| |
|
MAFIA TEES
Just $20 a shirt, a steal!
Not often you steal from the Mafia and live to tell the tale...
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Fish of The Day: Steamed Mako |
|
Written by the prolific Varsity15
|
|
Monday, 21 September 2009 |
I've had a few messy Thursday nights out in Tauranga and the Mount. Usually there's enough going on to witness a fair amount of "loose play", some "dropped balls" and even occasionally a bit of biff. Much like the game against Tasman, then.
It wasn't a game to admire for its flawless play or its aesthetic appeal. Hell, in parts it was a damned mess. But, as they so eloquently say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And to me - especially after Colin Bourke's charge-down try - it sure looked good.
This was a tricky assignment for the Steamers. Tasman are a good side - not spectacular, not likely to really be featuring come the business end of the season - but troublesome enough to knock most teams over if they're not switched on. It was strange to see Mike Delany miss some early kicks, and this didn't bode well for us. However, we didn't really look threatened in the early stages, so I was quietly confident.
The first try was a beauty. For me the highlight of the play was the little offload by Culum Retallick. That catch, spin, and left-hand pop was magic, and it's that sort of play by the big fella - coupled with his good lineout work and growing physicality at the breakdown - that might see him nail down a Chiefs' contract. Phil Burleigh - or "The Philster" as he is now "not" known in some Mafia circles - showed good speed and good vision to finish off. He knew he had a hooker coming across in cover, so used the space well to make the last defender drift off onto Nigel Hunt, then cantered through the gap to dot down.
The sin-binning of Luke Braid was a farce. He looked frustrated and perplexed when the Aussie ref marched him, and rightly so. The Colin Bourke yellow was fair though. Punching a bloke with his arms pinned is a chump move, and the sort of incident that can quickly escalate from yellow to red if the ref is feeling a little over-zealous. We don't need any of those moments at this stage in a crucial season. Fotuali'i's binning was exactly like Bourke's - a chump move that could easily have been red.
Our defence whilst down to 13 men was great. Have a look at the replay of our scrambling effort close to the line. It was a classic piece of cover defence, and even allowing for the fact that Wayne Hughson was offside by a mile at the ruck, showed that we really wanted to win this match, and weren't going to be put off by the loss of our two best loosies.
Speaking of loosies, I thought Zac Hohneck had a very good starting debut. He was solid, did his core jobs well, and proved again why playing a lock at blindside is a dumb move.
The second half was a battle. Quentin MacDonald - the Mako's hooker, and a guy who Foster might look at in the draft if he isn't snapped up by the Crusaders - set up a great try for his tight five mate.
Luckily for us, our backline finally found some spark, and we looked a million bucks for the most part out wide for the first time this season. Hughson and Arnold took their chances brilliantly, and it seemed to lift the guys around them to see some hunger from fringe players.
We were never in any serious danger of losing I felt, and Bourke made up for his earlier mind-fart with a well taken try near the end.
So all in all another positive step from the boys. Comfortably third on the table this deep into the season is a dream, though it's good to see that many Steamers' supporters are still calling for improvement. It shows that this side has a genuine chance to compete with the big boys, and we expect them to. Hopefully that's the way the boys feel in camp.
This weekend was shaping as a tricky one earlier in the season, but with first-five Chris Noakes out injured I don't think Otago has anyone classy enough to run the cutter and threaten us. Michael Witt still doesn't know how to run a rugby team, and Glenn Dickson has a big boot, but not much else in terms of guiding his side. If we can compete up front, nullify the Otago loosies, and shut down Karne Hesketh out wide, we should take the points. And with the way Otago defended against Hawkes Bay, it's a golden opportunity to pick up our first four try bonus.
Go the Bay!!
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Steamers 2011 |
| : ITM Cup |
| Position: 4 |
| 17 July: Counties, W 20-13 |
| 23 July: Harbour, W 38-17 |
| 26 July: Waikato, W 36-8 |
| 31 July: Wellington, W 32-0 |
| 4 Aug: Northland L 23-30 |
| 9 Aug: Taranaki L 33-39 |
| 13 Aug: Hawke's Bay L 13-32 |
| 20 Aug: Auckland L 16-25 |
| 23 Aug: Canterbury W 35-31 |
| 28 Aug: Southland W 29-17 |
|
|
|
|
