Tasman Makos keep fans on edge of their seats
Tasman Makos' first five eighth Marty Banks slams a long clearing kick down field during his side's win over Taranaki.
Tasman Makos coach Leon MacDonald wasn't the only one experiencing unsettling feelings of deja vu as the Trafalgar Park clock clicked past the 80 minute mark on Saturday afternoon.
Many of the crowd had been at the same ground, two years earlier, when Tasman lost to Taranaki after failing to close out the game while leading as the full time hooter sounded. And it nearly happened again.
Fortunately for the home side, this Taranaki side wasn't as clinical as the 2014 version. A botched Tasman lineout and then a scrum base fumble kept the visitors in the game, and the home fans on the edge of their seats, before the ball was finally cleared to touch and the win secured.
The scrambled conclusion wasn't pretty, but neither was the rest of the game. Some of the recent encounters between these sides have been free-flowing, high-scoring encounters, this was more of an arm wrestle.
Trailing 20-6 after 50 minutes, Tasman were staring at a second consecutive defeat. They needed their experienced guys to take charge, which they did.
Marty Banks kicked superbly, both for goal and out of hand. His old school spiral punt that carved off 70m was a second half highlight, especially when he revealed after the game he was hampered by a hamstring strain. Kieron Fonotai scored the Makos' only try, a 'just-give-me-the-ball' effort which sparked their second half ignition. Billy Guyton added physicality and control to the halfback's role when he came on, Pete Samu showed glimpses of his superb athleticism while skipper Shane Christie kept his cool in the final stages to lead his troops to what may turn out to be a very important four points.
MacDonald said it was an important win. "Psychologically it is ... we copped a hiding against Canterbury so to respond the way we did was great."
He was impressed with his side's work at the breakdown against a side who have led the way in that area over the first two rounds. "I thought we put a lot of heat on them [at the breakdown], which was the complete opposite of last week, and that was just about turning up with a better attitude."
A rapidly-mounting injury toll is becoming a factor in Tasman's season, with the potential loss of James Lowe for the rest of the campaign a body blow. The mercurial winger/fullback must be knocking, and loudly, on the All Blacks selectors' door, so to see him sidelined with a broken thumb is disheartening for both the player and his loyal Makos fans. The return to action of Highlanders forwards Siosiua Halanukonuka and Alex Ainley, plus winger Viliami Lolohea, won't come a day too soon.
As I said, it wasn't a pretty win. Like the first round Waikato match, the Makos had to dig deep to find a favourable result.
While this side is a different beast to the crowd-pleasing Makos of 2013-14, their ability to turn a 31-point loss into a win over one of the top contenders within a week showed plenty of character and, after all, as Meatloaf said, "two out of three ain't bad."
