Editorial: Game on as Magpies do it tough

You win some, you lose some!
Magpies players Anthony Perenise, Kane Thompson and Kahn Fotuali'i, and co-coach Tom Coventry will be buoyed by the part they played in Samoa's momentous victory over Australia on Sunday.
But the rest of the Magpies squad and co-coach Peter Russell will be asking themselves searching questions after stumbling at the first hurdle in the ITM Cup Championship division the day prior.
Two suspect calls from match officials resulted in tries and helped the Manawatu Turbos in their 32-23 win - the side's first over the Magpies in 15 years - but the boys from the Bay know better than to blame the ref.
"We had our opportunities which we should have taken. We went away from our game plan," Peter Russell commented after the match.
Russell and Coventry will be praying the return of the Magpies' Samoan heroes, even if they don't take the field, will help the side find its mojo against Southland at McLean Park tonight.
Even without All Blacks Zac Guildford and Israel Dagg, the media pundits fancied the 2011 Magpies as real contenders going into the Championship.
But (and this is something everyone involved in the ITM Cup is acutely aware of), there are no easy-beats, as Manawatu showed on Saturday. All up, there are 72 games in seven weeks and the Championship includes Otago and Counties-Manukau. Ouch.
It is going to be a gruelling campaign, both physically and mentally bruising for the players. For rugby fans, it promises to be a good deal more intense and gritty than the Super 15.
And while it is true you win some and you lose some, with just days between games the Magpies will be desperate tonight to "win some".