Two tough opening home games will test Northland Taniwha’s mettle and form the ideal gauge of whether the team has what it takes to go deep into the Bunnings Warehouse NPC competition this season.

The 2023 NPC draw will see Northland hosting Canterbury on August 5, in what will be a rematch of last year’s quarter-final in Christchurch when the latter came out on top, and Taranaki four days later, both at Semenoff Stadium in Whangārei.

The Cambridge Blue boys then travel to Southland to defend the Peter Hetaraka Te Tai Trophy against the Stags in Invercargill, before hosting Tasman Makos in Whangārei on August 19.

Northland’s remaining home games will be against Hawke’s Bay on September 1 and Bay of Plenty on September 22.

A cutback in travel times and a couple of first-up games at home are positive points for Northland — factors head coach Marty Veale says will help his team manage a short season.

“We’re pretty happy with the way the draw has rolled out. We had a couple of things changed, just around the logistics and our travel. We have the Southland game a little bit earlier now on a Sunday so we can get back that day.

“Canterbury first-up is exciting, since we lost the quarter-final to them and they went on to reach the final. That’s a great test to see where we’re at straight away. They’re a great province with a rich history and very well-coached. The sort of start we need.”

Managing the squad in the first 19 days of the competition when Northland plays Canterbury, Taranaki and Southland would be key, he said.

“You can’t not start well in this competition because it’s too short. It’s an exciting challenge. The last time Northland beat Canterbury was probably in 1999 up here, so it’s been a long time. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back who experienced the quarter-final defeat, so it’ll be a little bit of motivation.”

Veale hopes the community gets behind the Taniwha in Whangārei from the opening match after last year’s good season.

In between the first three games, Veale said a massive focus would be on what went well, what could the team continue to do well, areas that needed tidying up, and just recovering without much training.

“It’s just like recovering, maybe one training [session], and then back on to it. Fitness and managing our squad would be key. Not putting too much into people too early so they can’t back up in round four or round five.”

“The home field advantage in our game is massive, and trying to overcome those factors and the short turnaround and the travel – it’s an exciting first two weeks of the competition, trying to get off to a good start.”

Unlike last season, when Northland travelled to Christchurch, Wellington, Nelson, and Taranaki, this year, the team’s away games are in Albany against North Harbour, Palmerston North and Dunedin. Veale said his side would have more time to recover.

Last year, the Taniwha didn’t play Hawkes Bay, but the Magpies are coming to Whangārei this season, and Veale said they’d be motivated to have a good campaign for their community given the pretty tough times the region endured during the recent storm.

Having seasoned campaigners like former skipper Jordan Olsen and crowd favourite Rene Ranger back in the squad was a massive boost, he said.

“He was a great captain in 2020 and 2021 and his on-field and off-field leadership is critical. He can mentor the young fellas and share his experiences around when they were successful in 2021, and not so in 2021. Having guys like that come back into the fold, it’s awesome.”

Centurion Ranger, he said, still has plenty to offer – maybe not so much on the field like he used to, but just around the environment and through his experience.

Five to seven contracts are yet to be filled, and they will come through club rugby that’s starting this weekend.

“We’re still after a couple from out of the region. There’s plenty of guys from this region that have gone elsewhere for other reasons and been successful that have expressed interest [in coming] back.”