Flavell amped up for Bridge match

By WYNNE GRAY

"He is the full noise."

With that description Harbour coach Russell Jones confirmed Troy Flavell would start tomorrow's local derby NPC shootout with Auckland.

The All Black utility forward aggravated a patella tendon tear in his knee in April, had further surgery and has just returned to be a substitute for Harbour in their opening two matches.

Those appearances, a positive medical report and Flavell's hunger to play meant there was no point in restricting him anymore.

"We have been working him carefully, bringing him on when we thought it was right, and now we have just said, 'Go out there and run yourself ragged'," Jones said.

Flavell is one of several changes for Harbour, with centre Brad Miller dropping to the bench, Anthony Tuitavake coming in off the wing and Rodd Penney shifting into his place.

Harbour are also keen to play Matua Parkinson as openside flanker after his recent hand injury. But he damaged his back this week and is bracketed with Craig Newby. The decision on which of them will play will be made just before the match.

Parkinson and Newby have been quality breakaways this season and there is little between them. But Flavell's return may increase the venom in the pack.

"He is a decent part of our game and the way we are looking at the moment he is a loose forward who can play lock," Jones said. "He can do both jobs and that is the beauty of having him; he is versatile and there are not many players who can do the same.

"He has a physical presence at loose forward and he will spend the majority of time in that position with us."

Jones said that gave Harbour more lineout options and made it more difficult if Auckland wanted to contest that area of the game.

He said he had not been in touch with the All Black selectors about where he should play Flavell.

And his discussions with Flavell had not been too involved. After the latest injury, all he wanted to do was play in the NPC. There would be high expectations about what Flavell, with 15 caps for the All Blacks, would do but he had to be allowed to work back into match conditioning.

Jones said Blues coach Peter Sloane would closely monitor tomorrow's match at Eden Park. There were many match-ups for franchise selection later this season.

Harbour won the intra-city match 16-5 last year, a result which Jones felt helped in a few close choices for the Blues.

"These games are not the be-all and end-all but they help because the winning team can come out on the right side of the selection sheet," he said.

"We have a number of players who sit on the fringe so these games are where they have the chance to make their point."