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Written by Jamie Troughton
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Friday, 06 October 2006 |
THERE won't be any dream return for Bernie Upton, who will end his career with the Steamers watching from the sidelines.
Wellington-bound Upton hurt his shoulder against Taranaki a month ago, and harboured slim hopes of making it back if Bay could fight their way into the Air New Zealand Cup playoffs.
But it's likely to be a week too late. Even if the Bay make it to the Cup final, beginning with an upset win over an All Black-stacked Auckland at Eden Park on Saturday, he's resigned himself to being a spectator.
``Apparently in three weeks I can start easing back into some tackle bags so my season's pretty shot for this year,'' Upton said. ``It's a bummer because I was looking forward to having a couple more games with the Bay boys before I left.''
Upton has signed a two year deal with Wellington, where he was born and raised, and is a likely prospect to be named in the Hurricanes later this month.
But until then, he's true blue and gold. He'll be supporting the team from the Eden Park sidelines on Saturday and has been helping out at training when he can, including offering technical advice to his replacement Aaron Rameka.
The injury, just before halftime in the 20-16 win over Taranaki, involved a dislocated shoulder and a tear in the glenoid labrum - a rare rugby injury which Upton has had trouble explaining.
``The guy changed direction and hit the inside of my wrist, which spiked my elbow out - I guess kind of like a chicken wing is the best way of explaining it!
It wasn't a direct impact on the shoulder. It's getting a lot better and there's no pain and there's a bit more stability.
``I had to rest it for a good couple of weeks and the good news was that it didn't need surgery.''
The rest part could still end up being the best thing that could have happened to Upton, who turned 25 last month.
This year has been a big year for him, with a full Chiefs season and a stint with the Junior All Blacks taking him to 29 games before the end of September.
``I've played every game in every team and every campaign I've been involved with this year so it could be a blessing in disguise. You get to lay a base and most people see the benefits of that the following season.''
Meanwhile, Nili Latu is likely to be handed the starting No7 jersey for Saturday's match, with young tyro Tanerau Latimer rotated onto the bench.
The bench is causing the most headaches for Steamers coach Andre Bell, with reserve hooker Simon Chisholm battling a leg injury and the challenge of fitting potential game-breakers Mike Delany and Jeff Ierome in.
Delany has been passed fit for the game after spending three weeks on the sidelines with a quadricep strain, while Ierome made a strong impact in the Manawatu match last week.
Story with thanks to the Bay of Plenty Times
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