Question regarding poly pipe fix in a sprinkler system.?

I have a piece of poly pipe that I need to replace on one of my sprinkler system zones. It's a piece that attaches to the barbed output on the valve and then, about a foot later, goes into a barbed T. My question is this. The valve is, of course, essentially fixed. Do I have to unearth a whole section of the poly pipe further down the line to get the foot-long section inserted without kinking it or can I quickly, kink/un-kink the section I'm installing? Thanks!