@Duluth a reshuffle is understandable but to move Ajay to the bench after his performance is beyond me.

The one position we need consistency, we want to see what Ajay has and he looked good and then we bench him? Will need to hear the reasons for this from Dermody but that just seems really odd. Also unsure how I feel about JRK on the bench but again, will be reasons behind that(he’s our biggest threat so imo should be starting). CGB did nothing last weekend to warrant a start in the 15 jersey.

Don’t mind the forward rotations, good to see us putting Haig at 6. Does anyone have any word on how long Renton is out for? We need him back badly, same goes for Holland. Dunshea playing club last week so he can’t be far away from an appearance which will be huge for us.

Hopefully the reshuffle lights a rocket under us and we can get a result with big impact coming from the bench. Up the landers!

@Landers92 said in Reds v Highlanders:

@Duluth a reshuffle is understandable but to move Ajay to the bench after his performance is beyond me.

yeah, looks like we've moved into the Knee Jerk reaction time

That Highlanders team just stinks of panic I'm afraid.

Sticking with Fakatava through his ropey form, then dropping him after he puts in his two best performances of the season are quite funny. Likewise, JRK has not been the problem at all... what makes them think CGB is going to make us better. Faleafaga, he was the man last week, but apparently after 55 minutes behind a beaten pack he isn't? It's panic.

To a degree the hands are tied in the forwards due to injury, but sticking with Withy is hilarious. If picking two non-All Black opensides is the hill Dermody wants to die on then fair enough. The reserve forwards are also a shocker. We'll get blown away at scrum-time...

Reds 13+

@frugby I still hold some confidence as arguably the reds 2 best players in Mcreight and McDermott are out.

I think scrum time will be ok with De Groot and Ma’u playing but there’s no 2 ways around the fact that we are in desperate need of some players stepping up big time. Let’s hope Millar has a huge game as bigger picture that’s the best problem we could have moving forward.

Wouldn’t quite say it’s make or break as we have the force at home next week but shit it’s starting to sure feel like it is

Reads like we are trying to hold The Reds and run over the top at the end. See if it works.

@SouthernMann said in Reds v Highlanders:

Reads like we are trying to hold The Reds and run over the top at the end. See if it works.

the game plan of the perennial underdog, snatch a win at the end, personally id love some confidence...."we're going to have the game won before half time" type stuff

@SouthernMann said in Reds v Highlanders:

Reads like we are trying to hold The Reds and run over the top at the end. See if it works.

If that was the logic wouldn't you stack your forward reserves? To a degree, the hands are tied, but Parkinson won't go the 80, so I'm assuming we'll end the game with a pack of DLB, Bell, Wingham, Haig, Plummer, Broughton, Harmon, Stodart... that's a very light pack.

I'm cool with it. We want guys to be fresh and get experience if they have to step in, right? They probably deem it's a good time for rest and rotation. I'm sure it was this season some people were saying guys like Faleafaga were too young to handle super rugby, now we're moaning because he's not being thrashed to pieces?

Last week looked rudderless and distinctly like a team that couldn't get into the game plan. Let's see if this team looks more organised. We're building, right?

@Bones said in Reds v Highlanders:

I'm cool with it. We want guys to be fresh and get experience if they have to step in, right? They probably deem it's a good time for rest and rotation. I'm sure it was this season some people were saying guys like Faleafaga were too young to handle super rugby, now we're moaning because he's not being thrashed to pieces?

Last week looked rudderless and distinctly like a team that couldn't get into the game plan. Let's see if this team looks more organised. We're building, right?

in fairness i think that was the feeling very early on but i thought the conclusion over the last few weeks was he looked like the best option at 10

@Kiwiwomble I wasn't that impressed with him last week. Felt like movements broke down a few times with him and it's ugly watching him trying to take the ball into traffic and getting marched back. Maybe Millar should get another chance? Maybe Faleafaga was getting marched back as he's a bit knackered?

@Bones yeah, im not against Millar, i like him, my main concern was the chopping and changing rather than who it was

@Bones Why would Faleafaga be knackered, he’s started one game, played 50mins and his other games he’s had a few 15-20min shifts off the bench.

Wouldnt call it moaning about him being put on the bench, just simply stating he’s been benched after a solid performance in his first start. Continues with the theme of the season I guess with things not making a lot of sense.

I’m have no doubt the highlanders have great long term plans for all these young guys but regardless, it would have been great to see Faleafaga build off his first start. Let’s hope Millar puts in a huge one as his start this season was below par, I believe he can. As we all know, there’s definitely a player in there who can also manage a game well with his boot(perhaps the plan this week).

@Landers92 well the way he was getting ragdolled, when previously he was fairly sturdy in the tackle, tells me something wasn't right. Like I said, I thought he was rather ordinary for large parts of the game.

Why not give Millar another go? We get to build depth for next year when we won't have the Welshman and Faleafaga gets to come on and build some confidence tearing it up in the latter part of the game, where he's excelled.

@Bones not against giving Millar another go at all. Again, my question marks were around the timing of it all. Hey, for all we know Faleafaga could be carrying a niggle.

I want Miller to succeed and get playing time as much as the next man as it’s also great for Otago with these players getting this exposure.

Same goes for CGB, we all know there’s a player in there but he has been inconsistent due to injury since his rookie season. He was considered an All Blacks bolter at one point.

@Landers92 yeah CGB seems really "panicky" ball in hand, maybe something like he's just trying to do to much to match up with the great season from a couple of years or so ago without relaxing into the game and getting the basics right.

Oh and pffft who cares about Otago.

@frugby said in Reds v Highlanders:

The reserve forwards are also a shocker. We'll get blown away at scrum-time...

I can't believe that DLB is getting selected ahead of Johnstone as the former has really struggled in the scrum.

@Bones agreed. Definitely plays a bit helter skelter.

Hahaha mate us Otago fans are clinging on to hope of one day being good again a good 10 is a good place to start. That’s a story for another day.

@Kiwiwomble said in Reds v Highlanders:

@SouthernMann said in Reds v Highlanders:

Reads like we are trying to hold The Reds and run over the top at the end. See if it works.

the game plan of the perennial underdog, snatch a win at the end, personally id love some confidence...."we're going to have the game won before half time" type stuff

Yeah was joking around it. I can't explain the changes. It reflects what I said in the team thread. That is the skill level across the team is seen as pretty flat, and there isn't a lot of difference between players. That we make changes after something didn't work, instead of trusting and improving. Dermody was clear JRK got dropped due to form and discipline (on-field) issues. Fakatava has started every game. I think they are in two minds around Faleafaga, and part of it is not wanting to ruin his confidence, and not wanting to have him blame himself for the shit play of others and poor results.

A few comments from Dermody about the selections

Here's what he said about JRK

Jacob probably hasn’t been playing as well as he started the season, and he’s given away those yellow cards, so there are areas around defence in pressure situations that he’s working on

Highlanders have won 6 in a row against the Reds. The last lost was 2016 and by 1 point
Highhlanders v Reds results