Highlanders 2024 Review
That's that then for 2024.
Overall I'd say an improved season, and they had us genuinely believing we were a chance last night, and for forty minutes they certainly hung in there.
The Good
- The emergence of the young forward pack. Holland, Haig and Withy in particular just got better and better as the season went on. All were very strong last night. Bell, Taylor and Stodart too enjoyed good first seasons, whilst de Groot ended the season very strongly and will be the skipper for the future. Broughton was another one who I thought just got better and better. Ma'u was perhaps slightly disappointing, so we will need to find a good replacement for Jermaine Ainsley. Mitch Dunshea was also very strong, and will be the experienced head
The Fijian back three. Jim, Jacob and Jona. A joy to finally watch us score some good tries. No way would we have scored the try we scored last night with who we had last year. Slick finishing. Keep them together, with a good reserve option coming in, and we are looking good there. I can see JRK kicking on even further next year.
Breaking the derby duck. It needed to be done, and we got it done. That game might just give ticket sales a boost at the start of next season.
The Bad
The mid-season slump. The coaches lost the plot in the middle of the year against the Canes and then in Aussie. They rectified it to some degree, though we never managed to find the competitiveness against the better sides we had early in the season.
Going the full 80. We failed to score a point in the second half in our last three away games (Blues, Canes & Brumbies). That has to be worked on. I think partially this is because we are a little limited and can't chase games, but probably also speaks to a lack of depth.
- The midfield. Take out Tele'a, and our midfield options are hardly even strong NPC options. Te Hiwi got a good run, and probably showed he is only ever going to be a backup option at best. Gilbert too burnt out, though I actually thought he was really good last night. We simply have to find a classy second five if we want to compete for a title.
The Big Questions
- The first fives. I think Millar and Faleafaga all in all had good seasons. Faleafaga certainly started the better and looked really good, though his lack of a kicking game saw him come unstuck. Big issue for him, is that he is unlikely to start at 10 in the NPC. His running and playmaking means that at the moment he probably has a higher ceiling, but he has to work on that punt. Millar showed both his strengths and limitation, but I can confidently say at the very least he will be a good backup, who is one of the best goal kickers I have ever seen. Both these two will benefit from the NPC.
- The coaches. Are the coaches getting the best out of the players? I think this will be a question better answered next year. Ultimately, our midfield options are limited, and our forwards are young, but I'd really like to see us get more ball to our outside backs. There were also a few questionable selections (I just don't see it with Hurley...)
Overall
I think you'd grade the 2024 season a B-. A solid pass, but I think we are kidding ourselves if wins over MP 2x, the Drua, the Force, the Waratahs and the Crusaders warrants anything more. We put up a fight in the quarter final, and it feels like the team is finally on the up.
An early goal for next year, without knowing the squad and competition format should be to be competitive in every game. Stop the blowouts, pickup a couple of upsets and win more than we lose. That would be progress.