Season lays seeds of hope for Northland

Never mind what the points table says, Northland had a memorable year in this year's ITM Cup. Just ask anyone who was at the Manawatu match or saw them beat Southland.
Sure, they didn't make the semifinals nor the top seven and consequently will play their rugby in the new championship (okay, if you want to get technical ... the second) division next season but they did play an exciting brand of rugby that delighted their fans.
It was a season of what-ifs. What if the Taniwha had held on to beat North Harbour and Wellington after leading both games comfortably? What if Dean Budd had scored in the corner turning a narrow defeat into a bonus point win over Canterbury? What if Nelson TMO Paul Gurr had that eye test?
What if Rene Ranger hadn't been selected into the All Blacks?
The answer is they could have so easily been playing their rugby in the Premier (first) division next season but rugby isn't about what might have been - and Northland must now aim to win the championship next year and gain promotion. They have retained the players for the new coaching staff to make a solid start.
The team's stars like skipper Jared Payne, Rene Ranger and Lachie Munro have already signed, while bright new players like Dean Budd and Dan Pryor have also been retained. The grafters like Rhyan Caine and Cam Eyre have both been rewarded for great seasons with contracts and several of the better performed players are currently talking with the Northland union.
Northland's season was a fitting farewell to David Holwell and it was great to see him catch up with former teammate Tana Umaga in the tunnel at Pukekohe.
Umaga asked if farming had caused him to lose so much weight. "I've put on five kilos," the diminutive five-eighth replied defensively, Umaga looked him up and down and then inquired where Holwell was hiding it.
Holwell had been looking forward to catching up with his old Hurricanes mate but not the game against Umaga and his fellow "athletes" at Counties - I deduced he meant the impressively built players that seemed to run toward him all day - evidence that the 35-year-old was close to calling it a day.
Another Northland centurion, Gus Collins, made a surprise comeback mid-way through the season. Holwell's departure overshadowed his contribution but he may be back even if it's just to get a more worthy send-off.
There was plenty to like about the way Northland played this season and acknowledgement must go to the players and management. Bryce Woodward may return in some limited capacity next year after scoring the Blues backline coaching job, while Blair Larsen is returning to North Harbour.
Woodward gave his side a pass mark, saying they scored enough points to win most of their games but their defence let them down.