Donnelly proud of response to difficult month
TOM Donnelly is smiling now but the Otago coach concedes it has been a difficult month as a promising NPC season appeared to lurch off the rails.
Otago breathed life back into its campaign with a thoroughly good performance and a 2720 win over previously unbeaten Waikato at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Sunday.
It broke a threegame losing streak in which a team tipped to be near the top started sliding down the table.
‘‘Yeah, it has been challenging,’’ Donnelly said.
‘‘It’s been challenging for our whole coaching group, because when you’re not playing well, you really question what you’re doing. You look under every stone for an answer or a solution to get better.
‘‘So I’m not only proud of the players but the whole coaching and management group, because we’ve been working really hard to try and get our game back on track.
‘‘We hadn’t played our best rugby over the last two or three weeks. It was really frustrating that we hadn’t been delivering performances we could be proud of.
‘‘And with 15 minutes to go [against Waikato], regardless of the result, we were definitely proud of the performance and the effort that all the lads had put in.
‘‘The big challenge now is to get the same result against Manawatu.’’
Otago plays Manawatu in Palmerston North this Sunday before completing the regular season with the crunch game at home against Canterbury the following Saturday.
A 44 record (21 points) has Otago fifth in the Odds pool, four points off a playoff spot, but Donnelly has not yet been too concerned with the numbers.
‘‘Our whole focus this week was around us and making sure we put in a performance we could be proud of.
‘‘Otago and southern people are at their best when their backs are against the wall.
‘‘Whatever happens, happens.
‘‘I think we need to rely on some other results going our way. But it won’t change our attitude this week.
‘‘We’ll just go back to work and try to turn in another really good performance.’’
The performance was certainly vastly better on Sunday.
Still, Otago trailed by seven with 15 minutes to go and it seemed there could be a risk the feelgood factor of a good effort was to be overshadowed by the grim reality of a fourth straight loss.
Donnelly had a sense, though, Otago was going to finish strongly against a Waikato team tiring after its third game in nine days.
‘‘We knew that, on the back end of the storm week, the last 20 minutes is really tough on any team. You just lack a bit of sting in your tail and a bit of punch.
‘‘So we knew we had to play quicker rugby.
‘‘We had the same plan against Wellington a week earlier but just didn’t get it right in the first 20 minutes.
‘‘But I’m really happy with how the lads finished that game off.’’
Otago seems likely to be looking for a new hooker to sit on the bench against Manawatu.
Brady Robertson had not long come on for Henry Bell when he copped a big blow and seemed to be out on his feet.
Vilimoni Koroi is still suffering from concussion symptoms, and fellow backs Jona Nareki, Ray Nu’u and Thomas UmagaJensen will all still be out this week.
That could mean more opportunities for the likes of University and former Waitaki Boys’ halfback Kieran McClea and AlhambraUnion winger John Tapueluelu, both of whom made their debut for Otago on Sunday.
‘‘The guys that have come in have done a fantastic job,’’ Donnelly said.
‘‘Someone like Kieran McClea, playing his first game, and he came on and made a massive difference.
‘‘JT, same thing. So it’s awesome to see guys playing club rugby down here get an opportunity and do a really good job.’’
❛ Our whole focus this week was around us and making sure we put in a performance we could be proud of