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Since I was last here, Bay of Plenty Rugby has carelessly mislaid quite a few items. They lost another major sponsor as Blue Chip went under. You could go crazy with an axe in a hall of mirrors and not get the bad luck that has befallen the last 2 sponsors of the Steamers jersey. Blue Chip departed owing a pot of cash which contributed to the hole in the Bay Union accounts and the large debt was no surprise when you consider the crowds who turned up to watch the dismal fare of 2007.
Next on the list, practically everyone who ran the union last year has departed. Some went before they were pushed, some fell on their swords and we are left with a completely new look board. Their success will be gauged by improvements on the field but more importantly making the union financially sound in the short term and financially prudent in the future.
The more predictable missing items are the players going offshore to make their fortune. Less than 4 years after winning the Ranfurly Shield, the whole starting 15 on that glorious day has now departed, the majority to overseas clubs. Castle and Davison joined and left the Bay at the same time and while their departure is no surprise, it has left a propping hole given they were both due to play this Air New Zealand Cup season. If nothing else, our front five will have a chance to establish itself and hopefully be competitive enough to give our attractive back ten a chance to shine.
It wasn’t all departures with Sevens stars Zar Lawrence and Nigel Hunt moving to the Bay with a view to gaining better exposure as starters in the 15 man game. Lawrence has both pace and power which he has been exhibiting recently for New Zealand Maori. Also impressing for the Maori has been Tanerau Latimer who deserves the label “Tackling Machine” with his relentless hunger for felling opposition players. Surely Latimer will be the next Bay All Black?
So is this Fan excited about the coming season? To be honest, I fear the worst again but I hope for improvement even if a quarter final place looks beyond us. The season ticket prices indicate that admission prices will not be falling, but I hope we will be spared the banks of empty seats in the “premium seating area” while the families gather in the cheaper areas? A crowd of 3000 in Baypark can look good on TV if they are all sitting together.
The round of pre-season games starts this week with a match-up against Manawatu, followed by North Harbour and Waikato before the Air New Zealand Cup commences. I find it bizarre that the NZRU can be worried about crowd numbers on one hand while the traditionally well attended Bay-Waikato local derby has not yet featured in the three years of the Air New Zealand Cup.
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