Dunedin
Last year: Runners-up.
Coach: Gifford Henry (first year), assistants Owen Booth (first) and Mark Grieve-Dunn (second).
Squad. —
Forwards: Rohan Wingham, Hunter Fahey, Sepa Vaka, Thomas Jackson, Rhys Hughes, Liam Arthur-Hunt, Evan Blythe, Fatai Koloi, Jamie Mowat, Reuben Palmer, James Bolton, Josh Tengbald, Ben Joseph, Hame Toma, Curtis Palmer, Konrad Lotu Iga, Max Ratcliffe, Quentin Holland, Fabian Holland.
Backs: Tim Hogan, Ashton Booth, Corey Berkett, Ajay Faleafega, Cam Burgess, Joe Cooke, Tayne Harvey, Gene Te Amo, Jayden Tegg, Josh Dent, Max Webb, Ben Paku, Josh Augustine, Kyan Rangitutia, Ryan Watterston, Marcus Heatherington.
Power up front. Pace out back.
The plan is to go one better at Kettle Park this year before the venue slides into the ocean.
One of the ways Dunedin might achieve that is to avoid playing rivals Southern so often.
The Sharks ended up playing the Magpies four times last season for one win — and that was in round one.
One of their three losses came in the playoff. They used a life to advance to the semifinals where they upset Kaikorai 34-27, having trailed 19-13 at the break.
That set up another face-off with the Magpies in the final and they were beaten 30-20 in an entertaining game in the mud at Bathgate Park.
Gifford Henry is taking over the the reins from Tumua Ioane after two years as assistant coach.
Last year’s captain, Harry Press, has moved back up north and will be a loss in the front row and around the field.
Speedster Oscar Schmidt-Uili has left the club as well.
Dunedin have recruited well, though. Youngsters Josh Tengbald, Tayne Harvey and Quentin Holland have joined the fray.
But they have more or less the same crew and same game plan. Henry wants to manage the player loads better this year so they are peaking in the final quarter of the season.
* Team lists provided by the Otago Rugby Football Union.
