Ninth arguably represents some progress for Otago.
Bear with us.
Grit your teeth. Clench your fists. Remember to breathe. Do whatever it takes to get through the next few sentences.
Otago were not that bad this season.
They actually showed some signs they have the makings of a decent team.
Yes, they missed out on a place in the quarterfinals.
But that is nothing new for this team. They have missed out on the playoffs three years running.
Before that, they were stuck in the Championship. And by Championship, we mean the second division, but the marketing team at New Zealand Rugby banned the use of that term on threat of execution.
Otago won five of their 10 games this season — two more wins than last year.
Waikato and Counties-Manukau only managed five wins as well but they take a place in the playoffs courtesy of bonus points.
Otago’s defence was tremendous but their attack operated at the other end of the spectrum. Four-try bonus points were hard to come by.
They scored just 31 tries this season, fewer than all of the other 13 teams.
Star winger Jona Nareki, one of the few players in the squad with real X-factor, had another injury-plagued season and was not often sighted.
His absence compounded a lack of depth in the stock of outside backs.
Australian midfielder Hudson Creighton and former Manawatū player Waqa Nalaga were drafted in to help plug the holes.
Creighton had his moments and fullback Finn Hurley provided the team with a creative spark. He never stopped trying to find a way around the defence.
But in general, Otago lacked potency out wide and they will need to unearth some talent if they are going to be more competitive next season.
They might need to find some tall timber as well.
They went into the season with just three specialist second-rowers and did not get a lot of action out of Will Tucker. Potential future All Black Fabian Holland was sidelined for part of the season with an ankle complaint, and University lock Ale Aho fell out of favour.
That meant Taieri loose forward Sam Fischli had to fill in at lock for most of the season, and he performed admirably.
Blindside Oliver Haig shouldered a lot of the load in the lineout, while veteran hooker Liam Coltman’s accuracy helped mitigate a potential weakness for Otago.
Coltman was great around the field as well. He snaffled his share of turnovers and ran hard.
Haig was influential in the 31-26 win over Bay of Plenty.
Cameron Millar’s goal-kicking (he notched 100 points), Thomas Umaga-Jensen’s ability to offload the ball and Christian Lio-Willie’s willingness to hit the ball up were more positives.
But Otago kicked the ball away too often. They seemed to run out of imagination on attack — Hurley exempted, of course — and their basic skills often let them down.
They also suffered two critical losses which they will reflect back on with disappointment.
The Southland Stags ambushed them in the season opener in Invercargill.
Otago had a shocking week in the lead-up to the derby. Lio-Willie and James Arscott picked up niggles in the last training session, and Nareki and the luckless Josh Timu got injured early in the game.
The painful 45-17 loss to Counties-Manukau in Pukekohe on September 15 meant Otago lost control of their destiny.
While they finished the season well with wins over Manawatū, Tasman and Northland, they had ran out of runway.
Tom Donnelly is moving on after five years as head coach and his replacement will be charged with lifting the side’s performances.
That person will have enough talent to work with, as Otago have a promising core of young players.
Millar’s combination with Hurley flourished this season. They had an often spooky connection on the field that will only grow in time.
Otago will need to see more of halfback Dylan Pledger on the field. He was the best of the New Zealand under-20 players this year and he looks sharp.
Holland might eventually find himself in a black jersey but his presence in the Otago pack lifts the team.
Haig had a breakout performance against Bay of Plenty and is a quality loosie.
Otago are well-served in the front row for years to come with Rohan Wingham, Saula Ma’u, Ben Lopas, Abraham Pole and Moana Takataka all competing for starts, and Umaga-Jensen is a physical threat in the midfield.
That is a solid crew you can build a more successful team around.
Otago’s NPC season
Seconi’s awards
MVP: Veteran hooker Liam Coltman just seems to get better with age. Surely one of the Super Rugby teams will find a gap for him.
Most improved: First five Cameron Millar is a gun goal-kicker but his running and distribution game went up a level.
Creative spark: Finn Hurley is great to watch. Never gives up trying to find a way to beat an opponent.
Best game: Blindside Oliver Haig scored two tries to lead Otago to a tense 31-26 win over Bay of Plenty.
Worst game: Counties-Manukau ran in seven tries to destroy Otago 45-17. That loss left Otago playing catch-up with the top eight.
