With the Counties Manukau Steelers falling to their fourth loss in five games and sitting 12th on the NPC ladder, one could question whether the Union is heading in the right direction but now is the time to have faith in the strategy.
Reon Graham took over as Steelers coach in 2022 promising to stick local and pick out of the Counties Manukau club competition – two seasons in and he has delivered on that promise.
As a result of that decision the crowds have come back to Navigation Homes Stadium and local footy fans are enjoying seeing local players representing them in the national competition. All of this at a time when the NPC has never been less popular with fans around the country – little old Counties Manukau is bucking that trend right now.
The community support was highlighted in the side’s win over Bay of Plenty a fortnight ago – the biggest cheer of the night was when young Cohen Brady-Leatham came on late in the game to make his NPC debut. The ex-Pukekohe High School star and Patumahoe club player was just the latest in a long line of local talent given a chance at the professional level in the Graham-era.
So, we as fans can’t have it both ways. We can’t complain that the Steelers aren’t more successful on the park while trumpeting picking local.
The blueprint is correct.
Counties Manukau tried bringing talent in from outside to try and win games, but the community didn’t get behind it.
Let me say this clearly – I would rather lose with our boys than win with outsiders.
Success must be measured in many ways – it is not purely where you sit on the ladder.
In an extremely tough economic climate, where many of our rivals are struggling to pay their bills, Counties Manukau is able to live within their means while also putting out a side that truly represents us. That is a significant measure of success.
And while a 1-4 record is hardly impressive, there are some other factors to consider that the points table does not show.
For starters, the Steelers should be at least 2-3 but not for a refereeing howler against Hawke’s Bay, when a penalty try was wrongly awarded well after the fulltime siren had sounded.
They were also dudded by refereeing in their loss to Waikato with some dubious decisions, including being forced to play with 13 men for a period due to a sideline blunder regarding replacement rules that officials later apologised for.
Waikato scored two converted tries during that period to blow what had been a close game open. Would the Steelers have won had it not been for those mistakes? Who knows? But they were certainly in a position to score more championship points.
Add five points (a win v Hawke’s Bay and a bonus point v Waikato) to their current tally and the Steelers would be sitting in a playoff spot as it stands.
So, while it is easy to bow to frenzy or over-react to losses – now is the time where we must show our resolve and where we must commit with complete faith to the plan of sticking local.
Note: Dale Budge is the media liaison for Counties Manukau Rugby. Having said that – this opinion piece is a true and honest reflection of his views regardless of any conflict of interest.
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