The Blues have a target on their back but coach Bill Robertson says they'll improve as the season progresses. Photo / File
The Blues have a target on their back but coach Bill Robertson says they'll improve as the season progresses. Photo / File
Dress it up any which way you want, but it's difficult to disguise the fact that sport is, especially in a competitive cauldron, primarily about winning and losing.
So when individuals and teams find themselves in a purple patch, winning becomes a self-perpetuating ritual, even if the variables change from one season to another.
Thirsty Whale Napier City Rovers, you can argue, are in that happy medium before they kick off at 2pm against Wairarapa United in Napier tomorrow and at 3pm at Newtown Park against Wellington United on Monday over the four-day Easter weekend.
The Blues have won 17 games on the trot, dating back to last winter when they were crowned the Central League champions.
Three wins from as many games this season, the Bill Robertson-coached Rovers have played 21 matches in the premier winter league over the two seasons, claiming 19 victories, one stalemate and a defeat.
"It's a pretty good record in a very competitive Central League and something we're very proud of as a club as well as the staff and players involved," Robertson said after they beat Stop Out Sports Club 2-1 at Bluewater Stadium, Park Island, last Sunday.
Despite a relatively new squad this season, the bullish expectations of the Blues faithful hasn't broken the stride of the players.
In fact, the Rovers have been riding a contagious mood swing this season that has become a catalyst to muster physical energy and foster a sense of resilience to persist to the 90-plus-minute mark when the chips are momentarily down on the park, as opposed to succumbing to a toxic bloom of doom and gloom.
It seems no one is in a rush to leave the clubrooms after the final whistle. Fans mingle with players amid solidarity built on accomplishments.
Defensiveness is scrubbed off in the shower block of the changing rooms. The Rovers are receptive to constructive feedback rather than using three points from a game to camouflage any creases in their blueprint.
Weeknight training sessions become an ironing board to address those flaws, even if you're picking up scant minutes off the bench.
"We've got a big target on our backs but I think we've done well so far and we'll continue to improve for the rest of the season," Robertson says.
No doubt, the finger-pointing rituals give way to mutual respect because winning teams equal calibre players who freely express views and, more importantly, listen to each other.
The Rovers are second on the ladder — to 2017 champions Western Suburbs as the only other unbeaten side after three rounds on a better goal difference — before they play the two bottom-placed sides in the 10-team league.
It is quite common for individual interests to eclipse collective pursuits in such encounters but Robertson reckons the Blues' culture tries to vaccinate against such afflictions.
"We've got to deal with that expectation, I suppose," he says. "The way we operate and they way I talk to the players is about meeting our own standards in everything we do — whether that's training, game day or recovery."
It's heads I win for Blues defender Jamie Wilkinson against Stop Out striker Cameron McKenzie in the hosts' 3-2 victory in the Central League clash in Napier last Sunday. Photo / Paul Taylor
The two-time Team Wellington national summer league crown-winning champion emphasises the need to be professional on and off the field because once that's in order the game and results take care of themselves.
"You've got to live and breathe professionalism so it's all about that culture we're trying to create here at Napier City Rovers, especially in the last few years I've been involved.
"When you start winning games of football then, obviously, it makes it a lot easier to enjoy."
While the quick turnaround from tomorrow to Sunday will test the squad's resolve, he sees that as an ideal litmus test to keep their minds on the job amid festivities.
"We've got a very good squad of players with everyone wanting to play so it might be an opportunity to do some rotation and get some players some game time, especially if they haven't had much so far."
Robertson is mindful Wairarapa have several Hawke's Bay United players in their mix so they have done some sketching on how to negate their influence.
"No game in the Central League is easy so it's more focus on how standards and what we do with our principles on how we play so if we do that I'm confident, in any game we play, we'll have a good chance of winning the game."
He doesn't envisage playing this winter although he still has to travel with Team Wellington to New Caledonia for the O-League semifinals on April 28.
Besides, his wife, Kristy, is expecting their second son in six weeks. They have a 3-year-old son, Jack.
"It's obviously a busy time for me so I'm trying to manage it all effectively and I'm thankful for a very supportive family in enjoying the football at the moment."
Robertson, who Bay United didn't want back last summer as centreback and captain, had plied his trade with Waitakere United but a broken arm saw him on the sidelines for a few weeks.
However, Team Wellington head hunted him for their O-League campaign with Waitakere playing ball in duly releasing him.
"I'm enjoying being back with Team Wellington with a very high standard of football and enjoying the environment there but still able to fulfil my commitments with the Rovers from a coaching point."
