Can the Turbos win against Wellington?

LEILANI HATCH

HEAVE: Hamish Gosling, top right, lends his 109kg to a Turbos maul with Bertus Mulder, left, and prop Karl Haitana, centre, at Massey University.

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Five players back, two gone, net gain of three. That put the Turbos in profit for once this season after yesterday's snappy practice at Massey University.

Through the in-gate to start against Wellington tomorrow come second five-eighth Frankie Bryant, flanker Callum Gibbins and prop Karl Haitana, while almost back, on to the subs bench, come lock Reece Robinson and loose forward James Oliver.

Out into dry dock for repairs go prop Ma'afu Fia (rib cartilage damage), who had started all five games, and Junior Tomasi Cama (broken cheekbone).

Bryant and Haitana had missed most of the early games due to injury, but they brought vitality as substitutes against Hawke's Bay last Sunday.

Bryant's return has allowed coach Dave Rennie to stiffen up the backline by shifting Hadleigh Parkes to centre and Shannon Paku to wing, where both men should be more at ease. Paku has been quiet since joining Manawatu and appears to have been constricted at centre; but at wing he can rove and get more involved against his old Wellington team-mates.

Robinson is over his hamstring injury and Oliver the dislocated elbow he horribly injured an hour into the Canterbury game a month ago. As if that wasn't enough, a scratch on his leg led to cellulitis and he spent two nights in hospital on an intravenous drip.

To accelerate Manawatu's rapid-fire game, Rennie has gone for the dual openside-flankers' tactic with Gibbins and Doug Tietjens, a ploy last used to telling effect with Tietjens and Josh Bradnock against Hawke's Bay at Napier last year.

Dropped are the two specialist No 8s, Mitchell Crosswell and Bertus Mulder and wing Casey Stone.

No-one has claimed the unsettled No 8 position this season, so busy flanker Hamish Gosling, after a hot game against Hawke's Bay, will start there.

Gosling, 24, might be scared of heights, but not of getting up to take high balls, as he showed against the Magpies.

"Aerial is my game," he said. "I'm pretty happy where I'm at at the moment."

He returned from Sicily after playing little rugby and had to get himself back to New Zealand speed.

"I came back and thought I'd slot in there," he said.

But he got an awakening when players like James Oliver and Nick Crosswell were humming. They were injured against Canterbury and Gosling took his chance.

He's enjoying being injury-free for the first time and being part of the Turbos' family.

"I think a win is just around the corner if we can use some of the ball we've had, and when everyone clicks. Teams are going to take us lightly."

- © Fairfax NZ News