League: Veteran pair out to lasso Stallions

He may have hit his late 30s but Northern Swords co-captain Tawio Davis is confident he and fellow veteran Jack Walker can take a young side of rising stars to their first win in the NZRL national competition on Sunday.

The pair last played together for the Northern Storm way back in the days of the Bartercard Cup but Davis said the enthusiasm of the young Northland selection would go a long way when they took on Waicoa Bay Stallions in the season opener.

"The team looks good, especially with all the up-and-coming stars and they're all cool to be around because their morale is so high and they'll all be fired up come Sunday," he said.

"Northland hasn't won a game as the Swords yet but we want to set that record straight against the Stallions."

Davis was an "experienced" player back in his Bartercard days and gave the game away shortly after the competition folded.

If it wasn't for Tigers' coach Tommy Tauranga, he'd be watching from the stands this weekend.

Tauranga kept at him to pull his boots back on and this year he finally succeeded.

Fans will raise an eyebrow as the former winger and centre will feature around the ruck at prop.

"I guess you could say I'm one of the fastest props in Northland," he laughed.

Davis and Walker faced off against each other in last week's Whangarei and Districts grand final but all that club rivalry is behind them now as they turn to concentrate their experienced eyes on the visiting side from Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

The match starts at 2pm on Sunday at Toll Stadium.