Herden believes Meads Cup attainable
Meikle: Have you settled on a captain yet?
Herden: Not just yet. But we've got a good leadership team, and we will finalise a captain or co-captains from that. There are a lot of good leaders in the team, and they all have their strengths.
Speaking of strengths, what stands out when you look at your squad for this season?
I feel we've got quite a balanced squad. We've got the Pasifika flair, and some Japanese players who are really sharp with their skill set around catch and pass, which will allow us to play with speed and width, and we've got tough players. We've got really grunty forwards with a good amount of skill.
And any areas that might need some work in the first few weeks?
We probably won't know that until we start playing. All I can say is the way we've trained, the way the team has come together ... I'm quite excited about where we can go this year, and I'm looking forward to the players showcasing their skills for the community.
North Otago haven't made the Meads Cup since they won it in 2019. Are you targeting nothing less than a return to the top four?
Yep. I've said to the players, and been quite honest, that I think they've got the ability to win the Meads Cup. Everything that they've shown me — in club rugby, resilience, coming together and connecting with each other — has just increased my thoughts around, yeah, we can definitely win the Meads Cup.
Throw me a couple of names to watch in the Old Golds jersey this season.
I think a guy who's had a massive club season, considering Kurow didn't quite make the playoffs, is Mitch Morton. He's just a rangy forward who doesn't stop. He'll go all day. Big heart, big skill set, and I'm looking forward to seeing him take the step up to Heartland level. Kelepi Funaki, Junior Fakatoufifita and Tini Feke. I'm looking forward to seeing our loan players get a crack. Ben Fakava, from Zingari, is ready-made for Heartland rugby as a stepping stone to hopefully NPC next year. And one to keep an eye on is our first five, Kenta Iemura. I look forward to seeing him go.
You played in a great era for North Otago rugby. Are there any sort of lessons from that era that can translate to the 2025 campaign?
Yeah, definitely. It would be all around what these players have already shown, and that's coming together and connecting. It's not a sort of glitzy, glamorous life of travel you might associate with Super Rugby. We're going to be together for hours on end on buses and at airports, and getting back to Oamaru at midnight. So how well we get along with each other and support each other and be there for each other, both on and off the field, is crucial. Back in the day, we were like that. And these boys have come together just the same. They have banter and they're enthusiastic and they help each other out. We've got that ingredient, which is crucial for a recipe of success.
You loved wearing the gold jersey as a player. How do you think you will feel when the game kicks off on Saturday and your career as North Otago coach has properly begun?
I've already had sleepless nights. I'm waking up at 3.30am thinking about things, ha ha. I'm just fizzing. It's been a long time since March or April when I was appointed to the role, and it's finally arrived. I'm just as, if not a little bit more, nervous than I was back in the day as a player. I'm just excited. I really do believe we can send a shiver up the country with the Heartland team we've got. But I would just like to get this weekend out of the way, and with a win.
hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz
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