Tough way to finish for Laney

Brendan Laney was sad last night - sad he had played his last game for Otago, sad he could not have been part of a side who won the national championship.

Laney scored 16 points in the loss to Canterbury as he bowed out of New Zealand rugby with another of those performances which have entertained fans throughout the country.

"I found it tough, quite emotional at the end," he said. "It's a weird feeling. It's hard to believe it's over.

"I've had a great time. Otago rugby's done more for me than I've done for it."

His wife, Miranda, and parents were in the stand to watch him play his 81st and last game for Otago, but there was no fairytale end, even if there was the scent of victory at times.

"We're gutted things didn't turn out better," Laney said. "It wasn't for the want of trying. We're just disappointed we weren't able to finish off.

"It would have been great to win, but it's just one of those things. We played our guts out, but losing so many backs injured didn't help."

Laney, on the bench for the previous two games, began on the wing but moved to first five-eighths when Tony Brown was injured.

"Things went pretty well in the first half. I hadn't really thought about playing first five - I hadn't played there for a while - but I just wanted to play well in my last game."

Laney, the leading Otago points and try-scorer this season - he scored 135 points and 11 tries in 12 NPC matches - will leave for Edinburgh next Monday where one of his team-mates at the Reivers will be Canterbury legend Todd Blackadder.

- NZPA