Aussie Rules background helps Evans

By RICHARD BOOCK

Nick Evans is hoping his high-calibre, Aussie Rules-tutored kicking game can keep North Harbour on the front foot in tonight's NPC showdown at the Cake Tin.

The 23-year-old first five-eighths will shoulder huge tactical responsibility against Wellington as his Harbour side attempt to arrest their first-division freefall without two key members of the forward pack.

Usual captain Ron Cribb has been suspended and former All Black flanker Troy Flavell has been benched, apparently because the Harbour management believe he can contribute more as an "impact player."

Whatever their motives, tonight's game represents something of a crossroads for the beleaguered Harbour players, who need to produce some favourable results to avoid relegation pressure.

Already they have been beaten by perennial relegation contenders Southland and Bay of Plenty, and were also dispatched by Auckland in the second-round Battle of the Bridge.

That means some of their toughest opponents are yet to come, starting with tonight's encounter against Wellington and followed by Northland, Otago, Taranaki, Canterbury and Waikato.

Evans, who last weekend replaced Luke McAllister before the start of the game against Southland, impressed with the length of his punting and his ability to recover or establish field position.

With McAllister still troubled by hamstring problems he will start again this evening, and his forwards in particular will be hoping he can keep them marching upfield.

"We're still really positive and haven't given up hope of finishing in the top four," Evans said yesterday.

"It's not over for us yet and if we can get the right result against Wellington there's still time for us to make our presence felt."

Born and bred on the Shore, Evans played rugby for Westlake Boys and began dabbling with Aussie Rules in the summer months, eventually participating in the Auckland club competition and being picked for the New Zealand team.

The experience provided him with some valuable information on field kicking and he gained further expert instruction during a training camp with Melbourne's Oakley Chargers.

"We received a lot of one-on-one tutoring and were taught a lot of technical things about punting that we didn't know - stuff like releasing the ball from a higher point so that you made contact with greater momentum. It was like a science."

However, Evans said it was impossible to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to field kicking because every player had different styles, weaknesses and strengths.

"It reminds me of golf, to be honest," he said. "It's all about finding a technique that works for you and then refining it as much as possible.

"There are basics and fundamentals, but there's still an awful lot of variety."

As for this evening, he said he wasn't concerned about the team's position on the ladder - just looking forward to concentrating on his own specific role.

"We do have a challenge - there's no doubt about that. But we're up for it, and we're not getting distracted by the bigger picture."