Fit-again young halfback eyes starting spot
SPORT The Chiefs have two topclass halfbacks desperate to play against the Reds. Evan Pegden reports.
Chiefs halfback Tawera Kerr-barlow has two appointments he’s looking forward to in Brisbane this weekend.
No 1 priority is a date with the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon (6.10pm NZ time), but not far behind is the chance to catch up with some of his Australian-based family. ‘‘My father and my brother are going to come down.
‘‘My mum’s got a new housing project to build [in Darwin] so she won’t be there, but I’ll also be catching up with some more friends and family from up home,’’ Kerr-barlow said. ‘‘I always look forward to seeing my family.’’
He hopes to meet up with them both before and after the game as he is not staying on in Australia when the team returns home, despite the Chiefs having a bye next week.
But his No 1 mission is to try to get back in the starting XV after starting seven matches in a row while former All Black Brendon Leonard was sidelined by a torn hamstring.
Kerr-barlow suffered some health problems of his own on the Chiefs’ threematch overseas trip, contracting the flu on the way over to Perth, which developed into a chest infection.
He played on but by the third match against the Sharks he was suffering breathing problems and struggling.
As a result he was rested against the Hurricanes with the 27-year-old Leonard fit again and Kerr-barlow did not even make it to that match as a spectator when he also picked up a stomach bug.
‘‘It put me down big time,’’ the 21-yearold said.
But apart from a lingering cough, Kerr-barlow has come right and after coming off the bench against the Lions last weekend he wants to re-ignite the close rivalry between himself and the more experienced Leonard for the No 9 jersey.
‘‘We’ll go at it and the coach will pick the best bloke, but it’s good to push each other and hopefully both improve through the season,’’ Kerr-barlow said.
He eased into training last week as he came back from his illness and tried to get his lungs working back at full capacity. ‘‘As always when you come off the bench, you get tired pretty quick, and then you kick in again and I was just really keen to get out there.
‘‘A week off is enough for me, man. I want to be out there playing footy.’’
Whether he starts or comes off the bench – the team is not named until tomorrow – Kerr-barlow knows it will be a tough mission against the defending champions with their world-class Wallabies halfback, Will Genia.
‘‘The wheels are starting to roll for them. Watching their game against the Crusaders they were very physical at the breakdown, have got a good kick-andchase game and Genia at nine is kind of the brains of the operation so we’re going to have to do our homework on them and try and bring that physicality,’’ Kerr-barlow said.
‘‘We’ll take it up another gear for this game. All the boys are keen to get up for it but we just have to have our heads screwed on as well if we’re going to try and take apart an outfit like the Reds.’’
Kerr-barlow is looking forward to playing in the Queensland heat after finding a return to the Waikato winter after the warmth and humidity of Durban a bit of a shock to the system.
‘‘I like the heat. I went back home to Darwin at Christmas and was training up there. Even though you have to train when it’s dark or early in the morning because the heat’s too much in the middle of the day, it was good and Brizzy’s not as humid as back home.
‘‘It’ll be hot but we’ve got a good fitness base, we worked really hard in the pre-season with Phil [Healey, the head of strength and conditioning] so I think we should be right.
‘‘It’ll be good weather to play open running footy at 4pm,’’ he said.