Frustrating isn't it that two of the main characters dominating the sports bulletins of every major newspaper, radio station and television outfit this week are Northlanders who, through necessity, were forced to switch their allegiances moments before they hit their prime?
Regardless of their current playing status, or the reasons why their names keep appearing in the newspaper headlines these days, there remains a sense of disillusionment whenever Pero Cameron or Norm Maxwell get a mention.
Not due to Pero Cameron falling out with some basketball manager because he appears to enjoy his kai a little more than a training regime either.
Nor do the frustration levels rise a notch or two because Norm Maxwell apparently wants to avoid getting the proverbial kicked out of him by a marauding pack of Lions by ditching the All Blacks and playing a light-hearted version of a game that almost resembles rugby in Japan.
The bit the bites is that Maxwell is always referred to as a Canterbury stalwart and Cameron described as an Auckland basketball star when both are products of Northland, hometown boys who made it to the big time.
It may or may not be co-incidental that they both attended Whangarei Boys' High School, caught the eye of national selectors as school pupils and launched their careers in second-division Northland representative teams.
Cameron played for a semi-representative basketball team called the Mobil Marters before he headed off to Hamilton and played for the Waikato Titans.
But before he left it was obvious he was a basketball player of some standing, armed with bucket-loads of talent.
Maxwell was a teenager when he first played for the Northland rugby team, then in second division, and similarly was rated as an All Black star in waiting even before he accepted an offer from Canterbury the year after Super 12 rugby kicked off.
Even certain members (well OK, one member) at Sports Central can recall with great clarity a pimply faced Cameron causing havoc in basketball fixtures.
Maxwell's first impression on the representative rugby scene is also easily recalled. He was 17, still at school, and played openside flanker for a Vikings team against a Northland representative side.
He was all anyone could talk about afterwards and was an All Black four years later.
There are many questions that need answering in regards to both Cameron's contractual situation and Maxwell's apparent disregard for the impending All Black campaign.
But the question Northlanders should be asking is this: Why did they leave in the first place?
Money? Well ... yes. Quite possibly it was also as a direct result of a lack of sporting infrastructure, technical support and expertise in Northland.
Facilities in Northland were behind the times when they left, almost 10 years ago, but were available elsewhere and all but guaranteed their eventual elevation to national sporting stardom once they moved.
Not much has changed since.
Which is one of the reasons why the record is stuck on the same line here at headquarters when it comes to discussions about the proposed $30.7 million events centre development in Whangarei.
Actually that's two reasons among many that the development simply has to go ahead: To avoid another Pero Cameron or another Norman Maxwell.
SportRITE - Two good reasons for keeping our stars here
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