Alex Ainley to return to Makos [Nelson Mail]
Kieran Keane has had plenty to celebrate over the New Year.
The recent reappointment of both Keane and Leon MacDonald as Tasman's ITM Cup rugby coaches for 2013 has also coincided with the return of former Tasman lock Alex Ainley from overseas.
Ainley played the last of his 42 games for Tasman against Wellington in 2009 before heading to the Crociati club in Italy ahead of his most recent stint with the Mitsubishi Dynaboars in Japan. But the gnarly 29-year-old 108kg 1.95m lock is among the 18 players already signed by Tasman for the coming season.
That's exciting news for Keane who sees Ainley as a perfect fit for the type of culture they've been attempting to cultivate over the past few years.
"He's a terrific team man and he's an honest and earnest sort of a footballer and he's just what we need with his experience," said Keane.
"I'm excited by the fact that we've now got a solid core [of players] and we've been working hard to establish one of those within the team. This team's starting to show the maturity that's needed. It's come from the leadership group who've maintained their positions in the team and by our core players returning.
"So I think this maturity that we're starting to exhibit on the field is going to hold us in good stead and I'm really pleased about that aspect . . . and I want to grow that area, too. We want to drive a lot more consistency of effort and performance."
No longer part of the Highlanders' Super franchise, where he's spent the past few seasons as technical adviser, Keane's enjoying a much more relaxed offseason and is excited about the prospect of officially kickstarting his fourth season as head coach early next month. He was also co-coach with Bevan Cadwallader in 2009.
Keane said it's been refreshing to have the summer off.
"It's given me time to take a bit of a breath and it's also given me time to do a bit of reflection, so I've thoroughly enjoyed it."
Without his previous Highlanders commitments, he's also looking forward to a more measured preseason buildup with the Makos.
"Things won't be as frantic. The [ITM Cup] competition is not going to be as frantic either, so training can start in earnest from February. It just gives people time to consider things more [rather] than fire from the hip."
Keane said he was pleased with what he considered to be a thorough selection process.
"I personally thought the process was a good one to go through. It was good for the organisation, it was good for the board and it was good for Leon and myself really to sort of see where we sat. There were things to be gained out of the whole process, in my opinion."
An area highlighted by the selection panel was a need for a closer liaison between the representative and club coaches.
Keane said he'd already talked with "maybe 50 per cent" of the club coaches and that the clubs "have been pretty proactive already, both sides of the hill in terms of recruitment and putting development processes in place".
