at this stage Smith would get the nod mainly due to experience.
15. Jared Payne (c) Vs Zar Lawrence Jared Payne. Along with Israel Dagg, was probably the best fullback in the Air NZ Cup last year. Has the added responsibility of captaining the team on friday night. Expect a big game from Payne, eager to show his form for Northland and the Crusaders wasn't a one off.
Northland - 6
Bay of Plenty - 7
In my opinion a slight advantage to BoP man on man. Northland will be hoping to get some experience back in the next few weeks in Justin Collins, Nick Collins, Pat O'Connor and Cam Jowitt. BoP will be looking to put a poor pre-season and coaching issues behind them. Will be an awesome game...
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