A rallying cry for Taniwha

It wasn't all beer and skittles at the Northland Rugby Union's season launch at Forum North yesterday as chairman Andrew Golightly urged the assembled crowd to pull together to make sure  the Taniwha once again avoids the drop into rugby obscurity.
Golightly admitted the NZRU's decision to reduce the Air New Zealand Cup premier division to 10 teams for the 2010 season had put extra pressure on the union but said  it won't give up its campaign to remain in the top level of the Air New Zealand Cup.
"There are some concerns for us but the NZRU board has gone with the majority opinion and the challenge now is to ensure we stay in that top 10," Golightly said.
The annual season launch drew almost 300 adminstrators, sponsors, players and former players and also doubled as an opportunity to recognise Northland's former All Blacks, one of whom, Ian Irvine received his cap at the ceremony, with the nine others attending receiving commemorative ties.
The attendance of 10 out of  the province's 17 former All Blacks  also encouraged Golightly.
"This union will continue to provide the same pathway that these players, playing for Northland or North Auckland followed, when they first pulled on the Cambridge Blue jersey ... the union will continue to have a significant future but quite simply we must be in that top 10," he said.
The decision by the NZRU board dashed Northland's hopes  it would put off restructuring the competition until after the 2010 season, so the union can establish  itself in the new events centre at Okara Park.
"The timing isn't ideal but look at what happened last year, when we made so much progress by working together as a union, so I think being in the top 10 is readily achievable given how we've turned things around," he said.
The board's decision in some ways comes as a relief for Golightly with the constant state of rumour and misinformation about the competition rife in the media  this season.
"We know that this is it now and we'll be judged on results - including results this year," he said.
The Northland union was assessed at being in 13th place last season - something  it disputed - and a groundswell of support from the Northland public means  it already  has some momentum in  its race to remain in the top division.
For most commentators Counties, Tasman and Manawatu face the drop - with Northland added to the list but the Northland union want to prove this perception wrong.
"From our analysis of the criteria, we're currently sitting in tenth place, and that's a big climb on where we were last year ... and the numbers are improving, the financial aspect is certainly improving and I think that's the key criteria as has been announced."
Northland will be trying to compete with unions like Bay of Plenty and Southland to avoid the drop  at the season.