Challenging Weeks
Ahead for 2 Teams
SUPPORTERS, coaches and players
have a nervous few weeks in
store while both our Kelvin Hotel
Premiers and John Mulholland
Builders Div Two teams challenge
for playoff spots as the business
end of the season looms.
Both teams, on results so far, have
proved they have the ability to be
there on finals day, but there are still
some rocky roads to be travelled
before then.
The Premiers looked likely to take
a huge step towards confirming
a semi final spot when leading
Galbraith Shield holder Woodlands
at the Les George on Saturday with
the clock counting down, but a
second win for the season over the
champions wasn't to be, with the
final 26-30 result meaning Marist
dropped from second to fourth on
the points table.
The reverse was only the third of
the season, but it's tight at the top
and a rare win against Star, back
at the George, this week would
certainly help to keep us clear of
the Eastern-Northern Barbarians as
well as potentially giving us a more
favourable draw for the first playoff
round.
Marist last featured in the semi
finals in 2009, but appeared likely
to make the breakthrough in 2013
after a season remarkably similar to
the current one. But there won't be
a repeat of what happened on that
occasion when we sat out the final
bye round and hoped (forlornly as
it transpired) for results to go our
way.
This time though our future is
entirely in our hands, beginning
with a good result against Star,
followed by the return clash (at
home) against the Barbarians
before the final game of the round
against Blues.
It goes without saying we need all
hands on deck on Saturday to get
the Green & Blacks across the line
and put the semi final issue beyond
doubt ahead of the Barbarians clash
next week.
WONDERFUL RECORD
While the spotlight has usually
been on the Prems, Nathan Burgess
and his mighty Div Two boys have
fashioned a wonderful record in
the lower grade and have certainly
kept the Marist colours flying in
grand fashion.
Nine wins in 11 games games is no
mean achievement and its 27-5 win
over Blues on Saturday maintained
its spot (on points difference) at the
head of the competition table.
Marist put together an impressive
six wins on the trot against BalfourLumsden,
Pirates-Old
Boys,
Midlands, Woodlands, Central
Pirates/Star and Albion Excelsior
before dropping narrow decisions
to heavyweights Collegiate and
Riverton in the middle stages. But
three good wins over Waiau Star,
Wright's Bush and Blues completed
the round nicely and now Marist is
poised to complete the task.
Late in the piece notice was
received the grade would be split
into top and bottom sixes for the
final run home, and while that
news was something of a surprise,
with a semi final spot thought
already achieved, it just means five
weeks of intensive football is on
the horizon, beginning this week
against Riverton at Centrepoint.
Marist's other games are against
Blues (A) (July 5), POB (H) (July
12), Albion Excelsior (H) (July 19),
Collegiate (A) (July 26), with the
top two teams to play off in the final
on August 2.
In unstoppable form here, SIAKE
TAUALOFA was a popular clubrooms
choice as player of the match after a
sterling Div Two effort against Waiau
Star at Centrepoint. Note also at
rear, former great PAILATE FILI
made a cameo appearance to help
the cause.
BLAZER GAMES
MANY of the younger players who
have made their Premier debuts in
the past 3-4 seasons have "come of
age" and been presented with their
club blazers in recent weeks and we
congratulate them all.
Most recent to achieve the 30game milestone, on Saturday, was
KEANU KAHUKURA, a current
Southland rep, whose blazer was
presented by none other than uncle
IONA SIPA, still an active Premier
and Div Two player
this season and with 54
games for Southland to
his credit as well.
As a matter of interest, when pen portraits of the players
were compiled for
publication ahead of
the 2004 Galbraith
Shield final, Marist's
last appearance in the
championship decider,
Iona was listed as the
longest-serving member of the Marist lineup.
WHAT A LEGEND.
THAT WAS 10 YEARS
After wrong-footing his opponents, KEANU KAHUKURA took the gap to score Marist's only try in the second round 23-10 loss AGO AND HE'S STILL
GOING STRONG!
to Pirates-Old Boys at the Les George Oval, with replacement winger, former Edendale player DANIEL COCKERY, at right.
GREAT to see 2004-06 Marist backline star ILLY
(real name Ratu Ilaitia Tikovakadi) DELASAU
in the clubrooms on Saturday, along with
wife IRENE and young family OSEA (6) and
LILIVIWA (17 months).
We remember the likeable Fijian for his exciting
brand of rugby from the time he joined Marist
on the recommendation of Doctor Prendergast
when he arrived in Invercargill in 2004 after six
years of medical study in Dunedin.
He hadn't played rugby in his Highlands home
area before his time in Dunedin, but learned
quickly during stints with the University and
Green Island clubs and was a decided asset
when he linked up with the Green and Blacks.
Eventually he gained a call-up from the
Southland selectors, with three starts late in the
2005 season, where he operated in tandem with
fellow winger and countryman WATISONI
LOTAWA, and three wins over Bay of Plenty,
Northland (away) and North Harbour.
Earlier in the season he'd been a member of the
Marist sevens team and had the honour of being
selected for the NZ Marist team which toured
Samoa.
But for a budding surgeon who couldn't take
the risk of suffering injuries which might impact
on his occupation, rugby was not really a top
priority, and niggling injuries finally limited his
involvement at club level in 2006.
By then married to Irene, a Samoan lady who is
now a qualified dentist, Illy has needed to move
on to further his training, first to Tauranga and
then Middlemore in Auckland and North Shore
Hospital.
However rugby hasn't figured in his recreational
activities since then. He's played some touch in
Auckland and turned out for his old Fiji high
school sevens team when it played in Auckland,
but that's as close as he's been to a rugby ball.
Illy is now a member of the Royal Australian
College of Surgeons training scheme and opted
to return to Invercargill's Southland Hospital
(because he enjoys the cooler climate) on a oneyear contract before he must head to Nelson on
the second stage.
As before, rugby is virtually on the banned
list for Illy, but he couldn't resist when the
chance came to play for the Division Two team
against Collegiate (pictured above) in a one-off
appearance earlier in the season, steadying the
backline from the second five spot.
And while we are unlikely to see too much
of Illy on the rugby field in the future, don't
be surprised if the family eventually decides
to call Invercargill home once his training is
completed. We'd love to welcome them back.
TOC was a bit slow out of the blocks
on Saturday and missed the $100
first cash draw. Make sure you're
there for the $250 starting price at
5.30 this Saturday.
Our Condolences
The sympathy of all members is extended to
"Marist Rugby Families" who have lost loved
ones since our last newsletter, including . . .
EILEEN HIGGINS, mother of STEVE, JOHN
and PETER, and RON EGAN, older brother
of JIM and a contemporary of many of our
older members.
And last week saw the sad loss of MAREE
PENNICOTT, wife of former Collegiate,
Waiau Star and Southland (1971-72) fiveeighth ALUN, sister of great club supporter
WENDY METCALFE and aunt of Marist
captains MATT and SAM BRIERLEY.
SUGGESTIONS have been made by supporters
re opening the clubrooms to enable members to
watch some of the upcoming All Blacks tests as
a group.
However, for various reasons that is not
considered practical, but your Supporters
Committee puts forward an alternative option
that may suit those concerned.
You are invited to join fellow supporters at
the new downstairs Editor's Cut bar at the
Kelvin Hotel to view the three home matches
of the forthcoming Four Nations Rugby
Championship series, the only games being
played at suitable times (7.35pm).
Dates and games are:
August 23, v Australia, Auckland
September 6, Argentina, Napier
September 13, South Africa, Wellington
WE'D LIKE TO KEEP YOU UP TO DATE
Forward your email address to
[email protected]
Check out Marist website
and Facebook
www.maristinvercargill.co.nz