Typhoon 14 - Lighting 6

Lightning punch far below their weight in Typhoon loss

Like women I meet in a bar, Blockhouse Bay Reserve seemed to become both hot and wet with my arrival. After totally bailing early last week, this was to be my first full “Lightnings” experience and it felt strangely foreign, and exciting. Kind of like The Stranger. I knew that, after a thumping at the hands of the Lions in the opening week, the Lightning would be keen to exact revenge on the brand new Waitakere Typhoon.

They were to get a shock however as, on only their second offensive play, a Typhoons receiver scorches the Lightning secondary in completing a 75 yard pass for a score (2 point conversion no good). Early on, dreamboat quarterback Johnny Johnson and his receivers can’t find rhythm as balls are dropped or overthrown. Tailback Siliva Ugapo is surgical in slicing through the line and provides much needed go forward in the early goings. At the start of the second quarter, juggernaut fullback Ojay Edwards lays waste to multiple Typhoon defenders before losing possession. The Typhoon’s spread offense is clearly out to ask questions of the Lightning defensive backs however the defense is hungry for blood and players frenzy to get a piece of the ball carrier like beasts to a carcass. And like any kind of hierarchical pack, leaders Wes Manao, Zac Timo and Starsky Maiava are always out to feed first. The ensuing Lightning drive is stuttering but receives life in the form of Typhoon indiscipline. Unfortunately, they are unable to execute and Ali Juddery is once again back to kick. Not even a misfiring offense can quell the fire in the defense and Timo slices through the line to make a big sack on third down.

It’s late in the second quarter and Ugapo is back on the dance floor doing old moves (to quote 50 Cent) and keep the ball rolling while receiver Ali Tillbrook brings in a couple of passes which moves the chains. Typhoon penalties further the Lightnings cause another 30 yards before receiver Shiraz Soya lays out beautifully to collect a 20 yard Johnson pass and put the offense within striking distance. On the very next play, Soysa again brings in a pass and has the goal line in sight before blowing his load early and fumbling the ball through the endzone. The first half ends with the Lightning ruing missed opportunities. On too many occasions, balls were dropped or overthrown, blocks unsecured and possession lost in what are base fundamentals of the sport. I’m certain Coach Jim Hunter has plenty to say during the break and a quick look over to the Lightning girlfriends momentarily makes me think of The Stranger again.

The second half begins with some great defense and special teams play from Maiava, Edwards manages to rumble for a few on the next drive before the Typhoons open up the game with their short passing. Linebacker Timo has clearly been doing both his weights AND his speed work as a huge tackle blights their attempt at a fourth down conversion. For the first time today, the Lightning offense looks relaxed and fluid as the workload is spread around. Edwards gains some hard yards up the middle, Soysa makes a long grab and Ugapo bounces outside for yards which brings puts them well into the red zone. Tillbrook evens up the game with a collection in the end zone however the 2 point conversion is no good. Short passes from the Typhoon offense open up the Lightning defense but there is just no quit in cornerback Tillbrook as he competes for every ball and disrupts the passing action that comes his way.

The score is locked at 6-6 midway through the fourth until, after a series of short passes, the Typhoon manage to run the ball in and top it off with a two point conversion. With ball in hand and the game on the line, the time for the Lightning offense is now. Johnson is unable to connect with any of his receivers as the game, and the hopes of the dozens and dozens of Lightning fans around the globe, are all but extinguished. Even though the Lightning defense has still come to fight, they are only able to give the offense 12 seconds with the ball. Johnson once again heaves the ball downfield but the pass, as well as the game, just seems to be one or two steps out of reach.

Exclusive Interview with Tamaki Lightning Head Coach Jim Hunter

I feel so out of place. Sitting in a trendy Devonport café wearing beat up jeans and a t-shirt, I’m waiting to interview Tamaki Lightning head coach Jim Hunter. I’m all too aware that the primped and groomed around are looking at me as a ‘gringo’ and, frankly, it’s giving me the fear. But, Coach Hunter is a hard man to pin down though and his press policy is very similar to the methods used to grow mushrooms. Feed them manure and keep them in the dark. My awkward sweating, and incessant mumbling to myself, is broken by Coach Hunter sitting down in front of me. The decaf soy trim latte he demands makes my order of the “cheapest tap beer you have” look crude in comparison. Our early small talk reveals that he is equal parts wisdom and boyish handsomeness, like a mix between Ryan Reynolds and Bill Clinton. All my questions that require serious thought are met with him dropping his head then lifting it back up and squinting underneath his eyebrows before answering, which is very George Clooney-esque. On top of that, his smile is warm and makes me feel at home. Which is a far throw from the glitz and glamour of the North Shore.

Q: Tell us a little about your history with the sport and the Lightning?

Well, I think we’d have to jump into the ‘way back’ machine to see when I started! Ah, my first season I was a skinny 17 year old fresh out of High School and have been involved pretty much ever since then – with a couple of seasons not playing due to travel. I’ve played and coached at nearly every level and grade and for a while was involved with the running of the game.

I joined the lightning in I believe its second season and technically played one game in the first season. I’d played most of my career with (Tamaki Lightning founder) Coach Campbell so it was natural to come over to the newer Lightning as the Raiders were well established and had a solid team.

Q: How’s the team looking so far this year?

Well, we’re a young team and we’re working hard to get ready for the season. We’re improving as we go, and that’s all I can really ask for. We’re light in some positions at the moment but we have a healthy influx of rookies and so far they look like they are going to be big contributors to the program. I’m loathe to make any predictions but at this stage we’re in good shape for a positive season and I’m fortunate to have a group of guys that are putting in the effort for each other, with so far a bigger ‘core’ of players at training.

Q: What are some things that you would like to improve on from last year?

We need to be far more consistent than we were last year. The ‘09 season was marked with key personnel missing throughout the seasons and that led to a loss of cohesion and many times we had different starting teams and people rotating into positions.

The most stable group last year – in a relative sense – was the offensive line and they really were the most consistent part.

Q: The Lightning passing game had lost some of its venom in the last couple of years, how has the improvement of guys like Shiraz “The Crankin’ Sri Lankan” Soysa helped this?

Shiraz, like many others in the team have really established themselves in the past couple seasons as true weapons. We have a great receiver core this year, with a nice mix of veterans and rookies and Shiraz is certainly going to be a big part of things.

As cliché as it is to say, we really did have a rebuilding period the past couple of seasons and I think we’re getting a lot closer to where we need to be personnel wise, and I’m expecting that to be a factor in our performance.

Offensively, we have Ojay returning, and he was huge for us last season; if we get the offensive line returners then those guys alone are an awesome platform; backed with some new blood at QB and we should have a nice balance.

Q: What do you see as key to the Lightning’s historical success?

Oh, that’s tough. I’d say that consistency of players; balanced units, and a solid core.

I think in our better years we were characterised as more of a passing team with a solid ground game backing that up. We were also fortunate to have some US players and coaches who prepared us well for each opponent – with Coach Y (Chris Yunker, ex Tamaki Lightning Head Coach and chief ball power-er) spending countless hours breaking down film scouting and preparing.

The core is important too. For any team or group there is always a ‘core’ of people that are at every training; they work hard to improve and they tend to lift the effort of others whilst putting in the effort themselves – there is a distinct correlation between a large and solid core and performance on the field.

Q: Last question, do you have any words for the dozens and dozens of Lightning fans around the globe?

Sure, tell them that we still have their photos posted in the lobby of the Thunder Dome, and it’s awesome to know that they are out there.

A club is more to me than ‘just’ the current team. Our past players and coaches leave their legacy and we can still see some of their attitudes now (and some are still quoted); the family support is massive and the fans around the planet watching and posting remind us that there is a small but dedicated group of lightning fans.