Why though, did the season fall apart after such a great start?  Plain and simple, not enough quality players, and perhaps a dollop of thick coaching thrown in for good measure...

So by flogging the dead horse, the coaching cartel came into the finals with no powder in the keg, with no bullets to fire, and relied on luck and pluck to get through.  Luck and pluck just won't cut the mustard though in this day and age.  (Just how many clichés can you pack into a paragraph, the mind boggles).

So what could have been done here to have a slightly fresher team heading into the last furlongs of the NPC?

For the small numbers, the answer is simple.  More subbing, and sooner.

At prop Arden David-Perrot should have been coming off the bench much earlier in matches - perhaps even at halftime in some games, meaning that McGoughan and Savage would be playing a game and a half out of every two games - meaning fresher legs for longer in the season - perhaps McGoughan would not have come down with his back problem and missed the quarter final against Southland if he had not been used so often.  Mind you, this tactic would have worked a lot better had David-Perrot not been recalled from his loan deal by Wellington every six minutes - but that is for another debate...

Hooker you had the unheralded Elmiger on the bench behind the hard working Pareanga.  Elmiger a better ball carrier than the four square starting hooker, and more game time for him would have been in order - at least 30 minutes a match.  This would have also given him more time on the field 'in battle', and kept his hand in at lienout time, where his accuracy fell off during the season.  Mind you, it is hard when you get 8 minutes on the field each week... 

You then had the locks, both the starters hard workers, but again, flogged to death.  Retallick and Moore could have got the same deal as the props, meaning fresher for longer.  Big reserve lock / flanker Aiden Kuka is a far better ball runner than the two starting locks.  So not only would have resting the starters kept them going longer, it would have also added some impact and 'ooomph' to the Bay's pack in the closing stages of the match.

Then the loose trio.  Again, a quality replacement on the bench in the young Luke Braid.  Again, you could have given the youngster at least 40 minutes a game, meaning that the starting trio of Latimer, Bourke and King would be playing two and a half games out of three.  Even perhaps resting them for a whole game when they are carrying injuries, which by all accounts Bourke and King were as the season closed out.  Big Kuka would have been an option here too.

So for the fatties, if you had these four subbing on from minutes 40-50 of a match, you would have kept the powder dry for the later parts of the season, and also upped the tempo of the Bay pack week in and week out.  A one, two, three, four, punch so to speak.  In the cases of the front rowers early subbing is not all bad, as if they are injured, you can bring the subbed off player back into the game.  More of a risk taking off the locks and loosies, but who dares, wins...

The blouses though, the cupboard was bare - these boys just keep them on the field for as long as we can.  A 75% Delany is better than a 100% Haimona.  So sod all could have been done different here.  Next season though, more quality backs need to be called into the union, or found from somewhere, or something!!

So those were the bridges too far, and how to fix them, kind of.  We saw the result, in the last two matches of the season, against the 'other' Bay and in the semi against Southland.  The Bay boys, in both games went out and were in touch in both games for the first half, and then it all turned to custard from then on in.  In fact, if you look through the second half of the season, that was the pattern.  Against Auckland, looking comfortable at the half, losing, Southland in round robin, looking comfortable until the half, and then clinging on for the win. 

Certainly a season of two halves, with plenty to work on for next season.

Fingers crossed the players can be kept in house.  Moore heading overseas again apparently, Braid being wooed by the pricks from up north in the blue and white stripes, and David-Perrot, well who knows with the farked up loan system - he might end up at Horowhenua-Kapiti next season...  Anyway, if the same forwards could be kept in the Bay, with perhaps another lock and prop targeted for depth.

The backline.  Where to start?  Wings.  We need more size, or at least one wing with a bit if size - MacDonald has got the goods, but is a hobbit.  Having two hobbit wings does not work to well, so a human sized wing would be nice to back up Hona, who I think is worth persevering with - he'll get better.  Another midfielder too would help - Hunt has a mortgage on the 12 jersey, so a back up 12 / 13 would be nice.  Along with a back up for Delany and Frodo Tipuna at halfback.  Halfback not so urgent, with young Josh Hall not looking too shabby.

So a couple of outside backs, and a midfielder and a inside back would be a treat for next season, and another tilt at the NPC title, this time with more ammo left to fire at the business end of the season.