Road Trip

Waikato offered Harbour a chance at an away win yet at the same time a stern test with the fact that their returning All Blacks would boost the quality of their team just in time for their late charge to make the top four.

For large parts of the game Harbour were second best but just when you thought the boys were dead and burried they came back to make me believe that maybe we could just steal a game that maybe we had no right to steal. Yet, time and time again, leaders were found wanting in the Harbour team and poor decision making meant that the game drifted away from us.

Now, I have taken some stick lately from other contributers to the site and it seems it is because I try to spark debate and force my opinion onto the site. The reality is, I would love some players in our team to do the same. Someone to stand up and say "f**k it, don't take the quick tap and run, stick it in the corner and keep building pressure" or "you stupid mother f**ker.... what was the point on a quck tap for a penalty with three minutes to go? when we could kick to the corner and go for a converted try that might give us a bonus point" but they don't so I will say it. "What the f**k is the point on us battling for a whole game to keep us in with a shout only to throw it all away with piss poor decision making. At some point, these guys have to grow up and start learning and taking responsibility for what they do on the field. It is not all the coaches fault, they all have a part to play.

Harbour had a real chance to steal Thursday's game from Waikato and with 9 minutes to go the Waikato team and supporters were twitching like an epileptic having a fit. The boys had hung on, scrapped and fought their way into contention. Hayden Abercrombie was an experiment gone wrong yet still we were in with a shout. Waikato had doubled up on Chamberline all night and nullified our top player in recent weeks and Harris had tried to block out those f**king cow bells and chainsaws as he tried to keep us in touch with penalty attempts and conversions from out wide. Ok he missed a couple of crucial kicks but he kept plugging away and it almost paid off. Yet when push came to shove, Waikato had the experience and the better decision making to see the game out.

Did we deserve something from the game, probably not! Could we have taken something from the game? Realistically, yes! if we had made better choices. Boys have got to become men and promise needs to be fullfilled before we end up in the Heartland Championship and kiss goodbye to our potentially good players as they head for teams who are still in with the big boys.

The road trip to Hamilton was a laugh and the Harbour fans at the game were low in numbers, but we shouted 'til we were hoarse , put up with the cow bells and chainsaws and ran the gauntlet of cleft palleted, one eyed, cow screwing Waikato supporters. Lets hope the boys can steal another win at home next week and maybe, just maybe we can kep the dream alive of being with the big boys next season.

Mairangi Murray from the Waikato Terraces.

PS - Congratulations go the Harbour B's who dished out a beating again. Keep it up boys!