Northland needed to hold on to the pill a lot better, concede fewer penalties but more importantly, nail their opportunities. They owned the opening quarter.
They looked like an exuberant and committed group that would show how teamwork would get them over the line. The profit column should have been healthy given the side enjoyed more than 70% of territory and possession in that quarter after starting with a hiss and roar.
There was good leg drive, passes stuck for the most part, they were getting good front foot ball and the intent to make an early statement was well and truly clear. The Taniwha would have paid $1.20 to the Mako’s $6.20 at TAB for that quarter. Then it all unravelled in a way Northland fans are utterly familiar with.
It wasn’t a case of the Mako making the mother of all comebacks at the venue but more about doing just enough to force Northland into making unforced errors.
The Mako pounced on the short side after Northland’s inability to secure a loose ball and wing Macca Springer put hooker Eli Oudenryn in the clear.
Minutes later, former All Black Ethan Blackadder bombed a try after a copybook tackle by the industrious Brady Rush. The thumping tackle showed Northland were not afraid to put the shoulder in while defending their line in the wet. The next two tries felt like the game would be won by the breather.
Beefy Levi Aumua – built like a hooker and runs like a wing – latched on to a loose Northland pass and bolted down 40m unscathed.
Shortly after, another turnover and the omnipresent Springer intercepted a loopy Reesjan Pasitoa pass to put his team three tries in front.
But Northland came back from the sheds and competed with far more gusto and precision than in the first half.
Jordan Hutchings scoring off a rolling maul that was going sideways for the most part just three minutes into the second half was the perfect start for a comeback.
Excitement machine Jordan Trainor was on the scoreboard next, followed by a difficult conversion by Rivez Reihana, and it was game on.
Trainor roamed far and wide and often tested the Tasman defence.
Chris Apoua was one angry man and brought down anything that moved. Rob Rush threw his body on the line and Sam Nock showed why he lasted so long in the Cambridge Blue.
Just when Northland needed to land the killer blow, their scrum disintegrated and the Makos sniffed blood. Will Havili carved open the Northland defence and flicked a low pass to Sione Havili Talitui to land the killer blow with time almost up.
