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Nervous wait for Payne

Northland captain Jared Payne got at look at the ITM Trophy at its launch yesterday but faces some nervous moments before his side's season-opener against Taranaki on Thursday.

Saturday, 24 July 2010

Sportal.co.nz

Northland captain Jared Payne got at look at the ITM Trophy at its launch yesterday but faces some nervous moments before his side's season-opener against Taranaki on Thursday.

For Payne it is a case of hoping he will be able to get onto the field for the first game. He snapped a tendon in his thumb at training when catching it while attempting to field a ball.

He played a practice game on Wednesday and got through that but a scan will reveal whether the repair is knitting properly. If it is he will strap it up and play the season but if it isn't he will have to have an operation.

That would be a setback as he looks to his Super 15 future next year. He is undecided about where he could be playing. But for the moment it is the ITM Cup that is centre of his attention.

"We're a lot further ahead than we were this time last year. We're a lot more organised. There were 18 new players last year so they've all got the experience of what's involved behind them now," he said.

That had helped players realise what they needed to try and perform at provincial level if they were to succeed and had got themselves in better shape as a result.

"They've taken out the off season and worked really hard and switched on a lot more and are just a lot more mentally prepared and focused as well," he said.

Captaining the side had him pretty relaxed because there was plenty of experience around him, not least with David Holwell, the 102-game veteran, having what is reported will be his last season for the side, while prop Bronson Murray had 80-odd games for the side as well.

"It's (Holwell's availability) is huge to the team. Having someone who has played 100 games for the province, you don't get that too often and just to have his leadership and calm head, everyone respects him, and it makes for a good team environment," he said.

Payne was disappointed with the way his Super 14 season finished with the Crusaders this year saying he didn't get some niggling injuries looked after well enough.

"I'm really focusing on getting my body fresh," he said.

Payne said the benefit of his time with the Super 14's most successful franchise was the appreciation it gave him of team unity and setting standards for yourself.

"Then it is a case of making sure you perform to those standards week in, week out," he said.

Adding some lustre to the side's play at home this year will be the revamped stadium at the Northland Events Centre at Okara Park which Payne said had a great atmosphere and had a lot of supporters looking forward to watching games there this year.

A pre-season game in Dargaville on Thursday had borne that out with 2000 people turning out on a wet, miserable day.

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