TEAM AWARDS
Our rugby writer makes his picks
Jackson Hemopo
Could there be anyone else?
The 23-year-old started the season with a bang with some barnstorming displays and was best on the park almost every time he took the filed.
Through nine games he had played every minute and was feeling the effects. Regardless, when he was injected off the bench against Hawke’s Bay he came out firing.
He continues to look like a future All Black.
Forward of the year: Fraser Armstrong
The big prop delivered on his potential this year with his scrummaging catching up to the rest of his game.
He was a good presence across the park, but his real value was his powerful combination with Michael Alaalatoa in the front row which produced one of the best scrums in the country.
Armstrong cut down on his errors of the past and surely deserves a Super Rugby contract.
Back of the year: Jade Te Rure
There was a toss up between Te Rure and Kayne Hammington for this title.
On his return from Scotland, the first five-eighth looked comfortable fitting back in the Manawatu¯ side.
His ability to add some flair with ball in hand and the constant running threat he provided added some spice to the side’s attack.
He finished the year as the top points-scorer and second-equal in tries.
Rookie of the year: Sean Paranihi
It was a credit to Paranihi that when he played on his favoured tighthead side of the scrum, he was just as strong as Alaalatoa.
The 20-year-old proved his potential every time he got onto the field and looked comfortable starting against bigger props.
He is a strong tackler, busy around the park and looks set to have a big future.
Impact player of the year: Jamie Booth
It was impossible to ignore Booth’s 2017 campaign.
It took a couple of weeks for him to provide his full attacking arsenal, but when he did there were few more dangerous in the entire Turbos side.
He appeared in all 10 games, only starting three with his impact off the bench preferred.
The fact that Booth ended up in the backline in stages of both the Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay games proved his versatility. The fact he performed so well in those matches was a proof of his class.
Another player of Super Rugby class.
Most influential: Greg Fleming
Anyone who remembers the end of 2016 would recall the disaster zone the Turbos’ scrum descended into.
That means there must be huge credit to scrum coach Fleming who helped develop the side’s scrum into one of its best strengths.
Sure there was the end of the Bay of Plenty game when the scrum fell apart with players out of position, but that was the only time they were properly beaten.
It was not just that the scrum did well, but that the technique of the props who had been with the side for a while improved.
Try of the year: Newton Tudreu v Counties Manukau
There did not appear to be much happening in the 34th minute of the Turbos match against Counties Manukau when Te Rangatira Waitokia, in just his second match, got the ball 70m out from the tryline.
Waitokia turned on a junking run through the defence before putting in a gentle grubber which bounced up perfectly for Heiden Bedwell-curtis.
Bedwell-curtis offloaded to Tudreu who sprinted the remaining 20m for the spectacular try.
Other tries that were in the running were Kurt Baker’s solo effort against Tasman, Ambrose Curtis’ length of the field team try against Counties Manukau, Tudreu’s early 80m team try against Southland and Jason Emery’s late matchwinning against Southland.