It’s all starting to gel for Makos
OPINION: Forget their patchy start, the Tasman Makos’ 2017 season is back on track and following a familiar pattern.
Twelve months ago the top of the south’s flagship team was sitting on an identical Mitre 10 Cup record - having won just two of their opening four matches.
The similarities don’t stop there. The 2016 Makos scraped a narrow win over Waikato and suffered a 30+ point beating at the hands of Canterbury - as did this year’s outfit.
However, the next challenge for the current crew is to emulate the efforts of their predecessors who produced a seven-match unbeaten run over the latter stages of the competition, going all the way to the premiership final.
With Otago, Southland, Taranaki, North Harbour, Auckland and Counties Manukau lying in wait over the next month that is a particularly tall order, especially for a team still finding its feet.
While their 37-35 win over a redhot Wellington side was meritorious, and thrilled the Lansdowne Park faithful, it wouldn’t have allowed their coaches a restful night.
Head coach Leon MacDonald, always a realist, summed it up when he said, ‘‘there were lots of things we can be really proud of but we wouldn’t want to be playing like that every game, falling off that many tackles, because we won’t get lucky again.’’
There were several positives though. When comparing Sunday’s effort against the Makos first two outings, losses to Canterbury and Manawatu, a few areas of improvement stood out.
Firstly, the finishing. After spurning numerous point-scoring opportunities in those early clashes, Tasman have found their way to the tryline. Final passes are beginning to stick, support players are running better lines and a more patient attitude to ball retention in the ‘‘red zone’’ is paying dividends.
A second plus has been the increased willingness of the forwards to take the game into their own hands when the game situation demands it. The driving maul was utilised to good effect while the set pieces are beginning to look settled, despite there being some illness, injury and unavailability among the tight five. That situation was compounded this week by the callup of loosehead prop Tim Perry to the All Blacks camp as training/ injury cover.
Finally, the team’s defensive pattern is becoming established, players getting off the line quicker, although there is obviously work to be done on personal defence with 10 tries conceded in their past two encounters. Individuals have also stood up. First five Mitch Hunt has taken time to fit into Marty Banks’ 10 shirt, but he showed with his match-winning effort on Sunday that, from the kicking tee and with ball in hand, he is a major threat.
Alex Ainley continues to lead by his on-field deeds. His aerial work at the restart was vital, ensuring the Makos dictated play immediately after scoring points.
Young tighthead prop Isaac Salmon, thrown into the deep end after first choices Siua Halanukonuka and Kane Hames were ruled out, has not looked not out of place, anchoring a strong scrum and working hard around the park.
You have to admire the enthusiasm and energy halfback Finlay Christie brings to the Makos. He still has some work to do on the tactical side of his game but his sharp clearances, plus willingness to mix it with the big boys, have quickly made him a crowd favourite. His last-minute catch of a restart, defusing a final Wellington attack, was a match highlight on Sunday.
The Makos tackle another inform championship outfit on Saturday, meeting Otago under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium. An away victory over the potent Blue and Golds, while a big ask, would set the Makos up nicely for another run at the semis.