Dream team remains speculation – for now
In our dreams, the Manawatu¯ Turbos could be fielding a dream team in this year’s delayed NPC.
With borders closed, Covid-19 has locked an abundance of players at home. Come September they might want games under their belts in lieu of big bucks.
Word on the street has players coming and going, and yet no-one knows for sure. Many harbour dreams of coining it in Japan and are waiting to see if Narita Airport opens.
The Japanese though, with their densely populated cities and the world’s oldest population, are very wary of a second Covid wave.
The player uncertainty must be making it tough for Peter Russell to cobble together his Turbos NPC team, especially on a reduced budget. Fortunately, all of the young talent have been contracted to prevent them being poached. For a start three props are stranded overseas, Samuela Tawake in Fiji and Fa’alelei Sione and Paulo Leleisiuao in Australia, while Hurricane Fraser Armstrong has skedaddled to Wellington.
It would be nice to get prop Mike Alaalatoa back for the NPC and Samoa prop Tietie Tuimauga has arrived at Te Kawau from Wellington.
We hear former Chiefs lock Michael Fitzgerald is back working as a builder in Whanganui. Aaron Smith is eager to wear green as long as the totally nonsensical All Blacks joustwith the Aussie leaguies is scuttled. The same goes for Ngani Laumape.
There’s Jamie Booth, the incumbent captain who would be a Super starter if he was at the Blues. Should Nehe MilnerSkudder materialise for the Highlanders, after helping coach the Turbos last season, just dream of that Manawatu¯ backline.
Like Rob Thompson, many are probably hanging on to see if they get New Zealand (as in Super) contracts. Otere Black is playing the lights out for the Blues, but Palmy street-talk has him joining Bay of Plenty or Japan.
So I called him and he told me ‘‘nothing is settled’’ about anything. He and his partner have bought a house in Rotorua, his parents now live in Whakatane, but he stressed he hasn’t signed for anyone and is in talks with the Blues.
Should ‘‘Oats’’ leave, which would be a great disappointment, the Turbos would probably have Stewart Cruden, Ben Wyness and utility Drew Wild as No 10s.
All Black Jackson Hemopo has long been back from Japan and might be keen for a gallop alongside Hurricane Liam Mitchell.
By the way, check out Feilding youngster TK Howden. He looks to be the next Hemopo. Kurt Baker is around in lieu of the stalled world sevens circus and even Hadleigh Parkes is expected back home from Wales en route to Japan.
Also in the province are two itinerant professionals. Giant former Blues and Samoa lock Filo Paulo is with Kia Toa, and veteran former Crusaders halfbackfirst-five Kahn Fotuali’i is at Feilding Old Boys-o¯roua.
Illness strikes former Turbo
It’s sad to see former Manawatu¯ fullback Sam Doyle having the fight of his life against acute myeloid leukaemia.
Cancer is like a tackle from behind, even in 2020. You don’t see it coming, as we discovered with a close relative a month ago, and the way the dreadful Covid-19 germ blindsided everyone.
Doyle gave us much pleasure when wearing the green-and-white No 15 jersey after arriving from Otaki to play for Freyberg and Manawatu¯ from 1991 to 1993.
He was a brilliant attacker with his timing into the backline and an exponent of the chip and chase, none more so was when he scored three tries against Ireland in 1992. Manawatu¯ wore white jerseys that day when they won by 58-24.
They were running everything that year with future All Black Lee Stensness at first five-eighth and kicking the ball was not his forte. Looking back, Manawatu¯ has been blessed with fullbacks. Alan Innes was one of the original attacking fullbackswho was always up in the line in the 1970s in an era when most fullbacks were happy to boot for touch.
Tough it out, boys
So some of the Warriors want to return to New Zealand and their families after a few weeks in Australia. Spare a thought for soldiers at Linton, whose average overseas deployment lasts six months and who earn a fraction of the Warriors’ pay.