Stags taking shape ahead of 2019 campaign
Southland Stags coach Dave Hewett believes the players have made positive strides in terms of strength and fitness as they zero in on this year’s Mitre 10 Cup season.
Hewett raised concerns about the Stags’ conditioning during a challenging 2018 Mitre 10 Cup season, and stressed improvements were needed to ensure they did not drift in and out of games.
The former All Black prop, who is in his second year as Southland coach, said trainer Shaun Curry and his assistant, Jono Hayes, had been working hard to get the players up to speed this year.
The Stags’ coaching staff named a wider high-performance squad on Thursday to prepare for the representative season.
Hewett said the squad was made up of players who they believed had the potential to play Mitre 10 Cup rugby, whether it be this season or in the future.
There was a training squad in place but that has now been refined after taking into account early season fitness and club form.
There are some notable new names in the training squad, including 2017 New Zealand secondary schools’ loose forward Charles Alaimalo.
He was part of the Hamilton Boys’ High School team that progressed to the
2017 national secondary schools’ final.
Josh Moorby is also set to make a move south from Waikato in the coming weeks to have a shot at playing for the Stags. Moorby was part of the New Zealand sevens development squad this year and has played for the Waikato development and under-19 teams.
Last year’s Canterbury B player of the year, Matt James, has also joined the setup, and the loose forward is playing his club rugby for Woodlands. The Stags decision-makers were still looking at other possible options outside the province to fill potential gaps.
Flanker Phil Halder is playing overseas at the moment and was not named in the squad named on Thursday. However, Hewett said he would be back for the Mitre 10 Cup season.
Halfback Nico Costa is in Argentina at the moment but he too will return for his second year of his contract with the Stags.
Midfielder Ray Nu’u has opted to play his club rugby for Green Island in Dunedin this year, where he is part of the Highlanders Bravehearts setup, but Hewett confirmed he would play for the Stags this year.
There were still contracts to be sorted, but Hewett said they were far more advanced than this time last year, in terms of assembling a squad.