Morrinsville the top target

BY EVAN PEGDEN

Morrinsville Sports have a hard act to follow.

Last year they turned an emotionally tumultuous season for them in Waikato premier club rugby into a fairy-tale finish, climaxing the season by winning the Waikato Breweries Shield for the first time.

That came just two weeks after head coach Darrin Stevenson had died suddenly of a heart attack.

They had only qualified fourth for the playoffs but managed to win both their semifinal and then the grand final away from home against the odds.

Now the dust has settled from that they find themselves a marked team and have the difficult assignment of opening the 2010 season tomorrow with a repeat of that Waikato Stadium grand final clash against Fraser-Tech – only this time they will play at Tech's home ground of Elliott Park.

Former New Zealand and Fiji Sevens representative and current Waikato Sevens coach Waisiki Masirewa stepped up from the assistant role when it was needed at the business end of last season and he keeps the head coach job for this season.

He has with him as his assistant and forwards coach former Bulls and Transvaal prop Hein Van der Westhuizen, who has been in the area for several years teaching and coaching at Morrinsville College.

"We're pretty lucky to have him," Masirewa said.

"He brings a lot of new stuff including a different style of training and the boys are really enjoying it."

Veteran players Chresten Davis (taking time out after a new addition to the family) and halfback Damon McKinnon (knee injury) are missing for at least the early part of the season and possibly long term.

First five-eighth Andrew Greene has retired, as his cousin David did the previous season.

Newcomers include Hinuera first five-eighth Benji Olesen and young Fijians out of Hamilton Boys' High First XV, lock Pio Vakavosaki and back Jone Lagibola.

"Everybody will be targeting us this year but we're not putting any pressure on ourselves," Masirewa said.

"We're a country team and just like every year the first thing is to try and get into the top eight and take it from there – one game at a time."

Morrinsville play the other three top four teams in the first four weeks of the Ron Crawford Memorial Trophy preliminary round.

Fraser-Tech have the same coaching team of Nick Holten and Roger Randle, who moved up from assistants to the main job at short notice last year when Greg Smith got the Bay of Plenty coaching position.

Holten said they had this year focused their pre-season on fitness this year and tried not to start quite as early as last year when they were planning for a tough early-season draw.

"The guys are quite fit and in a good head space as a team," Holten said.

Personnel losses are restricted to midfield where key man Roimata Hansell-Pune has returned to Auckland, possibly with an eye overseas, and Joe Perawiti to Otorohanga.

In their places come some young talent in the form of Bay of Plenty Under-20 player Jason Fly, who is in his second year out of school after playing for Baywide club finalists Te Puke last season, and Taranaki school leaver Thomas Watt. Both are regarded as highly promising.

Talented young winger Navi Sikivou comes from Hamilton Boys' High, while another school leaver out of Tauranga Boys' College is 2m lock Colin Cooper – son of former international rower Stephanie Foster.

Tech are also hoping to give hooker Vern Kamo some much-needed game time after his last couple of seasons have been plagued by injuries, but at present he is filling in for Hika Elliott in the main Chiefs squad.

Hamilton Old Boys last year timed their run well to win the Haswell Catley Trophy and thus go into the playoffs as top seeds but then were upset in the semifinals by Morrinsville.

Former Old Boys head coach John Walters, who has won titles with the club before, returned part way through last season as an advisor and this year is back as head coach with Josh Hay and Kerry Eynon as his assistants.

"We should have won it last year but we didn't. That doesn't go down too well at our club," Walters said.

They have kept their losses to a minimum with midfield back Dave McLean gone overseas, prop Jason Church injured for the season, lock Mark Tocker retired and outside back Jono Jefferis overseas.

Two ex-Hamilton Boys' High students in Robbie Hunter (prop/hooker) and Aaron Larson are back from Otago University, lock/loosie Max Turnwald has arrived from Marist, veteran loose forward Tanirau Manawaiti is back from Otorohanga, former loosie Matt Iorangi has arrived from the same club as a tight-head prop and former Putaruru lad Jimmy Roberts, who played for Bay of Plenty B last year is a new midfield back.

Add in halfbacks Malcolm Barnes and Matt Cameron returning from injury plus a couple of school leavers in Kings College and Northern Region Schools centre Dylan Collier and versatile Northland Sevens rep Troy Lebondamh, who can play in the nine, 10 and 15 jerseys, and Old Boys are looking strong with the nucleus of last year's promising young pack.

Old Boys take on old rivals Otorohanga at Fred Jones Park tomorrow.

Perennial semifinalists and regular finalists APL Hautapu, who last season were second seeds going into the semifinals before losing to Tech, have new coaches this year in the form of last year's successful under-21 mentors and

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