I've had the pleasure of witnessing two great mullets over the last week. The first was last Friday night when Highlanders replacement No 8 Liam Squire produced another typically dominant performance as the southern men cast asunder their northern Crusader neighbours in an epic clash at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Squire performed his deeds off the bench rather than as part of the run-on XV, as is generally the case. That job was heroically fulfilled by former Crusader Luke Whitelock who, had it not been for the try-scoring efforts of centre Matt Faddes, would have been named man of the match. But when Squire entered the arena the first thing most spectators noticed was the fresh moo-lay nestling snugly into the top of his shoulders. His efforts with limited minutes befitted someone sporting such follicular panache.
By all accounts he was in good form at the after-match function later that night as well. When a female footy fan commented to the young Tasman Mako that he "goes alright", he reportedly replied the rugby field isn't the only place he "goes alright"!
The second great mullet I saw this week belonged to a man who also officially makes the best steak in New Zealand. Taranaki farmer Brendon Robinson took out the 14th annual Steak of Origin contest at Palmerston North on Sunday. Along with wife Hayley they produced the nation's best slab of meat with their Angus X sirloin steak, as judged by some of the country's finest palates.
The Robinson's saw the writing on the wall with the arse falling out of the dairy industry and decided to swap dairy grazers for dairy beef weaners. The move has clearly paid off with the couple walking away with $5000 in prize money and the Grand Champion Shield. Brendon told The Country on Monday the secret to their success is their love of the animals. Not in the same way as Liam Squire loves his lady fans, this is a more plutonic kind of love; spending time with them, feeding them well and ensuring the beasts are happy ones. This, he surmises, makes them free of stress and thereby ensuring they taste tender and juicy once the time comes for them to be served up for consumption.
But Mr Robinson's care and affection doesn't stop there. One look at the victory photo from the Steak of Origin awards night and you can tell he takes great pride in his dazzling mullet. Draped elegantly over his Silver Fern Farms dinner jacket, his mousey brown moo-lay is certainly something that has been expertly crafted and maintained over the years. Sure enough, upon being quizzed on his shoulder length phenomenon, he spoke with pride about its origins and journey through the years, not to mention its hereditary qualities. Young Sterling Robinson also sports a quality mullet in the same vein as the old man's. In fact, father and son once entered a national mullet-growing competition and won! Whether it's steak or haircuts, it seems everything he cultivates turns to gold.
