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Written by The Exultant Fan in the Stand
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Thursday, 22 October 2009 |
The Fan in the Stand wishes to salute Mike Delany for making the All Blacks squad for the Northern Hemisphere tour. It is an incredible achievement for the man and I think even Bay fans were surprised when the squad was announced. Glen Jackson never cracked an All Black squad despite vociferous backing from the Steamers faithful although in those days the competition for the 10 jersey was much greater.
Delany has progressed to the top through sheer hard work. It took outstanding club form to force his way into the Steamers squad in 2005 from where he battled with Murray Williams for Jackson’s vacant jersey. The Fan always liked Delany in the role even though Williams was picked ahead of him for the Steamers and then for the Chiefs. As far back as 2006 the Fan in the Stand wrote “Mr Foster, if you are looking for a first-five who can kick for touch, kick goals, take a gap and run a backline then Delany is your man.“
By 2007, Delany had made the 10 jersey his own and broken into Super 14, being drafted into the Highlanders. By the end of the season he was starting at first-five and putting in some fine performances. The most impressive part of Delany’s rise has been his dedication to improvement. His goal-kicking fell apart a couple of years ago so that Colin Bourke had to take over the role. In the early years, he struggled to stop powerful forwards running straight at him. Now his goalkicking is a strength and he has the bulk to bring down a rampaging fatty.
It remains to be seen whether Delany gets game time on this tour but it is clear that the All Blacks Gang of Three do not trust Donald at 10 for a big game. It took them a while to reach this view whereas the Fan has known it for years.
Congratulations to Tanerau Latimer for retaining his place and his worth was there for all to see on Friday night in Palmerston North. He isn’t a flashy player but working together with Luke Braid, they pilfered a huge amount of ball. It was a necessary task as the Steamers stumbled to a narrow victory.
Since the Canterbury game, Colin Bourke has struggled to make those barnstorming runs from the back of the scrum, due to the fact that the rear ends of his props are reaching him before the ball does. The backline isn’t constructing sweeping moves from lineouts as we rarely win our own ball.
Without Delany and Latimer, it could be tough to beat Taranaki this Sunday with their combative forward pack. Position-wise there isn’t much to play for as a win won’t take us above seventh but the loyal fans deserve something to cheer – and four tries would be fantastic. Go the mighty All Black laden Bay!
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