Shoddy tactics muddy Bay image

By CHRIS RATTUE

Hawkes Bay will keep title rivals East Coast waiting until today before announcing if two loan players can take the field in the second-division final.

East Coast, the people's team, were stung by the news that their opponents had activated a clause in the loan agreement to prevent lock Jason Bellamy and midfield back Marty Lloyd from playing.

Both were sidelined in the first-round match between the two unions, and Hawkes Bay have now pulled the ultimate big-brother act by denying them the right to play in Sunday's final at McLean Park.

Hawkes Bay, coached by Mark Shaw, risk a scathing public reaction should they try to prevent two players they did not want themselves from joining the team who have become the sporting darlings of the country.

The final decision rests largely in the hands of Hawkes Bay's football manager, Dave Stevenson, who claimed that public pressure would not sway him.

"Right from the start everyone knew what the agreement was. I've got to talk to a few people about it, but public pressure will play no part at all," he said.

Stevenson may not believe that public opinion will play a part in the decision, but Hawkes Bay are risking ridicule.

For a start, they get a New Zealand Rugby Football Union grant of $290,000 compared to the East Coast's $150,000. Hawkes Bay also have nearly 6500 players, compared to the 500 in the country's smallest union.

And Lloyd is an East Coaster who lives in Hastings, but has had to return home to find some work.

East Coasters were furious yesterday at the Hawkes Bay attitude, but toned down their response last night so as not to endanger their chances of having the two players available for the final.

But privately, they questioned why a larger union with a proud history would resort to such desperate tactics.

The answer probably lies in their first-round clash in Napier, when the Coasters lost by just six points - a result which gave them enormous confidence in their run to the final.