Midweek fixture: Warriors must consider new captain

Simon Mannering is a 'great guy' and a great professional, but is he a great captain? Photo / Getty

What exactly was the point of having the All Blacks World Cup squad announced at the Beehive to a room full of gurning politicians with strap-on handshakes? Put that alongside the latest Air New Zealand 'safety' video and it's all going a bit 1999 and painted planey; a state of hubris this incarnation of the All Blacks have been at pains to avoid.

It wasn't so long ago that the then-NZRFU's position on just about everything was that sport and politics should never mix, a mantra used ever-so-conveniently whenever the South African question arose. Now it would seem the only way they could get the Prime Minister more involved would be to hand him the No 23 jersey for the World Cup opener.

Here's an idea: stage the 2019 announcement in the clubrooms of the 2018 ITM Cup winners, or at those of the current holders of the Ranfurly Shield. This would at least give the impression New Zealand Rugby was still interested in connecting its flagship brand to the grassroots.

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Having said that, the 31 names that were read out made a lot of sense. There is a notable absence of angst from most pundits about the choices.

Perhaps Charles Piutau could have got the nod ahead of Waisake Naholo? Maybe a fourth lock would have been a better insurance bet than Victor Vito? In the grand scheme of things, however, these are unlikely to be deal-breaking decisions.

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There was a point on Sunday when it became obvious the Warriors were in trouble - it was about 30 minutes before kickoff.

It was then some of the finest minds in the league community - Awen Guttenbeil, Brian McClennan and Richie Barnett - dismissed out of hand the suggestion that Simon Mannering's role as skipper of the Warriors could come under the microscope.

The sum total of their analysis was that he was a great player and the guys love him, and he made more than 60 tackles the other week, and the guys love him, and the Kiwis are on fire, and the guys love him. Or something like that, but by that stage my mind had started to drift from its moorings.

When you have a one-team country in the midst of a horrific seven-game losing streak with a for-and-against record that heaps futility on top of misery and players are being treated like sacred cows, you realise how low our expectations have been calibrated.

Failure at the Warriors, dismal failure even, is almost treated as one of the club's quirks. It shouldn't be. Maddening inconsistency is quirky, but being shelled by pretty average opposition week after week isn't.

Good clubs nurture depth; not-good clubs recite injury lists and blame inexperience and bad luck.

There have been disturbing noises out of from Penrose recently - from the likes of Sam Tomkins and embattled coach Andrew McFadden - about a lack of professionalism they encountered at the club.

Like it or not, great bloke or clot, that supposed lack of professionalism has happened on Mannering's watch. Given those damning assessments, it would be irresponsible to not at least look at captaincy options. No one is saying that Mannering is anything other than a true professional in the way he prepares, but he clearly has been less successful at dragging others up to his level.

A review might determine that Mannering is by far and away the best choice to lead the side in 2016. He's clearly one of the best players, if not the best, at the club, but that doesn't always translate to week-in, week-out leadership.

It might be that his phenomenal workrate means he would be more effective as a heads-down foot soldier. There might be other players on the field better placed to gauge the big picture and make strategic adjustments.

It doesn't mean Mannering is any less of a player, or that his mana has waned. It just means that the Warriors are looking at every possible way of making improvements. And let's face it, unlike Sky TV's analysts, they're not really in a position to dismiss any idea, are they?

GIVE 'EM A TASTE OF KIWI
It is world rowing champs time and here is a grainy old look at the men's eight final in Duisburg, West Germany.

You might spot the president of the NZOC, Mike Stanley, in the stroke seat, while TVNZ sports editor Andy Hay is the wee man facing the wrong way barking orders. When watching this dominant performance and factoring in that the east European nations would boycott the 1984 Olympics, you have to wonder how they finished out of the medals at Los Angeles a year later?

SPORTS SHAREMARKET
Sometimes you're better off letting other people wrack your brain for you, so this week's sports sharemarket is a blatant steal of a tweet sent out on Sunday night by Herald columnist Toby Manhire.

I'm buying...

Fijian botanic medicine

Those of a spiritual bent will see this as more evidence that science isn't the important part of the equation. Who knows if Waisake Naholo's leg would have healed any slower if he had stayed home and gone through the normal rest and rehabilitation rigmarole, but it doesn't really matter. He believed in uncle Isei Naiova and the healing powers of the kawakawarau plant and now he's on a plane to England.

I'm selling...

Air NZ novelty safety videos

Speaking of planes... the marketing department of the national carrier might want to work a little closer alongside the national selectors next time. Awkward.

I'M READING...

Is this the beginning of

Justin Gatlin's PR rehabilitation

, or more evidence that he just doesn't get it? You be the judge.

MY LAST $10

Every week I will make one $10 bet. The goal is to get to December 31 with more money than I would have had if I had put it in the bank.

Last week: $10 on a league multi, with Wests ($1.45), St George ($1.45) and Canberra ($1.52) backed to win head-to-head against the Warriors, Gold Coast and Penrith respectively. It would have returned $32. "Would have" being the operative words. Bloody Dragons.

This week: Have completely lost my confidence now, so with no real conviction I'm splurging $10 on the Kvitova-Siegemund match at the US Open to last less than 18.5 games. This would return $1.75.

Total spent: $110 Total collected: $85.40

MAILBAG

An edited and abridged pot-pourri of a Mailbag this week, with more sport on TV issues, a Hayne-Train "realist", and a proud West Coaster.

Hi Dylan,
Just thought I'd pass on my experiences with Sky TV's streaming services. I have been using iSky for the past few years. It was not 100% perfect but it successfully streamed NRL, Super Rugby, All Blacks, NBA, NFL and NBL matches on nearly all occasions, excluding the odd occasion when high demand for some All Blacks games caused the stream to fail.
Then once Sky rebranded iSky to Sky Go in December 2013, I have had absolutely no luck in getting it to work with the video player either constantly buffering or not displaying anything at all. I have tried on multiple tablets and phones (both Apple and Android), multiple PC and Mac computers, and multiple web browsers. None of these configurations would work for me, even with my high speed 100mbps fibre internet connection.
If Sky Go's streaming service actually worked, then I would use it. Same goes for their Fan Passes. If Sky offered cheaper package deals on a reliable streaming service that actually works then I would pay for it.
But because of these problems, I now use illegal streams to watch sports online and will never use Sky's streaming services again.
Cheers, Joe [surname withheld]

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The story of Jared Hayne is amazing, someone following their dreams against the naysayers of the sporting world. I applaud him with both hands and feet.

However - and it is a whopping however - Hayne has only played two games - yes two games of non-competitive NFL (pre-season NFL is nothing more than a timed training run) and you are calling his move a game changer? Seriously? I wonder how much you understand NFL, let alone sport. Rather than being a game changer, I wonder how much it is more of a sudden reaction of being fearful of what NFL could do to rugby. I have followed NFL for decades and one thing I have learnt is that you have to 'pay your dues' in that sport. It takes time to even become a journeyman in that sport, let alone a 'champion'. Many have tried - local and internationals - and many, if not most, have failed. Look at all the college footballers that never get into the big-time - and they have played the sport straight after learning to crawl.

I am in no way a naysayer about his change of sports. I wish Hayne every success in the sport but let's be patient. Let's acknowledge the great work he has done (even after just two games) but a good dose of realism needed.

I doubt that union has much to fear from NFL as the structure of the game is very different (also has more depth and history globally as well). However, for league it is a different story [as] structurally league and NFL are similar (i.e. possession based games with four down v six tackles respectively).
Paul Taylor

Thanks for the note Paul, I think, although I think you may have misinterpreted parts of last week's column. I do not expect rugby or league players to start to convert en masse, nor do I expect kids to start playing NFL in the streets of Kurow. What I do believe could happen is that Hayne's instant success (if he does indeed make the 53-man roster) combined with the increasing presence of Polynesian players in the NFL, could make places like Auckland and Sydney genuine talent pools for American football college recruiters. Rugby and league might have to start competing for talent.
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And from the regions, Peter Nicholson has this shout out for West Coast hockey!

Congratulations to the West Coast Women's A team for winning the Pope Shield for the first time since 1953, and to the Women's Bs for successfully defending the Gladstone Cup after winning it in 2014 for the first time in 60+ years! A great victory over teams from Buller, Nelson and Marlborough, and adding to the Men's recent success in the Maadi Cup, it is the first time ever that the Coast has held all of these three major trophies at the same time. Little old Greymouth/Hokitika beating the big smoke of Nelson!

Write to me at dylan.cleaver@nzherald.co.nz.