My Top 4 Girl’s Team

It has been a massive weekend with so much great talent being shown from both the boys and girl’s that made it through to the Top 4. Watching the girls play was interesting because it was a half and half kind of thing. For one you had half the team know how to play the game with strategy, purpose, very high skill sets, set piece and knowing how to use the wind things like that. Then you had the other half that knew how to play but werent the best at passing or catching, or where to stand but just went and gave 100% effort for their team and I loved watching that. So I selected payers that I thought were stand outs to me just over the last 3 days, I am just going off what I was given to me by way of numbers and names on the first day so Im hoping I have it right when selecting My Top 4 Tournament team. Now I saw the Girl’s selectors out there and so they will have the one that counts to the NZ Team and it will most likely include players that werent at the tournament but this is just my one.

I am going to point out first my front row and highlight a couple of things, first that the Hooker I selected Tuiala is actually the Blind Side but when I watched her play and what she could do on the field I thought in a Rep situation she would go better as a Hooker. She defends very well, making her tackles, fights off the opposition and gets over the ball quickly. She has a very strong running game as well and that something that her and Lena Mitchell both do well as Hookers, and that is Lena also carries the ball and makes really good meters. Lena stood out for Hamilton GHS and that is why she was selected. There was no lack of big Props and they were big running Props as well. In this Top 4 there were more “Bump off’s” in the girls games then the boys games. “The Bump Off Queen” has to go to Southern Cross Captain Luti Sikoloni who in the first game against St Mary’s was making them look like they 10 year old’s when they tried to tackle her. Luti wasn’t just a one dimensional player she was very good on defence and chased for tackles and made them too and was a very good Captain. Ana Teokatai was also a player I liked because she was unselfish and put her body on the line to make breaks and then backed it up with cleaning bodies out. When she ran the ball she made meters dragging tacklers too. Laina Semu plays the same type of game as Ana and that’s why Laina was selected too, she brought a game that is more for the advancement of the team and works hard. Laina had an off game on the Friday but made up for it in the Finals where you saw her real game come out. Much like the Southern Cross Captain Luti, her Propping partner Tilila Hifo was just another wrecking ball when she had the ball and really carried the team on offence when the second half came around.

Photo: Renee Savai’inaea (St Mary’s College)

Emma Brown St Mary’s and Jessica Dermody Southland GHS for me did so much for their teams when they played. Emma was one of the first with Renee Savai’naea to make the tackles on Luti when they played Southern Cross. It did go well for her a few times but she never cared she just went up and everything to at least slow her down. Emma’s work rate was really high and ran the ball really well too. Work rate is Jessica’s best thing along with knowing the game and understanding the situation. Jessica was very important to that forward pack because she played the game with knowledge and then mad decisions at speed beating her opposition every time. Lataina Moekiola hard running and “No Care” attitude to defenders was what made me want to add her onto the bench and thought if she came on in the second half of games with that running and defence she would be able to finish the game strong for the team. I think I have chosen a Loose trio that would really dominate in games and even Lonita Ngalu coming off the bench would keep the trio strong and be able to add speed to the game as well. I would start Renne Savai’inaea at Blind Side, Nyesha Hamilton at Open and Emma Dermody at No.8. I wanted them all in this starting because they come close to what you want in a real Loose trio that you would choose just like the boys teams. Renne is a tall girl and she hits hard, can bring down runners one on one, fights for the ball when she gets over the tackled player, can also lift and is quick off the scrums. Nyesha is so fast and just goes after the ball when runners hit the ground, even in tackles she targets the ball right away and is fast and has a very strong running game. Emma is very very smart and she runs the ball a lot and even though she is not as heavy as the other forwards still fights for those meters and gets them. She would be a very good line out option with her sister and even Renne could be looked as a jumper too. Then like I said we add Lonita and she would come on for Renee and have a faster loose trio in the tired moments of the game.

Photo: Kiriana Nolan (Hamilton GHS)

I think the best thing about my back line is that every position is filled the players that know how to play the game with a purpose in mind and knowing the strategy of why we are playing this game plan. If you look at my bench with Arorangi, Amy and Lomia all 3 players could move into the line up and make a huge impact on the game. I thought that Sipa had a good hold on her teams movements and had a really good pass to make and hit her runners and her defence was strong too even tackling the big girls. Then you add in Kiriana Nolan in at 1st 5/8 and I think you have a very good control on your game plan that you want to run. Kirian also kicked very well too which really helps your team to move down the field. Kirian never held on to the ball much and she just let the game flow and so I think with a back line like this she would setup her big running midfield and they would make serious meters up the field. Now speaking of the midfield I felt that Sarah Filimoeatu and Dhys Faleafaga were maybe 2 of the 5 best players the over the weekend and were both so dominate when they were running the ball and also on defence. They were both making breaks every time they ran the ball then were out to look to connect with their support and could also make the pass to carry it on. Both girls on defence were very good tacklers and they would bring down players and then get right over the ball, they knew how to smack down fends and then drag down a player, I thought these two were just great players.

I made some changes in the back line because I wanted to make the back line 3 things all defencive players, also you are either a player maker or a runner. So I made Cheyne Copeland a Fullback so that when it comes to kicks down the field she would have two really good attacking players in Zoya To’ofohe and Jazmin Hotam as players she can use in her attack or counter attack. Jazmin is very quick to react to broken play and she positions herself in a way to be on attack right when she gets the ball. Zoya does the same thing but with Jazmin she’ll beat you

on the outside and Zoya will run over you or fend you off. Cheyne and Jazmin will also be looked at to kick down field and get them out of their 22. The bench I spoke about before and I think they will all bring their abilities and still help the team move forward. Amy will be looked as a 1st 5/8 and Arorangi and Half Back and Lomia would look to cover Midfield and Winger and then you can move around Jazmin to Fullback if needed with movements.

I dont know who the NZSS Girls team play or if there is games scheduled but it would be cool to see the best girl players in the country get together to show what they can do together.

Photo: Sipa Saili (Southland GHS)

1. Ana Teokatai (Hamilton GHS)

2. Tuiala Iakopo (Southern Cross Campus)

3. Luti Sikoloni (Southern Cross Campus)

4. Emma Brown (St Mary’s College)

5. Jessica Dermody (Southland GHS)(VC)

6. Renee Savai’inaea (St Mary’s College)

7. Nyesha Hamilton (Hamilton GHS)

8. Emma Dermody (Southland GHS)

9. Sipa Saili (Southland GHS)

10. Kiriana Nolan (Hamilton GHS)

11. Jazmin Hotham (Hamilton GHS)

12. Sarah Filimoeatu (Southern Cross Campus)

13. Dhys Faleafaga (St Mary’s College)(C)

14. Zoya To’ofohe (Southern Cross Campus)

15. Cheyne Copeland (St Mary’s College)

16. Laina Semu (St Mary’s College)

17. Tilila Hifo (Southern Cross Campus)

18. Lena Mitchell (Hamilton GHS)

19. Lataina Moekiola (Hamilton GHS)

20. Lonita Ngalu (Hamilton GHS)

21. Arorangi Tauranga (Hamilton GHS)

22. Amy Du Plessis (Southland GHS)

23. Lomia Fa’amausili (St Mary’s College)