Yellows aim for three in a row Youngsters star in Wellington
Feilding Yellows will be gunning to win their third title in a row when senior club rugby starts this weekend.
Feilding have won the Hankins Shield in the past two years and have most of their men back from last season, when they beat Varsity 27-24 in the final.
All games are at the Arena today for a festival opening weekend.
Feilding’s big pack features the likes of hooker Harry Jones, props Tietie Tuimauga and Sean Rankin, and loose forwards Sam Wasley and Lene Tonga.
Halfback Griffin Culver, first five-eighth Ben Wyness and fullback Drew Wild will be influential players in the backline, and evergreen wing Brad Carr will go around again.
Loose forward Hayden Stratford and lock Kere Marino have been coaxed out of retirement.
Centre Kyle Brown, wing Eseroma Wakalevu and lock-loose forward Ngapuke Patea are newcomers from Feilding High School.
Centre Josiah Maraku is with the Blues and should be back for the second round. Loose forward TK Howden will play depending on Hurricanes commitments.
Last year’s player-coach Nick Crosswell is having a year off and Andre Taylor is only coaching.
New Te Kawau coach Chris Long has had a few changes and is hoping to build a hard-working group at Rongotea.
Veteran prop James Tennant, first five-eighth Ethan Woodmass, flanker Jason Myers, midfielder Kameli Kuruyabaki and fullback Adam Boult, once he is back from a shoulder injury in a few weeks, will be important players.
Loose forward Benedict Grant and prop Josh Greer have come from Old Boys-marist and add more grunt to the forwards. Hurricanes lock Liam Mitchell will play when available.
Long also hoped to see Te Atuarere Albert, Jordan Henare and Shaun Lawton-sue when commitments allowed.
Seth Clayton, a young midfielder from Whitianga, and lock Hunter Morrison from Palmerston North Boys’ High School are new players.
The big loss is Manawatu¯ Turbos hooker Sam Stewart, a workhorse and inspirational leader, who has moved to Christchurch.
New coach Bryan Matenga has started a new era at College Old Boys.
The side has been boosted by a handful of players from the Boys’
High first XV last year in loose forwards Elyjah Crosswell, Tom Hansen and Jared Sellwood, and midfielder Lafo Takiari-ah Ching.
Centre Josh Thompson has arrived from Taranaki, Patrick Tafili-reid has returned to the region and hooker Corey Purton is playing again.
The main men back will be first five-eighth Stewart Cruden, midfielder James Tofa, outside backs Andrew Mcdougall and Awatere Kiwara, and loose forwards Johnny Galloway, Brice Henderson and Jared Goodson.
Reece Robinson has returned to the helm of Old Boys-marist and has had a few changes.
He will be light on props while Anthony Guerin and Nathan Hill recover from pre-season injuries.
But Bryn Gordon is shaping as a good prospect at hooker, and they will also have the services of front rower Harry Allen from Canterbury once he has recovered from knee surgery in a couple of weeks.
Matene Ruawai and Roydon Miller will be key forwards and fullback Ben Werthmuller should be back from injury by week three.
First five-eighth Blair Hannam, midfielders Shayden Osgood and Cam Black, and wing Max Harris all return.
Halfback Lee Thomson, who played for Wairarapa Bush last year, has joined the side, as has Kenny Hill, a first or second fiveeighth from Hamilton.
In losses, Josh Greer and Benedict Grant have joined Te Kawau, lock Ben Kimber has moved to Auckland, lock Alec Odell is having a year off due to concussion and loosie Rhys Pedersen is having hip surgery.
The resurgence continues under Potene Paewai at Freyberg, who have picked up another group of youngsters.
They have gained big young prop Darius Mafile’o, outside backs Chance and Jamie Malu, as well as experienced former professionals Kahn Fotuali’i and Lifeimi Mafi, all from Fob-o¯roua.
Front rowers Raymond Tuputupu and Feleti Sae-taufo’ou are big gains from Boys’ High.
Former Varsity flanker Michael Halatuituia has joined the club, Josh and Matt Maoate have come from Te Kawau and they have gained wing Maika Rove from New Plymouth and lock Conor Robertson from Gisborne.
Prop Joseph Gavigan, halfback Potene Rolls-paewai, loose forward Jekope Kitou, loose forwards Randy and Lawrence Liuvaie, and backs Carson Hepi and Varon King return.
Hooker Ben Strang has shifted to Varsity and lock Jarimar Schuster has gone to Bay of Plenty.
Feilding Old Boys-o¯roua is another club that has had some changes to the roster, and they have a new coach in Dave Ellis.
They will lean on experienced players such as No 8 Alex Hawira, lock James Coogan, playmaker Paora Rakatau, wing Jamie Perigo and hooker Keilan Henry.
Fullback Shaq Waara is out through injury, while Darius Mafile’o, Chance and Jamie Malu, Kahn Fotuali’i and Lifeimi Mafi have gone to Freyberg.
They have gained a hooker from Bay of Plenty, Joe Key, midfielder Hamish Clapcott from Canterbury and midfielder Faleseu Tauailoto from Feilding High School.
Last year’s beaten finalists Varsity are looking strong across the board again.
Front rowers Nick Grogan, Flyn Yates and Antonio Walker-leawere, lock Micaiah Torrance-read, flankers Dylan Hall and Julian Goerke and No 8 Tyler Laubscher, depending on his Hurricanes commitments, make for the core of a strong pack.
In the backline, returning are halfbacks Bryn Wilson and Regan Sword, veteran first five-eighth Scott Davidson, midfielder Hamish Northcott and outside backs Reece Brosnan and Tamatoa Ropati.
Prop Max Tufuga and first fiveeighth Nick Birchfield are back from Eketa¯huna, lock Matt Masoe and loose forward Joe Tako have come from Wairarapa Bush, centre Ueta Tufuga has returned from Southland, back Logan Henry has come from Whanganui and hooker Ben Strang has joined from Freyberg.
Their main losses are prop Sam Tufuga, who has gone to Australia, loosie Doug Juszczyk has joined Eketa¯huna, fullback Te Rangatira Waitokia has signed for Atlanta in the United States and first fiveeighth Jayden Falcon has returned to Hawke’s Bay.
Kia Toa have also seen change under new coach Mike Tagicakibau, but should still be a formidable team.
First five-eighth Te Atawhai Mason and lock-loose forward Ofa Tauatavalu will be young guns.
Sase Va’a, who missed last season through injury, is a prospect at hooker.
Locks Fraser Stone and Jaxson Taylor are back, as well as backs Leighton Ralph and Jeremiah Fryer.
Flanker Jackson Iose is out for the year with shoulder surgery, prop Tama Whatuira is playing senior thirds and flanker Cody Shailer is focusing on work and family.
Hurricanes loose forward Brayden Iose will play when available.
They have picked up wing Tavita Henare-schuster from Boys’ High and flanker Preston Owen-smith from Auckland.
Today’s draw: Freyberg v Feilding, 1pm, Arena 3; Kia Toa v Te Kawau, 1pm, Arena 4; COB v Fob-o¯roua, 2.45pm, Arena 3; Ob-marist v Varsity, 2.45pm, Arena 4.
Several of our younger athletes produced outstanding results at the Wellington junior championships last weekend.
Hannah Cadzow finished fifth in the girls’ 13 200 metre event.
In the girls’ 12-grade events, Juliet Mckinlay was third in the 80m hurdles and ran a personal best of 29.23 seconds for fifth place in the 200m.
Mila Stassen collected second places in the girls’ 10 200m and the high jump. Fourth placings went to Alina Rizvi in the girls’ 9 discus and Tane Garcia-soto in the boys’ 100m.
Niamh Carr had a successful day, winning the 7-year-old girls’ 100m and finishing second in the 200m.
Angus Cadzow won the 100m and shot put and finished fourth in the long jump for 7-year-old boys.
Thanks to the Wellington Centre for allowing our athletes to compete in their championships.
We join with the Feilding Moa Harrier Club in noting the passing earlier this week of their life member, past club president and club captain Barrymasters.
Barry joined the Moas in the 1970s, and like many of their members was initially there to support his children.
It wasn’t long before he laced up his own shoes and continued as an active and competitive member into the mid-2000s.
The club ran on the Masters’ Mt Biggs farm from 1982 for more than 20 years until it was leased out.
The lollipop markers Barry made in his shed from old paint lids and reinforcing rod are still used today to mark the course for the mini moas races.
His contribution to the club over many years has been immense. Our condolences to his family.
The Manawatu¯ secondary schools athletics championships will this year be hosted by St Peter’s College and Hato Pa¯ora College at the Manawatu¯ Community Athletics Track.
With the Athletics New Zealand under-18 championship events cancelled, these championships now become the focus for many of our talented young athletes and some outstanding performances are expected.
Looking at the entries it is obvious in the girls’ races there is an abundance of talent among the younger athletes overshadowing the senior girls.
All season I have been full of praise for the outstanding talent we have in our young ladies and this is reflected in the entries in the intermediate grade events.
The standard is so high, just qualifying for the sprints final will be an enormous achievement.
We have the four members of St Peter’s College’s national schools junior 4x100m relay team.
Addirra Collette, Chayelle Collete, Jadye Rolfe and Kimberley Walsh are entered, along with Palmerston North Girls’ High School national junior 400m champion Monique Gorrie.
I expect these girls to record faster times than those of the senior girls.
I believe our intermediate girls’ sprint finals will have the best lineup in the country.
The talent is not limited to the intermediate girls and I like the prospects of Girls’ High’s Hayley Cornwall in the junior girls’ races.
She set school records in the 800m and 1500m, is also entered in the 400m and is expected to win these events.
The junior girls’ sprints appears to be a battle between St Peter’s’ Eden Rolfe and Girls’ High’s Hannah Cadzow.
The high jumps will be worth watching with the Trow sisters expected to do well. Courtney in the senior girls and Amber in the intermediate grade.
With Boys’ High only conducting their championships on Wednesday, their entries for the championships had not been received when I checked. In Angus Lyver and Forbes Kennedy, they have two of the best long jumpers in the country and Braxton Kauri is the national schools junior 300m champion, so is one to watch over the hurdles.