Steve Martin wants to put some pride back in the Otago jersey.
The Otago coach, who is in the final year of his three-year contract, said he assumed last year the players would play with pride.
"It would be a fair observation the team last year did not do that," Martin said.
"Every time we go out on the field we want players who will never give up. By picking the right players with the right attitudes we can go a way to doing that.
"Without naming players, Martin said last year, when the side limped to a seventh-place finish then lost heavily to Canterbury in the quarterfinals, the attitude could have been better.
But that was last year, best left behind, and all Martin is focusing on is this season, which kicks off this afternoon with a match against neighbour and Highlanders franchise partner Southland in Invercargill.
"We want to play with pride. Guys who want to wear the jersey."
He hoped that approach would lead to more support from the Otago public.
The side was working hard at training, adapting to the new laws.
"We saw in Super 14 how there were lots of free kicks and turnovers and that was very difficult to defend against. It is very hard to adjust to that.
"We have seen some high-scoring games which have been described as not having a lot of defence. That is a big area to work on. But we have been doing that in training, with having two full sides out there and moving the ball around."
Martin said the teams were all in the same boat, and there would be an increase in the reliance on fitness.
Training had been good this week, he said, and the team was excited to get on the playing field.
Otago has a pool of experience to call on and has 10 players with Super 14 experience running on the park this afternoon.
Martin, who is the assistant coach for the Highlanders, has already said his side is not stacked with big men and so is aiming to play a game based around mobility.
"But in saying that you've still got to be strong at set-piece. You've got to have a strong scrum, a solid line-out and good decision-makers in the inside backs."
Martin said the team had firepower out wide, and good distributors in the midfield.
He said the team was not rebuilding but was going through a transition, although he admitted that was playing with words.
"We've lost a significant number of players - 23 players from the As and Bs. But it is not just the top players. We have lost a lot of the next tier, and that means Colts players have to be called up.
"These players have ability and we have to see whether they can take that to the next level. The only way you can do that is get them playing."
Martin (49) said he did not want to be negative and would not be using the loss of players as an excuse.
Take a look around the Air New Zealand Cup and Otago is not alone as the player drain impacts on the national competition.
