New coach, new captain - time for new legacy

Blast from the past: Tom Solomon hoists the Lee Bros Shield after OBM thumped Ngatapa 31-3 in the 2004 final. It was the last time the trophy returned to the clubrooms. The senior one team made it a double celebration when they defeated Mahia in the final, and new coach Solomon wants a return to those days. Picture by Paul Rickard

ENTERPRISE Cars OBM coach Tom Solomon says it’s time his players made their own legacy.

Solomon was the last OBM skipper to lift the Lee Bros Shield — in 2004, when they equalled the Old Boys record of five successive titles from 1977-81.

“Some of the players know about the record, some of the new boys don’t, so Keith (Henderson, assistant coach) and I want this team to make their own legacy,” said the 39-year-old who left for Australia in 2005 and returned in July last year.

“We won’t be harping on about the past, but it’s important that the players buy into the proud history of the club.

“We played an experienced Uawa side last week and won, which was good . . . but more important was the way we played.

“I wanted the boys to show me they had some sting in them, and they did.

“It was four 20-minute quarters. We started well, then Uawa came back at us in the second and third quarters, but we finished well.”

Apart from inspirational captain James Grogan, transferred to Taranaki, and former Turbos forward Mark Atkinson, Solomon has retained the core of last season’s squad and added some faces, including former Pirates players Anthony Kiwara (front-rower) and Juston Allen.

“We’ve also got former players wanting to come back to play for the senior ones or help out in any way they can, which is great,” Solomon said.

Couldn't go past Jake Holmes for captainWith Grogan gone, first five-eighth Jake Holmes will lead the side, and Lance Dickson will be vice-captain.

“I would normally favour a forward as captain, but Keith and I have been so impressed with Jake on and off the field that we couldn’t look past him.

“He stepped up last week. Off the field, he’s a good clubman, not above sweeping the changing rooms out, and always willing to help others.”

OBM have 40 registered players, including former stars Brent Ingram and Tom Miki. With that sort of playing strength, Solomon and Henderson — who also played for OBM — have the numbers to ensure competition for places is strong.

“We started training on February 1 and have taken the boys to different places around Gisborne for training sessions,” Solomon said.

“We’ve only trained once at the Oval.

“It’s good for the boys, especially any new players, to identify with different areas of the city.”

In Australia, Solomon played in Sydney and MackaySolomon spent five years working and playing rugby in Sydney, before moving on to Mackay in Queensland.

“Initially I just played but with both clubs, Rouse Hill Renegades (Sydney) and the local club in Mackay, I ended up coaching.

“With Rouse Hill we won the fifth division four years in a row and gained promotion to the fourth, but each year we came straight back down.

“In the fourth division, clubs had to have three teams — premier, senior one and senior two — and we didn’t have the resources to cope.”

With his parents not getting any younger, Solomon decided to return home.

“Like a lot of the Kiwi boys who crossed the Tasman, having to return to Aussie after coming home was always difficult,” he said.

“When some of the boys whose parents had died said they wished they had spent more time here, that was it for me . . . I didn’t want to miss out on quality time with them.”

Solomon, a member of the Poverty Bay team who won the third division in 2004 and did not disgrace themselves in the 2005 second division, also has a musical side.

In Australia, he joined a band as a drummer.

“We played all types of music,” he said.

“At first we were pretty average . . . only two gigs a month.

“But if I’m going to do something I want to do it right. Eventually I got the boys to practise more, and we ended up doing seven gigs a week, even some weddings in New Zealand.”

That “do it right” attitude has Solomon working night shift (9pm to 6 or 7am) driving forklifts at Pak’nSave, then going to the gym “to keep myself in shape”.

“Then I get some sleep before preparing for training.”