Strong finishing gives Dragons reserves win
St George Dragons and Porirua Vikings may have missed out on playing in rugby league’s premier grand final but victories in other senior and junior grades show that the talent is coming through.
At the finals day at Porirua Park on August 11, the Dragons won the reserve grade title at senior level, and their under-13 and under-14 sides won their respective finals.
The Vikings, meanwhile, had to be content with victory in the Senior seconds and their Porirua Green team winning the under-11 grade.
St George chairperson Stella Teariki says their reserves’ win, the club’s first senior title since 1979, was a thrilling achievement for the club. They last won the premier grade in 1977 and appeared in the grand final in 1995.
In a topsy-turvy game, St George emerged 26-18 winners over Randwick. The Dragons led 10-0 at the break and despite their Hutt opponents fighting back hard in the second half, they finished strongly and deserved the win.
Developing a winning environment has been the work of many people and it bodes well for the coming seasons, she says.
‘‘Colin Sharrock has done a marvellous job as reserve grade coach this season and along with the changes brought in by first-year premier coach Daryl Rolleston, it gives St George a much more posi- tive base to further the club’s progress at senior level for the 2013 season.”
The Vikings’ senior seconds outplayed their Petone counterparts to take the trophy, but trailed 6-0 early in the game.
Some individual magic from 18-year-old Mauriri Mason, combining with Joseph Hickey, brought them level.
The game was won up front, with MVP of the day Monty Makalio working tirelessly on attack and defence, as he and his fellow forwards shouldered the bulk of the work. The second half was a procession for the Vikings, with three more tries cementing the 30-12 win.
St George had its junior prizegiving on Saturday at Pataka, with former Kiwi captain Ruben Wiki as guest speaker.