Rugby: Gardner convincing winner of season MVP award

Napier Old Boys Marist lock-loosie Matt Gardner has won the 2017 club rugby MVP award. Photo/File

Here's another reason why Napier Old Boys Marist have dominated Hawke's Bay's premier club rugby competition for the last two seasons.

No matter how good any one of their players have been performing they always put a teammate or the team ahead of themselves when praise or individual awards come their way. Hawke's Bay Insurances Limited Napier Old Boys Marist lock-loosie Matt Gardner produced an admirable example of this policy when he was told he had beaten captain and flanker Chris Johnston by five points in the battle for the McDonalds-Hawke's Bay Today Club Rugby Player of the Year award.

"I personally believe Chris deserves it. He has been phenomenal this season while I've just been trying to get time in the saddle," Gardner, 24, said.

Regular spectators of the Green Machine's matches this season will agree former North Island age group volleyball representative Gardner is short changing himself. Whether it has been at lock or loosie he has produced six player-of-the-match displays this season, including Saturday's when he scored two tries and forced several turnovers as NOBM recorded their 32nd consecutive victory and retained the Hawke's Bay Challenge Shield with a 48-7 drubbing of Tanalised Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports at Park Island.

"I remember when I missed the first three games of the season with my knee injury. I was on the sideline watching the boys and wondering how I was going to get a starting berth in the team. I was pretty lucky my form gradually came back and I'm clicking at the right end of the season," Gardner explained.

Taking the side's unbeaten run to date this season into account, Gardner, admitted they would be gutted if they lost their semifinal to Ansin & Monteith Hastings Rugby and Sports at Park Island on Saturday.

"We can't afford to be complacent. They've got Hurricane Geoff Cridge back since the last time we've played which gives them another good lineout option. They already had an awesome lineout with Ben Parsons. It's going to be a good competition in the air and we're going to have a hard time getting our own ball. We don't kick much so hopefully there won't be too many lineouts.

"They are a very dangerous team and I don't think they have reached their full potential. Ben [Parsons] told us last time we beat them they will beat us once this season and it might as well be a semifinal. We just need to keep doing what we have been doing every week and if we do complacency should not be a problem."

A serious contender for the Magpies Mitre 10 Cup squad, Gardner knows he could miss the August 5 final if his team wins on Saturday as he may be required for the Magpies pre-season game against Waikato in Taupo on the same day.

"I've never played in a final and I know it would be an amazing atmosphere. Taupo would be a good opportunity too. I'll just worry about our semifinal first and see what happens after that. It's good to be injury free after so many years of body failure," Gardner added.

Last year he broke his arm in the Saracens' 59-0 loss to the Evergreens in Palmerston North on June 29 and missed the remainder of the season. In 2012 he popped his shoulder at the start of his quest to crack the Manawatu Turbos team when studying at Massey University.

It's been a different Gardner in 2017 ... easily the best player in the Hawke's Bay club competition even if the bloke himself refuses to admit it.

Gardner, who works as a territory manager for Stowers Containment and Solutions, also finished second equal in the battle for the Big Barrel Top Tryscorer award during the round robin segment of the Maddison Trophy competition. Gardner and NOBM winger Sami Lauano scored nine tries.

Their clubmate, blockbusting No 8 Joseph Penitito, won the award with 16 tries. He has scored 23 to date in Nash Cup and Maddison Trophy fixtures.

Napier Technical's utility back Tamati Samuels scored eight tries during the qualifying period and versatile NOBM loosie Ricky Hayes, who has also had stints at lock and second five-eighth this season, scored seven.

Best & fairest
NOBM v Pirate: 3, Matt Gardner(NOBM); 2, Ellery Wilson (NOBM); 1, Chris Benson (NOBM).
Hastings v MAC: 3, Ben Hamelink (Hastings); 2, Timo Vaiusu (Hastings); 1, Tom Agnew (Hastings).
Tech v Havelock North: 3, Elijah Martin (Tech); 2, Tere Joel (Tech); 1, Tamati Samuels (Tech).
Central v Tamatea: 3, Jack Richardson (Central); 2, Ivan Bellamy (Tamatea); 1, Ryan Pauling (Central).
Clive v Taradale: 3, Kereama Peni (Clive); 2, Josh Eden-Whaitiri (Clive); 1, Jorian Tangaere (Clive).
Final standings: 18 points: Matt Gardner (NOBM); 13: Chris Johnston (NOBM); 12: Fale Matamata (Hastings); 11: Tere Joel (Tech); 10: Ricky Hayes (NOBM); 9: Tama Cahill (Pirate), Tomo Fogarty (Central), Isaiah Martin, Kaleb Sweet (both Tech), Jonty Strong (Havelock).