Players pounce on summer league
Southland District Rugby League has switched its senior club competition from winter to summer in search of more players, reports Jamie Searle.
Southland District Rugby League has started its club competition earlier this year in a move to attract more players. And it’s worked.
Four teams played in the first round of the competition in Invercargill on Saturday, with players enjoying the warm temperatures instead of the wind and rain of winter.
New players have come from rugby. A lot of them wanted to play league in the past but hadn’t been able to because of club rugby commitments.
Some players had previously played rugby on Saturday and league on Sunday but the heavy workload put off some who had shown interest in both sports.
The new league season will finish on March 21, a week before club rugby starts in Southland.
Rugby players had jumped at the opportunity to play league, Panthers league co-captain Jovan Aerenga said.
He thought there were about 55 rugby players committed to league this year.
When league officials decided on the change in August, Aerenga and Jaye Thompson-Te Muunu, both rugby players, spread the word in rugby circles. The feedback led to the pair resurrecting the Panthers club, which had not operated since the late 1990s.
The Panthers club is made up of rugby players. Many of the players in its team on Saturday were all having their first league game.
‘‘We’ve got 40 players to pick from [at Panthers],’’ Aerenga said.
Thompson-Te Muunu’s father, Dennis Thompson, played for Panthers in the 1990s and is now coaching its latest team in Invercargill.
The Panthers started training in November and took a Christmas break for a few weeks before resuming earlier this month.
‘‘Everyone came back with big stomachs from Christmas food,’’ Aerenga said.
Southland District Rugby League senior development officer Alana Lockhorst said the new summer/early autumn season was worth trying to get player and team numbers up.
‘‘We’ve got to give it a go and see what happens.’’
Lockhorst said last weekend’s opening round was a success with good player numbers in all teams.
‘‘I can only see it growing from here.’’
On Saturday, in round one, the Cowboys beat Panthers 32-20, while He Tauaa had a big 70-18 win over the Cooks.
At Elles Rd this Saturday, Cooks and Panthers will squareoff at 1pm, with He Tauaa and Cowboys to meet at 3pm.