Moerewa UK face Kaikohe in Bay final

FROM PAGE 24 reforming the team. Otiria is on the rise and they are going to be hard to stop. They have always been a physical team now they have structure to compliment that!”

Harris admitted that he was disappointed at not taking the win, which would have helped Kaikohe prepare for the Bay of Islands final against Moerewa Kawakawa on Saturday.

“This week will be big. For our preparation we will revisit those areas of concern and get ready to battle it out!”

Moerewa United Kawakawa 77 Ohaeawai Okaihau 7: Moerewa UK advancing comfortably to the Bay final next Saturday with this convincing win at Kawakawa.

Coach Wayne Martin said the visitors were perhaps a tad unlucky to have come up against a home team focused on stepping up a level and playing in Whangarei next season.

“The guys [UK Moerewa] played really well, all enjoyed the game. Ohaeawai got really stuck into us first 20, 30 minutes but our fitness told again and we really ran away with it in the second half.”

Standouts were hooker John Hickey with four tries, and “new-to-rugby” winger Mike Walker with two.

In this Saturday’s final Moerewa UK will face Kaikohe and attempt to defend the title they won last year.

However, the side’s priority is the upcoming game against the South Zone champion — either Tomarata or Mid Western — on July 14 where the right to play the promotion/ relegation battle will be up for grabs against the bottom team from the Whangarei-based Bayleys Premiership on the 21st.

Neither of the BOI games played on Saturday were semis; the Bay finals berths this season being decided over three weeks of round-robin competition.