Manawatu¯ Turbos’ step into the great unknown
Manawatu¯ ’s Turbos might unashamedly borrow one of Oscar Wilde’s quotations w hen plotting their upcoming rugby season. ‘‘To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.’’
Indeed, Oscar. Under new coach Peter Russell, the Turbos squad boasts the heaviest loading of local players since the second division days, more than any of the preceding 13 Turbos squads. Just how they will fare against more experienced outfits is anybody’s guess.
While promoting from club rugby is the ideal, it’s a big leap into the unexpected and, hopefully, an exciting one. Russell comes with a history of winning wherever he has been and back soon from Japan to help out will be Greg Fleming, considered Manawatu¯ ’s set-play guru.
When chief executive Shannon Paku arrived last year, his brief was to prise back the spending. It hadn’t helped that the Manawatu¯ union had shovelled its hard-earned reserves into the highperformance centre and a few players were on coin the union couldn’t afford.
That led to some internal angst best forgotten and this year Paku estimates the player spend has been cut by at least 12 per cent and won’t go anywhere near the salary cap
Sponsorship is up 13 per cent, but has still to meet the union’s targets. A trip by Paku to Tauranga paid off when John Mcoviney returned Steelfort Ltd as a major backer, with businesses finding there is a tangible connection to the community through rugby.
Players gone of their own volition are halfback Kayne Hammington (to Otago) and prop Michael Alaalatoa, who is sketchily tethered to Canterbury while hoping to wear Samoa’s blue at the World Cup.
Both men owe Manawatu¯ for reviving careers going nowhere, the same with 2017 captain Heiden
Bedwell-curtis, who has turned down an offer from Paku to rejoin Taranaki.
Paku has little sympathy for unions who employ swathes of Super Rugby players then complain about what it costs when injuries hit and it turns to porridge.
Only five Super gents are likely to see regular action for the Turbos – Liam Mitchell and Fraser Armstrong (Hurricanes), Rob Thompson (Highlanders), Otere Black (Blues) and Jamie Booth (Sunwolves). Ngani Laumape could be back for Manawatu¯ ’s last four matches should he be inexplicably left out of the World Cup muster and, sadly, the wounded Nehe Milner-skudder will do well to even get to Toulon, let alone by December.
Jackson Hemopo played two NPC games last year when he was recovering from injury. Now, he is the versatile gent the All Blacks like and should be headed for the World Cup before his Mitsubishi Heavy Industries employers get their heavy hands on him.
Ten outside players were signed for Manawatu¯ last year. This season there are four – props Samuela Tawake (currently injured), Sunao Takizawa and Paulo Leleisiuao, and loose forward Sione Tu’ipulotu, some of whom have Super aspirations.
Manawatu¯ could be skinny in loose forwards, so fingers crossed 2016 NZ Schools captain Braydon Iose stays in one piece at No 8 and that Sam Wasley comes through after snapping a knee ligament on debut against Waikato last year.
Manawatu¯ has new talent filtering through, but it must be nurtured instead of rushed, as long as the kids have equal patience. Lock Mickey Woolliams could dash off to places such as Italy, but now with Tom Hughes injured, home looks his best option.
Meanwhile, last year, Manawatu¯ reaped only $71,917 from gate takings, hardly worth budgeting for.
This year kids under 16 will be admitted free, a sensible idea, and, hopefully, will be allowed on the ground afterwards to mingle with the players.
A family zone is to be built at the northern end of the Oval.
The number of serious security guards at home games is always excessive and costly, but is imposed by the Arena because grog is sold at the venue.
Winning games is the only surefire way to pull the punters, as we found in 2014: won 10 lost 2.
Thankfully, unpopular Wednesday night NPC games have been scrapped.
There was talk a few games next year would no longer be televised and Saturday afternoon matches would return, but sadly it seems there isn’t the appetite for it.