Makos rue error ridden performance [Marl Express]
"Respect": it's a word the Tasman Makos team might hear quite a bit of from their coaches during the week after a heart-breaking last-minute 20-17 loss to Northland in their national provincial championship clash at Lansdowne Park in Blenheim yesterday.
Respecting the ball is the issue with this team at present and that lack of respect was the main reason they walked off the park yesterday without having achieved what could have been a historic three wins in a row.
It hurt even more for home fans - more than 4000 of them - and the Makos camp that the match was decided by a penalty a minute out from fulltime, which Ash Moeke converted for the Taniwha.
However, the Makos will reflect on what might have been if they had treasured the possession they won, capitalised on the line breaks they made and paid more attention to detail and also not thrown so many "Hail Mary" balls.
Northland probably deserved to win. They dominated the first half and their 10-3 lead at the break should most certainly have been at least 10 more.
They blew two certain tries near halftime, dropping passes with the line open on the back of clean breaks by their dangerous midfield duo of Derek Carpenter and former All Black Rene Ranger.
The Makos on the other hand were lack-lustre for the first 40, looking like a team playing their third game in seven days and they too should have scored one try.
Electrifying wing Peter Betham broke clean through but with the try-line beckoning, threw the ball to a Northland defender. Northland scored through Carpenter bursting on to a pass following a Makos turnover, a good scrum and patient buildup of phases.
A halftime rark-up from coach Kieran Keane had the desired effect on Tasman. A few personnel changes injected fresh life into the side and they came out guns blazing for the second 40 minutes.
They dominated and Quentin MacDonald was held up on the try-line. More pressure resulted in two early penalty goals by Hayden Cripps, then Taniwha flanker Jack Ram was sin binned for kicking the ball out of a scrum that the Makos players argued, with some justification, should have resulted in a penalty try as they had Northland marching back less than five metres from the line.
The pressure finally reaped a reward when hard-working lock Filipo Levi dived over after more sustained effort, then skipper Andrew Goodman slotted a magnificent penalty goal from 55m to give the home side what looked like a winning buffer at 17-10 with 19 minutes to play.
However, if you don't treasure the ball in this game it will bite you and the Makos got badly bitten when wing Mateo Malupo made up for duffing a first-half try with a blinder, snatching on to a spilt Makos' pass and racing through a scattered defence from 40m out to score, Moeke converting to level the game.
That try fired Northland back up and over the closing stages they didn't let the Makos back into the match.
The final blow came when Gary Redmond was penalised for hooking the ball out of a breakdown with his foot while off his feet, Moeke making no mistake from close range with the penalty.
There was no doubting the ability of this Makos team to break the line and create opportunities.
They do that by the bucket-load but it all counts for nothing if you don't convert.
Wing Betham was again dangerous each time he got the ball. Goodman carried the ball up hard; Cripps varied his game nicely at first-five and Crusader Tom Marshall certainly added to the firepower when he came on after halftime.
In the forwards, No 8 Jordan Taufua had another powerhouse game, particularly in the first half.
Hooker MacDonald had a good game and flanker Redmond was tireless.
Fullback/wing Robbie Malneek summed it up afterwards: "We're pretty disappointed. Nothing seemed to work for us out there today. We didn't turn up to play today and we paid for it."
Taufua was also obviously disappointed and hoped that in future matches the 50/50 calls might go their way more.
" Three games in a row; the referees are not liking us in the last 10 minutes but we have to adapt to what the ref calls and that's part of the game and we shouldn't have been in that place [inside the 22] in the first place.
"It was there for the taking but we just didn't come out with the win. We didn't look after and respect our ball.
"Three games in a short turn-around is real hard on our bodies but we can't use that as an excuse.
"We have to physically and mentally turn up.
"Bring on Otago," Taufua said.
A disappointed Keane said: "I thought we were pretty average the first half. We had ample opportunities to break them open, broke them open but threw away the ball, showed no respect for possession. We squandered most of what was on offer.
"We came back after halftime and did pretty well to gain a lead, then took a few short cuts again when the pressure came on and paid dearly for it."
Despite the loss, the Makos are still in second place on the Championship table, six points behind Counties Manukau and as far as Keane is concerned, the focus will quickly move to Otago in Dunedin next Sunday.
"We can't dwell on this. We've got to get back on the horse, get a bit honest about a few things and go down to Otago and do our best."
Most of the team appeared to come through the match unscathed apart from wing Bryce Heem who left the field early in the second half with a shoulder injury.
Scorers:
Northland 20 (Derek Carpenter, Mateo Malupo tries; Ash Moeke 2 con, 2 pen)
Tasman Makos 17 (Filipo Levi try; Hayden Cripps 3, Andrew Goodman pen).
Halftime: Northland 10-3
