“Not seen everyone at training yet, but it’s a matter of getting all the bodies back on song.”
The squad spent a full day training together at the Kaierau Country Club last Friday, with Hamlin wanting to introduce some new structure to their style of play so they will “not fold back to the norm” come crunch time.
“They’ve gelled quite well considering. A lot of them are still finding their feet with this group.
“Some of the chat was a bit quiet, but within a few hours it got better and better.”
Hamlin is on record that the current Tasman Tanning Premier club season, consisting of only eight to 10 matches, depending on which teams made the semifinals/final, is not enough overall rugby to be conditioned for the rigours of the first-class game.
This is not just in terms of “the fatigue factor” but also discipline – having the rugby brain to avoid the temptation of infringement and therefore the referee’s ire.
In the 2022 Heartland season, Whanganui had a whopping eight yellow cards and two reds – dismissals happened so often it was christened “The Card Club”.
“We were our own worst enemy at times there,” said Hamlin.
“The work with club footy hasn’t really prepared us for what we face in the Heartland competition.
“They’re not going to be exceptionally fitter, but they’ll have to be [thinking].
“We’ve got to do our best to work around that, and embed a style of play and get new players in.”
To that end, Hamlin is pleased the draw for the “Game of Three Halves” will see Whanganui play back-to-back for the last two 40-minute periods, rather than being the side that has to take a break in the middle.
Of the current squad, they will be a little light on locks for this week with incumbent Josh Lane and wider-squad member Lake Ah Chong unavailable.
In addition, their standout midfielder-winger Alekesio Vakarorogo, joint 2022 player of the year with No 8 Semi Vodosese, is making a trip home to Fiji for the week.
Hamlin said they also needed to confirm the status of promising loose forward Josefa Namosimalua, who had completed the mandatory stand-down period from his blue card head injury in club rugby but still needs medical clearance to resume playing.
Of course, facing the Evergreens in the second half after they have taken on NZ Defence Force in the first half, should afford local fans another opportunity to play “spot the expat”.
Last year’s Evergreens team, which defeated a depleted Whanganui lineup in their preseason opener 38-15 at Johnston Park, contained no less than five squad members who played locally at school and junior representative level.
While the Heartland playoffs on October 7 are a long way off, all of this work will be to build a team capable of dethroning the South Canterbury team and beginning to overtake Whanganui’s Heartland legacy.
Having now won back-to-back Meads Cups, in 2022 the Cantabrians finally defeated Whanganui on Cooks Gardens during the round robin and then repeated the dose in the final at Pleasant Point.
They scored 491 points during the campaign, eclipsing another Whanganui-owned Heartland record of 440, and have extended their undefeated record against Heartland teams to 26 straight games since 2019.
Their only first-class loss during that run was the honourable 38-20 defeat in their 2022 Ranfurly Shield Challenge against Hawke’s Bay.
The Cantabrians found it a little harder in Wednesday’s mandatory shield challenge against reigning NPC champions Wellington, which won 67-21 at the Hutt Recreation Ground.
However, Hamlin doubts the blowout suggests South Canterbury have slipped back from their peak, as they try to equal Whanganui’s 2015-17 Meads Cup three-peat.
“That’s the nature of it – they [Wellington] are NPC champions from last year, and that [score]’s the reason why that is.”
Draw, July 22
Game of Three Halves:
1.30pm: Manawatu Evergreens vs NZ Defence Force
2.25pm: Manawatu Evergreens vs Steelform Whanganui
3.20pm: Steelform Whanganui vs NZ Defence Force
The potentially available squad is:
Forwards: Gabriel Hakaraia, Keightley Watson, Ranato Tikoisolomone, Hadlee Hay-Horton, Raymond Salu, Konradd Newland, Emmanuel Wineera, Roman Tutauha, Alesana Tofa, Peter Travis Hay-Horton, Matt Ashworth, Samu Kubunavanua, Doug Horrocks, Brett Joyes, Jamie Hughes, Josefa Namosimalua, Semi Vodosese, Angus Middleton.
Backs: Lindsay Horrocks, Kahl Elers-Green, Dane Whale, Brook Tremayne, Timoci Seruwalu, Josaia Bogileka, Apolosi Tanoa, Tawake Vuetibau, Peceli Malanicagi, Tiari Mumby, Silio Waqalevu, Sheldon Pakinga, Tyler Rogers-Holden.
Apprentices: Neo Tichbon, Eben Claassen, Josh Brunger.
