Rugby league: Successful trial boosts Whalers' league hopes

Papamoa centre Vance Teutupoto carried the ball up strongly all day for the Papamoa Bulldogs against the Tauranga Whalers. Photo/Ben Guild

Things are finally looking up for Tauranga rugby league fans.

An open Tauranga Whalers trial against Papamoa Bulldogs at Grenada Park on Saturday provided the strongest indication yet the city will boast a second team in the upcoming Waikato rugby league competition.

A potential battle of the bridge fixture awaits the Whalers and Otumoetai Eels should the Whalers' application to join the nine-team competition prove successful.

Chairman and player/coach Brendon Anderson cut a buoyant figure as his team ran out easy winners in the friendly trial.

A mooted alliance with a rival club and about 25 players on show gave him every reason to be optimistic about the season ahead.

"At the moment we are still in negotiations, but Te Puke want to come over and be our reserve team," Anderson said.

"That would boost us by 20 players, so it looks good for us.

"We've just got to do the paperwork and everything we have to do."

The club needs to have 40 players registered - enough to consistently field both premier and reserve grade sides - by February 10.

Coastlands will then pass the registration information on to the Waikato governing body to decide whether the Whalers fit all the criteria.