Northcott cleared from concussion
It was a frustrating process, but Hamish Northcott is glad he did not rush back from his concussion.
The Turbos midfielder returned to the Turbos against Tasman on Sunday, getting through the game unscathed.
It was his first match since the end of the club season.
In the buildup to the Turbos’ first pre-season match against Tasman, Northcott clashed heads with team-mate Tom Hughes at training. At first it was only expected to impact two pre-season matches.
But he ended up missing all three pre-season games along with the Turbos’ season opener against Wellington as he waited for the nagging symptoms to dissipate.
‘‘It has just been a frustrating process really. With concussion you can’t watch screens or socialise too much because of the headaches and symptoms.’’
Northcott did not have to look far for a reason why he should be careful with concussions with Turbos assistant coach Aaron Good’s playing career prematurely ended through the injury.
‘‘I did the right thing in the end, got 100 percent and it is good to be back,’’ Northcott said.
He celebrated his return with a try on fulltime to secure Manawatu a winning bonus point.
‘‘I don’t often score many tries. Jade’s [Te Rure] quick thinking put me through a hole, I just got lucky,’’ he said.
‘‘It was good to play in some good weather finally so we could play the type of footy we wanted to play.’’
He was wearing his regular No 12 jersey for the match, but has been seeing increasing game time at centre in recent seasons.
‘‘The last couple of years I have developed my game to be able to play both. I used to only play 12 when I got into the midfield. I don’t really mind [which position I play] to be honest. I am fairly comfortable in both positions.’’
The shift to spend more time at centre came during his sole season with the Blues in 2015 when he started four of six games in the No 13 jersey.
Since then, Northcott has been on the Super Rugby outer.
But the 25-year-old said he was not putting much focus into a potential Super Rugby return.
‘‘I am not thinking about, I just want to play well for this union first and foremost. I just want to do the green-and-white justice.’’
It is an attitude that makes sense for the 37-game Turbo.
As a defensive organiser and attacking facilitator, much of his best work does not land on highlight reels so being part of a winning team helps get him noticed.
Northcott refused to label himself the team’s defensive leader.
‘‘There are a lot of guys now who are in their third and fourth years that contribute in the attack and the defensive areas of the team,’’ he said.
But there is little doubt the midfield is more secure when he is in the side.