Western Force v Fijian Drua Saturday 16 May 2025

[Tazzmania]

Boys have left for Fiji via Melbourne without Carlo, tough weekend ahead in Lautoka.

Note: Date should be Saturday 17th May, please can one of the admin edit for me.

[chiraag]

Any idea if BPA, Pearce or Pietsch have made the trip?

[Tazzmania]

BPA was in the Force video clip of the trip to Fiji, so here is hoping.

[Garry Owen]

BPA was in the Force video clip of the trip to Fiji, so here is hoping.

and Pietsch told me last week that he would be available for this week if that counts for anything!

[jargan83]

Must win game this one.

[Tazzmania]

[GIGS20]

Shame they didn't include the flight from Auckland to play a game against the highest ranked Aussie side a week ago.

[Transiting]

Who's Alex Harford????

[chiraag]

Western Force team list

Starting XV; Ryan Coxon, Nic Dolly, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams (c), Darcy Swain, Will Harris, Kane Koteka, Reed Prinsep; Henry Robertson, Alex Harford, Mac Grealy, Reesjan Pasitoa, Sio Tomkinson, Bayley Kuenzle, Kurtley Beale

Reserves; Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Atu Moli, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Sam Carter, Titi Nofoagatotoa, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Ben Donaldson, George Poolman

Unavailable list
Nick Champion de Crespigny (head injury protocols)
Vaiolini Ekuasi (shoulder)
Lopeti Faifua (calf)
Harry Johnson-Holmes (knee)
Harry Hoopert (knee)
Divad Palu (shoulder)
Marley Pearce (shoulder)
Dylan Pietsch (quad)
Matt Proctor (shoulder)
Carlo Tizzano (pectoral)

You'd be spewing if you were Burey, wouldn't you? Why not start him at 10 to give Donno a rest?! I guess they've discarded Coby Miln and Campbell Parata and this guy is the next possibility. Seems unnecessary given our depth at 10 though, with Burey, Stewart, KB, Pasitoa and Kuenzle all decent options.

Looking forward to seeing Pasitoa at 12.
Great to see BPA back too. Unfortunately the reserve scrum will still likely be a problem with Tiaan there again.

[Transiting]

I was about to ask what people thought the order of merit for "10" was:

1. Donaldson
2. Burey
3. Miln (made his debut in Round 5)
4. Pasitoa
5. Kuenzle

Obviously I was way out.

[Jules]

New Zealand NPC player

[GIGS20]

Who's Alex Harford????

According to the press release he's an NPC player Playing on injury contract

[Transiting]

According to the press release he's an NPC player Playing on injury contract

Thanks. Do we know who he's replacing?

Why not play Pasitoa @10 (if Burey and Miln are both injuried)?

[Tazzmania]

The coaches are closer to the players and watching and studying players more closely than we do, so in them we need to trust.

Stewart has had a huge workload this year and understable that he is being given some recovery time. Pasitoa is now seen as a centre and Kuenzle as a centre / wing.

I suspect that Leon McDonald has something to do with bringing in Harford as he is with Auckland in the NPC after being with Canterbury previously.

Miln was the other option, however his cameo for the Force and the times he played on the South African tour if I recall correctly most of the time was at full back.

Burey is hard one to put my finger on, I suspect his tackle success rate of 68% against what will be plenty runners coming at us all day probably counted against him. Also his kick sucess rate (conv +pen) of 5/8 and his average 28 metres per kick metres may have also been the tipping point.

[Transiting]

Thanks, Tazz.

"The coaches are closer to the players and watching and studying players more closely than we do, so in them we need to trust."

Absolutely.

A few points, as I understand it Miln is a 10 and was brought over for that reason. Pasitoa was a 10 and going great guns in his last full season (2022). Horan even wanted him in the Wallaby camp!

Kuenzle had played 10 at the Brumbies.

Burey's tackling could be the issue, I trust your figures on that. Maybe no new contract for him then?

I know Stewart can play 10, but I'd put him behind the others.

If the Force want to keep Pasitoa, and I'd suggest they should, I'd be giving him lots of opportunity.