Pirates-GMC taking the field

WORK IN PROGRESS: Key men behind the Pirates-GMC rugby initiative include (from left) captain Ken Houkamau, Albie Gibson, player-coach Willie Waitoa, Pat Makiri and Kevin Hollis. They were pictured at pre-season training at Barry Park. Picture by Paul Rickard

RUGBY

A NEW club eager to expand their footprint in Poverty Bay rugby take the field when the new season kicks off on Saturday.

Pirates-GMC are an amalgam of the Buccaneers, who could not field a team last season because of work commitments, and GMC, who have not had a team since 2011 or a premier team since 2005.

GMC stalwart and rugby enthusiast Albie Gibson is all for the new club, who will launch in a new black and green uniform against Ngatapa on Saturday.

“We and Horouta were invited to a meeting at Pirates where the heritage of our club was discussed,” he said.

“Right from the outset, I made it clear that there is no GMC identity right now.”

But it was still a good korero, he said.

“It offered an opportunity to bring our name back into rugby in Turanganui-a-Kiwa.”

Gibson said he was taken by the idea, although Horouta declined the invitation.

“I respect that.

“The door remains open to them.”

Gibson said he contacted whanau and club stalwarts and encountered a reaction that was overwhelmingly positive.

Many had said, “I now have a team to follow; I haven’t watched club rugby for years”.

Pirates president Pat Makiri said his club had a small footprint.

That made playing membership and financial sustainability a constant challenge.

Dedicated club members, including those who had worked on the club’s housie operation, had helped keep Pirates alive for the past 30 years.

The role of principal sponsor and life member Kevin Hollis, who first wore a Pirates football jersey in the 1960s, had been crucial.

Both Pirates and GMC had strong links to Kaiti and could together use and expand their roots in the community.

He and other senior club members such as premier Pirates-GMC captain Ken Houkamau and coach Willie Waitoa had strong links to Kaiti.

Pirates themselves had derived from a 1952 merger between the Celtic and Kaiti City clubs.

Hollis said he had been with Pirates for 54 years and had never previously contemplated amalgamation.

But it was an exciting development for Poverty Bay rugby and he was positive about combining with GMC.

Gibson said the initial plan was to retain the Pirates-GMC name ‘‘for now’’.

“We may look into it in the long term.”

The feedback on the GMC facebook page is in favour of the amalgamation, with many posters referring to the Kaiti links of both clubs and whanau links such as coach Willie Waitoa (from Pirates) being the son of former GMC player Richard Waitoa.

Willie Waitoa said he never saw his father play for GMC “but I heard all the stories’’.

GMC stalwart Barnard Huriwai is also backing the amalgamation.

Waitoa said the Huriwai and Waitoa whanau grew up together.

Player numbers at training fluctuated between 20 and 24 but, like many clubs, they had players with work commitments.

Premier grade held no easy games, Waitoa said.

Ngatapa were first up.

“Pirates never had an easy game against them, even when we were the top team.

“We’re the newbies now.’’

Waitoa’s goal for Pirates-GMC?

“Get a win, one game at a time, get a win and reassess.’’