Mobile Mika makes up for lack of real height

Brad Mika has played three tests at lock and is hoping for some more to come. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Like an accomplished covering No 8, Brad Mika fielded an errant Waikato clearing kick near halfway. Instead of playing safe, looking for help from his Auckland team-mates, Mika took off.

He sidestepped a couple of defenders in an arcing 40m run which mixed the power, pace and athleticism Auckland have brought as leaders of the NPC.

Mika, 24, might have the No 4 embroidered into the back of his blue and white-hooped jersey to signify his locking portfolios at set piece but he still has the attitude of a loose forward.

In his early age-group rep rugby days, Mika was a five-eighths where he developed his ball-handling skills, before he filled out and alternated as No 8 for his St Peters College and lock for national rep teams, Auckland and the All Blacks.

Mika played three tests as lock for the All Blacks on the 2002 tour of Britain when 21 players were left behind to sort out their injuries before the World Cup. Mika, Ali Williams and Keith Robinson were the men picked for the second row.

But these days when it is almost mandatory (certainly at international level) for locks to crack the 2m height barrier, Mika comes up a little short. He is 1.98m tall and 120kg with enough horsepower to play lock in the NPC.

It is also the best use of resources for coach Pat Lam who wants his side to play a mobile, creative style - something which has worked well so far this season.

"I try to get the balance into my game," said Mika. "I know I have to do the set piece stuff for the team but I also like getting the ball in my hands and having a run."

It was only last season that Mika was used a couple of times at the back of the Auckland scrum against Poverty Bay and Bay of Plenty. The experiment did not continue as Auckland had Xavier Rush and Mose Tuiali'i to take up the slack.

And this year Jerome Kaino and Angus Macdonald are being used at the boot of the scrum.

But a word or two with Graham Henry when he was the technical director with Auckland in 2003 and Lam's selection detour last year, have encouraged Mika to think his future may yet be at No 8.

"I sort of still want to play at 8," Mika said yesterday. "I really think I might end up somewhere in the loosies because playing lock is pretty tough and I am not suited to playing there at all levels."

Mika's range of skills may just have the All Black selectors thinking about him again.

It was not long ago that All Black forwards coach Steve Hansen was quizzed about vacancies in the 35-man group which will be charged with attempting the Grand Slam tour in November.

Lock was one area the selectors were looking for some depth while they were always looking for different loose forwards. Finding a loosie about 1.94m who could jump in the lineout would be a good start.

"We need to have a lineout with three bullets rather than two," Hansen said.

Mika can leap in the lineout, has a high workrate, speed and offloading skills to suit the All Black template and does not shirk the defensive side of his game.

He had a spell in the loose forwards for Auckland in their pre-NPC trial matches when Kaino or Macdonald left the field but he fears his only repeat chance will come with injuries this year.

"With the depth of loosies we have here it is pretty hard ... but you never know.

"My big picture is trying to get a Super 14 contract for next year so I have to show the way as lock for a start."

Chewing the fat with new Blues coach David Nucifora had encouraged Mika that he was being looked at for a range of roles next season though nothing was guaranteed.

"Whether it is lock or 8 I don't mind. Getting into the squad is the important thing," said Mika, who was an important cog for the Blues this season when Ali Williams was banned and Greg Rawlinson injured.

Auckland started well as a team during this NPC, Mika said. They had more cohesion this season and those results would showcase the players. The squad had made an effort to spend more time in each other's company and that was reflected in their on-field harmony.

"Our policy that Pat has given us is to have a go, compared with other years where we have been scared to back ourselves in pressure situations."