Lam not ready to hit panic button
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:46
New Blues coach Pat Lam says there is no need for panic ahead of next year's Super 14 competition, despite the poor form of the franchise's partner teams in the Air New Zealand Cup competition.
Auckland are 13th in the 14-team Air NZ Cup, North Harbour are 11th and Northland ninth.
Much of this slump in the region have been blamed on a massive player exodus from Auckland and the administrative woes of Northland - which will see them being culled from the Air NZ Cup competition next year.
Lam, who was appointed Blues coach after David Nucifora returned to Australia, has two more games left in charge of Auckland before moving on to the Blues job.
When he starts assembling his team for next season several seasoned players will be missing - with the likes of Nick Evans, Troy Flavell, Nick Williams and Isa Nacewa having all been lured away by cash-flush European clubs.
Despite the dire situation of the region, Lam remains upbeat.
"Being in this region for the last five years, working with the academies, I pretty much know the talent that is coming through," Lam told Yahoo!Xtra.
"We have seen it with Auckland.
"But we still have a core of experienced guys around, the Woodcocks, the Mealamus, John Afoa and Gus Collins. All of those guys are still around.
"Then you have the exciting ones coming through.
"And in all three teams there is some really good talent there."
Lam's assistant Shane Howarth is set to take charge of Auckland for the remainder of the season.
Howarth will then join the Blues as backs coach, with the Auckland Rugby Union (ARU) to advertise for fulltime replacements for 2009 later this season.
