“Everybody wants to be a part of the squad and there’s a real pride in wearing the jersey, which is the way it should be.
“In the past it was an honour to play for Poverty Bay. Some great players, including Ian Kirkpatrick, played for the Bay.
“I love being captain but I actually don’t have to do too much with players like Sione Ngatu (who will play his 150th game when he takes the field on Saturday).
“That’s a fantastic achievement — 150 games for one province — and I’d love nothing better than to mark it with a win, but North Otago are always a strong team.”
Other leaders in the squad are lock Everard Reid and blindside flanker Willis Tamatea, who was outstanding in Saturday’s 36-19 win against West Coast.
“Willis is Poverty Bay through and through, and loves pulling on the jersey,” Grogan said.
“In the backs we have Ethine Reeves (fullback), Jesse Fleming (centre) and Isaia Vuki (second five-eighth).
“Issy (Vuki) is a loan player but he’s been with us for two seasons now and is like a local player. He’s really stepping up.
“But it’s not just about these guys, it’s the whole squad contributing, especially the guys who come off the bench and inject their enthusiasm and skill into the game.”
Grogan said the introduction of the haka for home games is a reflection of the way the players feel about playing for the Bay.
“The haka is not about us going out to smash the opposition, it’s about where we come from.
“It’s also about giving something back to the community and our supporters. It’s great that all the young rep teams coming through are doing the same haka.”
Can Poverty Bay beat North Otago and make it three wins on the trot?
Yes . . . if they play for 80 minutes the way they played for 40 against West Coast.
No . . . if they allow North Otago to get on top early on.
If the Bay make it three bonus-point victories, they could jump from ninth on the table to seventh.
In doing so, they would leapfrog North Otago and West Coast, who should lose to competition leaders South Canterbury.
