Northland playing down hype of finals footy

For Jordan Olsen and his team, the best approach to the Mitre 10 Cup Championship final is to treat it as just another game.

The Northland Taniwha captain is just as excited to play in his first final, against Hawke’s Bay in Napier tonight, as the fans are to watch their beloved province get this far in the competition after 24 years.

Northland last won the final in 1997 when they walloped the Central Vikings in Whanga¯rei 63-10, and have since lost in the semifinals in 2014, 2017 and 2018.

Tonight’s match will be the second between the sides this season, after Hawke’s Bay came away with a win in the Ranfurly Shield challenge at McLean Park in October.

“Obviously it’s a big game for everyone but we try not to put too much pressure on ourselves. We try to be nice and calm and that helps a lot in our preparation,” Olsen said.

“We treat it as just any other game to make sure we don’t panic before kick-off. The excitement and energy is up and everyone is in good spirits.”

A notable exclusion from the runon side is Blues halfback Sam Nock, who’s had a superb season, but suffered a hamstring injury in the semifinal win over Otago and couldn’t recover in time.

“Sam’s played extremely good footy over the last 10 weeks and it’s a shame he won’t be able to play, but we have a couple of good guys who can slip into that role,” Olsen said.

Other than Nock, head coach George Konia has named a largely predictable side that has got the job done for Northland in this year’s campaign.

First five Dan Hawkins returns from injury to the starting line-up, Jone Macilai and Jordan Hyland will be the wingers, veteran Rene Ranger will pair Tamati Tua in the midfield, with Mathew Wright at fullback completing the backs.

In the forwards, Olsen will hook the scrum with the assistance of fellow front rowers Luatangi Li and Coree Te Whata-Colley, and workaholics Josh Goodhue and Sam Caird form the second row.

Hard-hitting Tom Robinson, openside specialist Kara Pryor, and No 8 Sam McNamara will be the chief combatants at the breakdown, including negating the much-vaunted Magpies rolling maul.

“Their set-piece play is right up there and it’s something we want to combat because they use their rolling maul to attack. They have threats right across the park,” Olsen said.

He said this year’s campaign has been a bit different in that the team have built confidence in every game they have played.

“In the past, we’ve gone into matches thinking maybe we won’t win but still give it a crack, but this year the expectation is to come away with a win.”