There's only a few things a southern man hates more than being compared to an Aucklander but after four rounds of Super Rugby it's looking like the Highlanders could be this year's version of the Blues. A team that was expected to perform strongly and put up a serious challenge for the title yet ended up losing multiple games in a row and quickly falling well out of finals contention.
The Highlanders, rightly or wrongly, had been talked up this year as a strong team that would contend for their first ever Super Rugby title. The early signs were good with a strong preseason win over the Crusaders and season ticket sales looking the strongest they've ever been.
There was also the bringing in of established Super Rugby players from other regions such as Ma'a Nonu, Brad Thorn and Tony Woodcock to add to the already strong squad from the previous year that Jamie Joseph had assembled.
But already, after just four rounds of the competition, the chances of making a run at the 2013 Super Rugby title are not looking good.
Defeats at Forsyth Barr Stadium in local clashes with the Chiefs and Hurricanes plus the humiliation of losing in Invercargill to the lowly Cheetahs from South Africa have placed the Highlanders at the bottom of the table.
This is a place not unfamiliar to Highlanders supporters of old but certainly not a place they expected their team to be this year. In fact this time last year the Highlanders were sitting pretty at the top of the table.
The good news is that the Super Rugby season is a long one, beginning in March and not wrapping up until August, and looking at standings this early can be deceiving. Remember the Highlanders ended up finishing ninth last year after sitting at the top for so long.
Three games for three defeats have without a doubt put the Highlanders on the back foot but they can still turn it around and make a charge up the table.
It won't come easy for them however with this weekend's fixture seeing them take on defending Super Rugby champions the Chiefs in Hamilton before home games against Reds and Brumbies and away again to the Blues.
The only way to get off the bottom of the table is to win. If the Highlanders can manage to win three out of these next four fixtures before they hit the road to Australia and South Africa it will put them right back in the mix of things.
However, lose another three games and the season could be over before it truly starts and Highlanders fans will miss seeing their team in the playoffs once again.
Cam Gordon
Twitter: @cambo_gordon