Muliaina steps up for Napier challenge
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:27
All Black fullback Mils Muliaina is available this week for his first game since 2006, as the Mooloo men look on to their Air New Zealand (NZ) Cup quarterfinal clash against Hawke's Bay on Sunday.
Waikato have scored a chance for Napier redemption, as well as a 10-day turnaround to mend battered bodies.
But it might not be enough to get key figures Liam Messam and Stephen Donald fit in time for the play-off showdown with the Hawke's Bay Magpies, who have beaten Waikato three competition games in a row at McLean Park, Napier, and four games in a row if the non-first class pre-season clash earlier this year is counted.
Waikato beat Taranaki 45-41 at Waikato Stadium last Thursday night to secure their place in the top eight and then had to wait for the rest of the final round-robin games over the weekend before knowing just who they might play in the quarterfinals.
"As the weekend went through obviously we could have ended up playing Hawke's Bay, Canterbury or Bay of Plenty even, so it's been interesting watching," Waikato head coach Tony Hanks said.
"Watching the Auckland-Northland game there were pluses and minuses of going to Canterbury or Hawke's Bay, but I guess the major advantage of going to Hawke's Bay is that it gives us an extra day or two just for some of those niggles, because Canterbury would likely have been a Friday night game."
Hanks said it was highly unlikely either team captain Messam (hamstring) or Donald (strained rib cartilage) would be seen in action this weekend, although the extended turnaround meant Messam was still an outside chance rather than be ruled out altogether at this stage.
"We don't want to rush Liam and put him in a position where we make his hamstring worse," he said.
"As important as he is to us, we're hoping he goes on to higher honours this year and don't want to jeopardise that."
In Faifili Levave and Callum Bruce, Waikato have players more than able to step up and take their places in the key No.6 and 10 jerseys.
This year's team had learnt a lot from their 15-24 loss there this season, and Hanks said it was vital Waikato built into the week slowly to try change their Napier fortunes.
"For us there is a lot to be excited about in terms of it being the same as last year, it's a venue where we haven't performed very well and so I definitely know there will be an edge to what we do this week.
"The boys are sick of leaving there without the points, so it's an extra little focus as well as it being a knockout match," added Hanks.
All the players had now tasted Cup action at McLean Park but not all had been involved in all the matches, with All Blacks Richard Kahui and Sione Lauaki last going there for Waikato's first visit in 2006 when they won.
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