Ponga’s Manawatu¯ roots
Recently, a lad named Kalyn Ponga popped in to the pro shop at the Manawatu¯ Golf Club to catch up with professionals Alan Hyatt and Andre White.
Ponga had been a talented junior at the club between 2007 and 2011 and was the 2010 New Zealand under-13 champion before his family shifted to Queensland. During the recent visit, he politely asked if he could have his photo taken with the two illustrious pros.
These days Ponga is a State of Origin rugby league player for Queensland with the Newcastle Knights, so Hyatt and White saw the delightful irony in the photo shoot because most humans ask Ponga if he would mind posing with them.
Ponga has since recalled being among a group of boys who would head to the Hokowhitu course on weekends and hang out there for up to 10 hours.
In 2013, while living in Brisbane, he was on a Broncos scholarship, played rugby for the prestigious Churchies first XV, was in the Brisbane Lions Aussie Rules academy and was playing league for Easts Tigers. That is an indication of the talent that golf lost.
Ponga is being lauded in the NRL as a future superstar in a sport losing star quality such as Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston and Paul Gallen depart.
When Sonny Bill Williams was in Sydney last week, there were pleas for him to return to league. But now he is mostly injured and when he comes off contract after next year’s Rugby World Cup he will be 34, with his applied management degree to finish. The NRL is desperate for replacement excitement machines. Once upon a time even rugby diehards could roll off the names of the league superstars – Daley, Ettingshausen, Wally Lewis, Meninga, Fittler, Alexander, Stuart, the Johns brothers, ‘Blocker’ Roach, Langer, the Walters brothers, Renouf, Brad Thorn, Lazarus, Vautin, Clyde, Sterling, Lockyer.
Where are the stars now? The Warriors’ Roger Tuivasa-sheck and Shaun Johnson are in that bracket, but most others, such as Nathan Cleary and Latrell Mitchell, are in their infancy.
Players such as Greg Inglis, Jarrod Hayne and Benji Marshall are on their last legs and Israel Folau has been long gone.
Had Ponga stayed in Palmerston North he might have been a Turbo by now, but for Manawatu¯ to have put him on a four-year, $3.4-million contract might have been a stretch.
Turbos favour homebodies
Homegrown rugby players continue to abound in the Manawatu¯ squad and those on loan to the All Blacks, and that’s how it should be.
Some have taken tortuous routes back to the province, such as props Sione Asi (St Peter’s College, Tu¯ Toa) and Sean Paranihi (Feilding High School, Tu¯ Toa). Asi also went to Waitaki and Otago Boys’ High Schools and Paranihi to St Kentigern College (Auckland). At lock are Nick Crosswell (Feilding HS), with Liam Hallam-eames and Jackson Hemopo (both Palmerston North Boys’ High School).
Among the loosies contracted are Antonio Kiri Kiri, Brice Henderson, Liam Mitchell and injured No 8 Brayden Iose (all Boys’ High). Then there’s halfbacks Aaron Smith (Feilding HS) and Jamie Booth (Boys’ High). In the backs are Otere Black (Hato Pa¯ ora College, Tu¯ Toa), Hamish Northcott (Feilding HS), Jade Te Rure, Rob Thompson, Lifeimi Mafi, Ngani Laumape, Jono Ihaka (Boys’ High) and at fullback Nehe Milner-skudder (Queen Elizabeth College). And from the periphery are first-five Sam Malcolm (Wanganui High School) and utilities Te Rangatira Waitokia (Cullinane College) and James Tofa (Horowhenua College).
Pulsating Pulse ripped off
When the Central Pulse tripped themselves up in the national netball final to the burgling Steel on Sunday, it was deflating for the home crowd.
Composure would have got the Pulse home in a doddle. But those who come out with after-burners smoking can seldom sustain it throughout, so at the climax they vomited up seven straight goals as they elbow-jerked two balls clean out of court.
The Steel had a panicky phase in the third quarter, when they were guilty of two reckless tackles, one around the throat that injured Ameliaranne Ekenasio, plum in front of the umpire chap. He will never get a Super Rugby gig.
In netball, the most non-contact of sports, there were no sanctions. The sport needs to lighten up on its contact rules. The most fleeting touch is annoyingly whistled.
Meanwhile, the geographically challenged on social media complained the Pulse lost because the final was played in an alien venue. Aside from one tiny but annoying clique of Steel fans in Rainbow Stadium, everyone else cheered the Steel mistakes.
There was irony that the Steel had two former Manawatu¯ players, the Selby-rickits from O¯ taki, and O¯ taki’s tertiary educator Te Wa¯ nanga O Raukawa, run by their mother Mereana Selby, was the sponsor of the Pulse.
After breaking with the Australian league, at least now we have Kiwis playing in key positions instead of wasting bucks on overseas mercenaries. And next year the Pulse will get it done.
By the way, the Steel had a uniform design fit only for radio.
The NRL is desperate for replacement excitement machines. Once upon a time even rugby diehards could roll off the names of the league superstars.