North Harbour's defence is a myth, and Canterbury already proved it
57 points conceded at home to Northland and people are still out here calling this defence legitimate? 42 in a WIN. Imagine what a half-decent side does with that. Canterbury worked it out a week later, tucked them up 25:24 in their own backyard at Albany, and suddenly everyone's shocked. Was I shocked? Punters who had a look at the TAB line that week weren't.
Funny how the same blokes who were praising the structure after Hawke's Bay went quiet when the Taniwha ran in try after try down that edge. My tip's been on Harbour leaking for weeks and it's paid better than any multi I've slapped together. Anyone backing this "defence" with real money, happy to remind you of your ROI at season's end 🤡😏
Show me your ROI first 😏
57 points conceded at home to Northland and people are still out here calling this defence legitimate? 42 in a WIN. Imagine what a half-decent side does with that. Canterbury worked it out a week later, tucked them up 25…
A 57:42 win and a one-point loss don't prove a myth, they prove two bad afternoons. Otago conceded 21, Hawke's Bay 24. Source on a genuine leak beyond Northland's blitz?
Hype isn't an argument.
Canterbury scored 25, Queenstown51, one point, at our own ground, gutting but that's footy 🔥 Northland was a shootout, both sides throwing it around, hardly proof the whole D is fake. Two wins either side of it, and only 21 and 24 conceded. All you punters writing us off before Bay of Plenty, keep dreaming 😤
One love, one side ❤️
Napier's got a point about the Northland game, but I'd hedge it: 57:42 was a shootout where Harbour still outscored them by 15, so calling that a defensive collapse is a stretch. The Canterbury match is the sharper evidence, 25 points on your own patch at Albany, one point, and the game's gone. Two bad afternoons or a pattern? Depends how you count it, and small sample though it is, conceding 25 at home worries me more than a wild 99-point shootout. 📊
Context beats a bare stat.
This might be a dumb question but hasn't the Bunnings NPC always had crazy shootouts like that? Back when I started watching a few seasons ago, teams would leak 40 and still win and nobody called the defence a myth 😅 So the 57:42 against Northland feels more like a shootout than proof. The Canterbury one at Albany stings though, one point at home, ouch 🥲 Thanks if someone can explain simply why this year is different, cheers!
Dumb questions are my specialty.
Funny how every shootout win suddenly counts when it's your team 😏 concede 57 at Albany and the TAB line next week's gonna love it. And in reality? Canterbury needed one more point to end the myth, mate.
Here to argue, not to nod along.
Rob mate, one point against Canterbury at Albany stings eh 😱 but 42 from Northland says the edge leaks too.Backing them all day anyway 🔥
Couldn't put a multi on Harbour's defence with someone else's money, let alone mine. Canterbury landing 25 and winning by one at Albany is the line-mover for me, that's a controlled loss not a shootout. Kept the multi off them last weekend and it saved the payout, the Bay of Plenty trip smells like points both ways again 💸
SweetAs reckons a controlled loss eh 😏 one point at home to Canterbury and 42 leaked to Northland in a "win", that edge gets found out every time a side runs at it. Word I hear is they know it too down at Albany. Screenshot this.
Solid source, details in the DMs.
Don't laugh but I genuinely don't get the "myth" call 😅 they beat Canterbury 24:25 and Hawke's Bay 31:24 away, sure the 42 leaked to Northland at home is ugly, but they still got the win — leaking doesn't mean losing. Do teams really get called a myth for conceding, or only when they actually drop games? Keen to hear it, thanks guys 🙏
JoshBeliever, don't laugh but I'm with you mate 😅 42 to Northland is horrid yet they still won. But can that leaky edge survive Bay of Plenty away? Guess we'll see 🤷
JoshBeliever, don't laugh but I'm with you mate 😅 42 to Northland is horrid yet they still won. But can that leaky edge survive Bay of Plenty away? Guess we'll see 🤷
@JohnInvercargill84 Bay of Plenty away is exactly where I stop backing them, mate. Leaking 42 at home to Northland and still winning tells me the attack bails them out, but on the road that margin for error disappears. I had Harbour in a multi two weeks back, head-to-head plus the line, odd try scorer on top, and the line leg was the one that didn't land. Won the game, lost the bet. That's the whole story with this side 😭
I'll keep my NZ$20-a-week habit well clear of them until I see a defensive performance that doesn't need 30 points to cover for it. SweetAs called it a controlled loss to Canterbury and I reckon he's onto something - whoever gets the line moving early against them is the side worth loading up on 🔥
Value over a big price 💸
@JohnInvercargill84 Bay of Plenty away is exactly where I stop backing them, mate. Leaking 42 at home to Northland and still winning tells me the attack bails them out, but on the road that margin for error disappears. I…
@CantabNZ857 yeah nah I rate this take tbh. Defence wins you away days, always has. I coached the juniors through a season where we leaked tries every week and scraped wins at home - felt great til we travelled and got smoked. Same vibe here 😬
Still, you just know our lot never make it easy 😅 that Northland game gave me heart palpitations but the attack is legit fire 🔥 question is can they hold the ball for 60 mins away from home. Bay of Plenty gonna target them wide all arvo. Wouldn't touch them on the line, no way 🤬
You don't abandon your own.
@CantabNZ857 yeah nah I rate this take tbh. Defence wins you away days, always has. I coached the juniors through a season where we leaked tries every week and scraped wins at home - felt great til we travelled and got s…
@MaulTragic one junior season is a decent anecdote, but "always has" needs receipts. Before anyone crowns defence the away-day key, define it: missed tackles, or tries conceded per visit into the 22? Harbour's problem looked structural last year, and vibes about training patches don't fix structure.
Leaking 42 at home and calling it a "win" is just papering over cracks bro 😬 that edge gets smacked on the road, you just know 💪
You don't abandon your own.
@Queenstown_Mad word going round down here is their edge defence has been patched up in training, not fixed 😏 source reckons the pivots are still reading it wrong. Whether that matters away... those who know, know 🤫 screenshot this if you like.
Solid source, details in the DMs.
Took the line with Harbour last time they travelled, cost me a leg of the multi. Missed tackles or structure, don't care, their edge is where my NZ$ went to die 😭
Value over a big price 💸
@PaulOpenside mate I lost count of the multis that edge has buried me on too 😂 at this point I just put a tenner on Harbour conceding out wide and at least one leg survives. Missing tackles or bad structure, my wallet can't tell the difference 🤣
Only serious one here — barely.
@PaulOpenside mate you're not the only one who's copped it out wide, been saying to mates down at the club for weeks the edges getTargeted every away trip. Word going round is the fix is more patch-up than rebuild, so I'd be careful with the line next time 🤫 whether you believe me or not... those who know, know 😏
Those who know, know.
@JohnBlues that plan is genius level stuff honestly 😂 I'm still learning the whole multi thing but if your tenner on them conceding out wide keeps the rest alive, that's basically a hedge right? what does "the line" actu…
@FullbackMate patch-up job sounds about right tbh, same story every season 😤 I coach the juniors up here and even our young fellas know you press the edges first, Harbour keep sliding defenders instead of manning up and it costs them every away trip 💪 quick fix buys you two weeks max, punter in me says leave the line alone till they actually rebuild it 🤬
@PaulOpenside mate you're not the only one who's copped it out wide, been saying to mates down at the club for weeks the edges getTargeted every away trip. Word going round is the fix is more patch-up than rebuild, so I'…
@FullbackMate that patch-up talk worries me a bit too, I only started following the NPC closely this season so maybe I'm wrong, but every away game they seem to get exposed out wide and nothing changes 😅 is that a coaching thing or just no personnel for it? Trying to learn what to actually look for 🙏
New here, soaking it up.
@Nick_Tauranga fair question mate, and honestly it's a bit of both. Word going round is the roster isn't the issue. They've got the cattle out wide, just nobody telling them to man up instead of sliding. Source close to the camp reckons the coaching box has known about it since pre-season 🤫
Seen it live at North Harbour Stadium too many times. Those who know, know 😏
Solid source, details in the DMs.
@FullbackMate that patch-up talk worries me a bit too, I only started following the NPC closely this season so maybe I'm wrong, but every away game they seem to get exposed out wide and nothing changes 😅 is that a coachi…
@Nick_Tauranga watch the line instead, it'll tell you more than the coaching talk. Market keeps pricing their edges short whenever they travel, and I've burned a few multi legs on it already 💸 If the roster's fine like Wing_Fan says, then it's coaching all day, same problem every week means nobody's fixing it. Keep them off your slip till they man up.
Value over a big price 💸
@FullbackMate heard the same whispers down the pub tbh 😬 patch-up won't fix edges when you keep sliding instead of manning up - I coach the juniors and even our 14s know that. You just know it's gonna cost them again 💪
You don't abandon your own.
@PaulOpenside mate I lost count of the multis that edge has buried me on too 😂 at this point I just put a tenner on Harbour conceding out wide and at least one leg survives. Missing tackles or bad structure, my wallet ca…
@JohnBlues that plan is genius level stuff honestly 😂 I'm still learning the whole multi thing but if your tenner on them conceding out wide keeps the rest alive, that's basically a hedge right? what does "the line" actually mean in that context though, don't laugh 🙏
Learning from the veterans, go easy 🙏
🤣 two junior coaches in one thread saying the same thing, Harbour should just hire youse honestly. And Chur mate, the line is just the betting margin, TAB explains it better than I would after a few 🍿
Came to laugh, stayed for life 🍿