Milestone game for Fairlie

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

RUGBY

IT will be Te Peehi Fairlie’s 50th game in YMP colours when he runs out at Rugby Park this afternoon.

Fairlie has been a YMP man since he was seven years old, and he said he couldn’t imagine being at any other club.

“It’s a whanau club. It’s our cause . . . our call in our huddles is ‘whanau’.

“There’s a lot of pride in this jersey. You’re not just playing for yourself, but the whole team.”

Specialising in the outside backs, Fairlie has made a name for himself as being dangerous on attack, with strong ball running, and courageous on defence.

While he typically stays on the fringes of the game, playing wing this year, he said if his coach gave him the option to play anywhere this weekend, it would be openside flanker.

“Playing seven is my dream. I got a sniff of it last year.”

Fairlie made his debut in the black-and-white strip in 2015 but had a shortened season in 2016 due to injury and played on the East Coast in 2017.

Since returning in 2018, he has made the finals with YMP for three consecutive years, only to falter at the final hurdle.

“Hopefully this year.”