First league team for Waimarino

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 384, 30 April 1991, Page 12

First league team for Waimarino

Waimarino has its first senior rugby league team. Players from Raetihi and Ohakune have formed the team and are playing in the Manawatu league under the Waiouru Rugby League Association. The players have organised and set up their own team with so far very little knowledge of Rugby League and have found it to be an interesting exercise learning as they go along. With an average age of 22 very few of the players have played league before this season. Playing coach for the team is Riwaru Tihema with Cedric Ponga as assistant coach and Mathew Haitana as team captain. At present the team do not have a permanenf manager with Hoppy Hiroti filling in for the meantime. The team has been training hard over the last few weeks Monday and Wednesdays at 5 pm at the Raetihi Recreation ground. At present the team is playing in jerseys borrowed from the Waiouru Rugby League Club. It is hoped that they will have their own jerseys in about six weeks, before the start of the second round of competition. The new club

colours are purple, black and white. At a recent batons up evening held at the Whakangahu Trust building in Raetihi they raised $1,019.60. This money has been used as a deposit for jerseys, shorts and socks. Ongoing fundraising is being held to finish buying the uniforms. To date they have played four games in the first round of the competition with Saturday's game at Raetihi being the first home

game. The game against Woodville was played in front of a large supportive home crowd. Waimarino convincingly beat Woodville 44-16, with the first try coming two minutes into the game when Riwaru Tihema scored for Waimarino. Pierre Todd scored a hat trick of tries in the second half with two excellent run away tries. The team played consistently throughout the game not letting up on Woodville at any stage.

Waimarino scores; Tries - Pierre Todd 3, Matthew Haitana, Garth Hiroti, Shaun Parr, Riwaru Tihema, and Sonny Metekingi with 3 conversions to Riwaru Tihema.'Woodville; tries - Dave Reiri, Tane Nikora, Tom Ngatai with 2 conversions to Dave Reiri. Player of the match chosen by Hoppy Hiroti was Les Parr. Referee, Sony Hona from Waiouru said the team played well, have got the basics and are disciplined.