THE LONG ROAD BACK
While the spine of the Turbos is made up of home-grown talent, they have made signings aplenty in their quest to escape the basement end of the Championship, writes Peter Lampp.
Manawatu is renowned for bringing through young talent or for giving players such as prop Michael Alaalatoa a go when their careers had been in the doldrums.
Even so, the Manawatu public are hard to please. Club diehards demand their favourite sons be promoted to NPC rugby and yet they also demand wins.
So this year coach Peter Russell, in his third year with the Turbos, knows they have to capture more than the one scalp they took last season and fewer than half of last year’s squad will be back. Where there hasn’t been a local player stepping up in a certain position or being nurtured in the Manawatu academy, he hasn’t hesitated in going to the market.
“We’re trying to create a winning culture and it takes outside help,” Russell says.
One player fits both bills, local and repatriated. Jason Emery, who partnered Ngani Laumape in the midfield at Palmerston North Boys’ High School, is back from Japan.
‘Where there hasn’t been a local player stepping up in a certain position or being nurtured in the Manawatu academy, (Peter Russell) hasn’t hesitated in going to the market.’
Wanganui is these days a type of hinterland for the Turbos and one of its products, Crusader Brett Cameron, has been brought in as the first five-eighth to guide the team around the track with promising youngster Stewart Cruden backing him up. Former NZ Schools hooker Ben Strang is another Wanganui export alongside internationals Ray Niuia (Samoa) and Siua Maile (Tonga) in long a vexed position for Manawatu.
Feilding backs Drew Wild and Josiah Maraku were rookies exposed to the NPC last year and will be the better for it. The time is right for Wild, almost a Damian Mckenzie lookalike, to command the fullback’s jersey, which he shared with former All Black Nehe Milner-skudder last year who, at the time of writing, was unattached. The Turbos fancy Wild as a Super Rugby prospect, while centre Maraku spent the Super season with the Blues this year.
One who didn’t was Hurricanes halfback Jamie Booth, who was to captain the Turbos after missing the entire Hurricanes programme. He was returning after the devastation of a broken leg suffered when chasing the Ranfurly Shield against Hawke’s Bay in Napier last season. It was his second major leg injury. But each time the halfback has defied medical science and bounced back. Booth was a late withdrawal from the squad.
The Turbos were rapt to get the signature of rugged wing Tima Faingaanuku, who was given just one start in seven outings for Tasman last year. Manu Samoa wing Ed Fidow, via UK club Worcester, has speed to burn.
Only two members of the entire front-row club remain, Maile and Samoan prop Tietie Tuimauga. Alaalatoa is off to Leinster, so in have come 33-year-old Fijian international Ropate Rinakama, former Crusaders prop Harrison Allan, Auckland prop Jarred Adams and NZ Under 20s prop Joe Gavigan out of Palmerston North school Manukura.
Manawatu’s hottest prospect was to be No 8 Tyler Laubscher, but after playing one club game for Varsity, a groin injury and complications have ruled him out for the season. There is still Hurricane Brayden Iose to fill that spot and expert fetcher Shamus Hurley-langton, as well as the exciting NZ flanker TK Howden in just his second year out of Feilding High School.
After playing in nine of the Turbos’ 10 games last season, he graduated to the NZ Under 20s and has been developing with the Hurricanes.
Meanwhile, Hurricanes lock Liam Mitchell can also play on the flank. He and last year’s other lock, Micaiah Torrance-read, had been overshadowing everyone in club rugby for country club Te Kawau and for Varsity respectively.