It is NPC time and a Top Seven finish is required to stay in the Premier Division, presuming the NZRU don’t change the format yet again. The mighty Bay Steamers kick off in Hamilton against the Mooloo on Saturday night. It is seven seasons since we lost to Waikato at NPC level, all Bay fans should make the trip over the Kaimais to ensure that record remains intact.

So what has been happening since the last NPC? We signed an All Black and Lelia Masaga could be a great signing. He is quite a few rungs down the wing ladder for the All Blacks so unlikely to be called away from NPC duty. He is also a dynamic unpredictable player, the type of player we have lacked for many years. The worry is that he has been injured for most of the year and will now be playing with a ruptured tendon in his thumb.

We have a new half-back who is the formidable size of the half-back we are replacing. Junior Polu skipped off to the north when Foster decided he didn’t want him for next year’s Super 15 and we have replaced him with Taniela Moa. He has had some recent problems but I would always want Moa playing in my team rather than against it.

Another reason to be optimistic for the new season is that the Bay now has front five depth with our acquisitions. As a lack of depth was the major reason the wheels fell off last season, The Fan is quietly confident about our chances in this campaign. We even beat the Magpies from that other Bay in pre-season, a rare event in recent years.

However the absence of Mike Delany in the early rounds of NPC may cause the Bay some problems. An injury to Nick McCashin leaves us looking threadbare in goalkicking, an area that has been a strength in the past two seasons.

Kudos to the Bay Union for the vision and imagination required to come up with a mascot called “Steamie”. The Fan envisages that a whole napkin must have been necessary for that brainstorming session. I wonder if anyone realised that the Bay already has the most recognisable mascot in the NPC.

It is hard to believe but the Union may have surpassed even that brilliant scheme with their plan to sell Bay of Plenty vuvuzelas. Waikato fans have their own noise making devices but at least there is some tradition behind the cowbell. Bay fans have always been prepared to use their own voices to encourage their team.

Finally here’s some advice for anyone keen to blow a vuvuzela at a Steamers home game. Get too close to a staunch Bay fan and you may find your car journey home is a little uncomfortable.