Injuries another woe in big loss

A season-ending thumb injury to Winston Stanley, and a number of other injuries, has rubbed salt in the wound after Northland's 48-3 loss to Canterbury.

While Stanley has been ruled out, there are question marks hanging above prop Namatahi Waa (neck), Jone Macilai (ankle), and Tom Murday (back) for next week's game.

Coach Derren Witcombe said the sudden influx of injuries means opportunities for others, and either way they would field the best team they could next Friday night.

Thursday's loss to Canterbury was one way to bring them back down to earth after beating Wellington 35-5 last Saturday.

"I guess we've had a reality check, yes we beat Wellington but now we've hit the other end of the scope. They're a well-oiled machine," he said yesterday.

Despite the loss, Witcombe felt his side had a strong first 20-30 minutes, describing it as being like a game of chess. However, Canterbury's class shone through.

For the Taniwha, captain Cam Eyre and Warren Dunn put in strong performances.

Playing in his blazer game, Dunn was constantly busy and made an impact once again coming off the bench.

"Cam [Eyre] led the team very well, he toiled away all night long," Witcombe said. "Warren Dunn came on and added impact again, which is good, but again the whole team played as good as each other.

"The boys out there had a crack right to the 80th minute which shows there's a good culture and they've got each other's backs."

Luckily, there's about seven days in which to lower the team's injury list in time for Hawke's Bay next Friday night.