Show me the money

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

Everyone's a winner as Poverty Bay premier grade teams take a break from their Lee Brothers Shield campaigns for a one-off tournament at Barry Park tomorrow.

Billed as a whole round of premier rugby in a single day, the Civil Project Solutions Money Round is a shortened format of the game, with teams playing up to five times.

Everyone who plays will walk away a winner, with a minimum of $500 awarded to the last-placed team.

First place will earn $1000 and teams will have free rein on how they appropriate their winnings.

Starting from 1pm at Barry Park, teams will play 20-minute games with five-minute breaks for halftime and between games.

Two games will run through the afternoon simultaneously, with the final games (3.40pm) pitting 1 v 2 and 3 v 4 for the big bucks and bragging rights.

The overall winners will pocket $1000, second $800, third $700, fourth $600 and fifth $500.

This is the first year Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union has implemented a Money Round at premier level. Senior A players competed in a similar tournament, for less money, at the start of the season.

Part of the motivation for having a mid-competition tournament is to delay the premier grade play-offs to coincide with Senior A, so both finals are on the same day.

With the shortened format, teams should be much more evenly matched.

Games this year have often been decided in the second half, with the majority of matches having a gritty first half where teams try to wear down their opposition.

Fitness will be a factor as the afternoon draws on. With little time to recover between matches, teams will have to be smart in how they use their players to make the most impact.

It will be interesting to see if the added incentive of a payday changes the intensity of play.

Given how the season has played out to date, YMP and Waikohu are the likely favourites this weekend.

Both teams have fostered a strong sense of team culture and as a result have a deep reserve bench of talented players.

With the forecast for light rain and wind throughout the morning and into the afternoon, game plans will need to be flexible to accommodate conditions on the day.

1pm: YMP v OBM, HSOB v Waikohu, Ngatapa bye.

1.30pm: YMP v HSOB, Waikohu v Ngatapa, OBM bye.

2pm: Ngatapa v YMP, OBM v HSOB, Waikohu bye.

2.30pm: YMP v Waikohu, Ngatapa v OBM, HSOB bye.

3pm: Ngatapa v HSOB, Waikohu v OBM, YMP bye.

3.40pm finals: 1 v 2, 3 v 4.