Hankins Shield win ‘pretty special’ for OBM
There was a surreal feeling among many of the Old Boys-marist players and coaching staff after they claimed their first Hankins Shield title as an amalgamated club on Saturday at CET Arena.
They were the deserving winners of the final 28-27 against Kia Toa.
The one-point deficit gives the deceiving impression that Kia Toa were in the game in the late stages.
But the reality was that OBM had the match locked up for the final 20 minutes, only for a consolation try to Nathan Tudreu in referee’s time to make it the tightest Hankins Shield final since 1992, which ironically also featured Marist and Kia Toa with the former getting up 6-5.
Coach Reece Robinson was still in disbelief after the game.
‘‘It has not really sunk in yet,’’ he said. ‘‘It is pretty special. We spoke about it at the start of the year. It has been avoiding us for the last two-three years, but this year has been a bit different. We have recruited really well, we have a got a few guys in the team who have got experience in finals footy and it is awesome.’’
Robinson said he was feeling confident all year that they were onto to something special, even though it was not all smooth sailing.
‘‘I knew we were always going to be on the right path. We had a bit of a road bump earlier in the year when we lost three in a row. But at the end of the day our goal was to make the top four and reassess it. In the playoffs, it is about who steps up.’’
OBM looked to dominate the forward exchanges and had the better of set piece - both lineouts and scrums.
Lock Chris Long, who was with Marist before the merger at the end of 2008, said the final felt like a tight affair.
‘‘We knew they had a lethal backline and we knew up front they would be tough. I do not know if we got parity over them. It sort of went back and forwards throughout the game. We were lucky to have eight points on the board at the end.’’
While OBM drew first blood on
the scoreboard through a Bain Champion penalty, it was Kia Toa who scored the opening try when he made a massive break down the right wing.
But that sparked OBM to life. Ben Werthmuller, who saved his best game of the season for the final, set up the first to Long after breaking a tackle and flicking a miracle ball inside as he was pushed into touch. The wing then added one of their own.
But they allowed Kia Toa to fight back.
Tobias Wickham-manual scorched his way to the tryline with an in-out move which tricked Luther Hirini, before Jade Te Rure launched a perfect cross-field kick for Malua Mauola for another try on halftime for a 20-13 lead.
But OBM came out on fire in the second half.
A try to Matene Ruawai got them within two points, before Kameli Kuruyabaki intercepted a pass and set up Ambrose Curtis for an 80m try.
Fraser Armstrong came close to scoring in the 67th minute and when referee Tim Griffiths stuck his arm in arm there were celebrations from OBM only for them to realise it was a penalty to Kia Toa.
But they were points they did not need as they held on to claim the deserved win despite the late Tudreu try.
Flanker Liam Hallam-eames credited their fight back from a halftime deficit to lessons from earlier in the season.
‘‘It just shows the boys in this side are willing to go the extra mile and play 80 which, to be honest, is something that at the start of the year was a bit of an issue with our team. We have worked on that and managed to nail that and we have got the results.’’