Rugby: Fear factor over for Waerea

MAC midfield back Jackson Waerea conducts a personal training session while on the job at Patu Gym in Hastings. Photo/Glenn Taylor

MAC vice captain and midfield back Jackson Waerea will cop a bit of flak from teammates for this admission but his honesty must be commended.

"I'm not as scared as I used to be. I'm one of the oldest in the team and the vice captain so I've got to perform," Waerea admitted when quizzed on the reasons for his improved form this season compared with previous seasons.

"Last year I had the pressure of the captaincy when Everard [Reid] was unavailable but now he's back he's taken that pressure off me," Waerea, 25, explained.

Waerea again displayed the benefits of those reduced pressure levels with a player-of-the-match performance during the weekend's 34-27 win against Tamatea at Bill Mathewson Park. This display saw Waerea become the sixth weekly winner and secure third place on the leaderboard as the battle for the Tui-Hawke's Bay Today Club Rugby Player of the Year award continues.

A former Hato Paora 1st XV captain, Waerea combined with his cousin Ihaka Waerea in the midfield for the clash.

"Ihaka was injured but there was no way he was going to miss that game ... we would have got some grief if he missed that one," Waerea said, emphasising the traditional rivalry which exists between the two clubs.

Although Waerea had the odd game for MAC during the school holidays when attending the Feilding-based Hato Paora College, he has been a regular since returning from Australia in 2012.

"This year has been a bit easier. There's heaps of young boys who are easy to get along with. We've lost 10 of last year's players and with them we lost a lot of egos," Waerea said.

At the same time Waerea admitted MAC should be playing better.

"We can build on what we've done in the next round, particularly when we will have more home games at our new ground," Waerea said referring to the MAC club's Flaxmere Park base.

Once the rugby season finishes Waerea's attention turns to the spring rugby league competition in which he turns out alongside many of his MAC teammates for Bridge Pa. When in Brisbane he played rugby for the Sunnybank Dragons and league for Logan Brothers.

A father of one, Waerea works part time in health promotion for Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga and along with Havelock North midfield back Levi Armstrong runs the Patu Gym in Hastings where he is a personal trainer. The physical aspect of that role assists his rugby training.

Waerea hasn't been too ambitious with the goals he has set for himself or the team this season.

"I just want to play well and see where MAC ends up. As I said we've got a lot of boys fresh out of school. They're a little bit timid but they've come a long way."

If any of those youngsters have fears Waerea will be the ideal bloke to help them shake them off. Waerea has had personal experience ... and he isn't afraid to admit it.