Monkley proud of medal of honour

The best men’s player in this season’s national provincial rugby competition will now pick up the Duane Monkley medal. The recipient will be hoping his fingers are in better shape to grab it than Monkley’s.

New Zealand Rugby announced yesterday that the player of the year in the Mitre 10 Cup will receive the medal named in honour of the Waikato great, while the star of the Farah Palmer Cup will claim the Fiao’o Fa’amausili Medal.

Monkley, president of the Waikato Rugby Union, played 135 matches for the province between 1987 and 1996 and his body bears the scars, with two grotesquely mis-shapen fingers the most obvious signs.

‘‘I stopped playing rugby when I was 32 because I couldn’t run any more,’’ Monkley said.

‘‘I had my first hip replaced when I was 38, my second when I was 45 ... got a few busted fingers, couple of operations on my knee.’’

Monkley said having the MVP medal named after him was ‘‘a very prestigious honour’’.

‘‘Provincial rugby is a big part of who we are as New Zealanders.

‘‘In a strange and twisted way, because I didn’t become an All Black, it’s like I became respected more from the rugby people.

‘‘When you think of me, you think of provincial Monkley said.

Fa’amausili is currently captaining New Zealand at her fifth women’s Rugby World Cup and is set to become the first Black Fern to reach 50 test caps.

The Player of the Year awards will be determined by a seasonpoints system, with match officials picking their players of the match awarding three points, two points and one point for the game’s top three performers. rugby,’’