Harbour midfielder Villiami Lea outpaces University’s Neihana Mata’afa during their Dunedin division 1 semifinal at the University Oval last weekend. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN Kaikorai by 10. There it is. A big call considering Harbour warmed up for tomorrow’s Dunedin division 1 final with two impressive performances during the playoffs. One of those was a crushing 36-15 win over Kaikorai at Bishopscourt. So, feel free to rip up this page if you live within a 10km radius of Watson Park. There is a 50% chance we have promoted the wrong winner. But here is the rationale. Kaikorai were dreadful in that playoff defeat. They had five of their lineouts poached. They did not force a single turnover at the breakdown. And they dropped a lot of ball at the back. In short, Kaikorai could not have made it any easier for Harbour’s big forward pack to take control. Adding to that, star player Lucas Casey was sidelined with an ankle complaint and was sorely missed in the loose. Lock Lachlan Stevens, who is carrying a niggly ankle injury, was not there to shore up the lineout. And fullback Charlie Breen is a safe pair of hands at the back who is adept at launching successful counter-attacks. Kaikorai are a different side when those three are present. They helped the Demons tip up Taieri 20-15 in the semifinal at Peter Johnstone Park last weekend. It was the Eels’ first home loss all season and they fought hard to defend that proud record. Taieri are a disciplined, well-organised and tenacious unit. That Kaikorai win carries a lot of weight. However, seasoned first five Ben Miller was injured late in that match and that is a big loss. And Harbour have been able to call the shots through their impressive tight five. With Rique Miln plugging the corners, they will set up to maul their way over at every opportunity. If Harbour can slow the game down and prevent Kaikorai from getting the ball wide too often, it is their game to lose. The front row of Tevita Pole, Gabriel Francesconi and Saula Ma’u will be praying for a couple of thousand scrums. Preston Moananu, Taylor Dale and Charles Elton will turn up the screws in the lineouts. Toni Taufa will make the type of tackles you can feel from the sideline. Harbour’s backline is awfully dangerous with front-foot ball. Winger Wiremu Brailey has real pace and is making a strong finish to the season. Harbour by 10. There it is. A big call considering the brave statements made earlier in this very column. So, feel free to rip up this page if you live within a 10km radius of Bishopscourt. But make sure you get along to Forsyth Bar Stadium tomorrow afternoon to see which side wins by 10.
