Makos nominated for team award
A season in which they went all the way to the Mitre 10 Cup premiership final has earned the 2017 Tasman Makos the rugby team nomination for the Marlborough Sports Awards.
The Makos began slowly, shorn of a number of key players from the successful 2016 season, and dropped their first two games. However an away win over Waikato was a turning point and the new-look side began to gel as a team.
Victories over Mitre 10 championship winners Wellington and Ranfurly Shield holders Taranaki were highlights as the Makos created enough momentum to book a final berth with Canterbury in Christchurch for the second consecutive campaign.
As has been their trademark in recent seasons, the Makos played with a winning combination of flair and efficiency.
During the past 12 months the Tasman Makos programme has produced 21 Super Rugby players, comprising 17 contracted players and four injury replacements, underlining the development that is happening in the top of the south. They also produced three players who were involved in the New Zealand side that won the Under-20 rugby World Cup in Georgia, while Makos’ manager Martyn Vercoe was the manager of that team.
Their nomination is sponsored by Wadsco Motorworld.