Rugby: Hawke's Bay academy award for patient Saia Paese

Saia Paese with the Graeme Lowe Award for the Hawke's Bay Rugby Academy Player of the Year. Photo / Paul Taylor

Check out the number of outside backs named in the Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby squad at the start of the season and work out who has yet to play for the side.

Got the answer? If you haven't it's Napier Old Boys Marist speedster Saia Paese who was the top try scorer during the Hawke's Bay premier club season with 23.

But he isn't complaining.

"The boys who play in my position are unreal. I just have to wait for my opportunity and when it comes I will take it with both hands. I just have to keep doing everything I can to get better until that opportunity comes," Paese said.

However the Greg Harman Joinery kitchen installer recently received the ideal consolation for his lack of exposure at Mitre 10 Cup level when he received the Graeme Lowe Award for the Hawke's Bay Rugby Academy Player of the Year.

The award is named after former union patron Graeme Lowe, who died in 2012. Lowe had sponsored the union for more than 30 years.

"I was pretty stoked. There were a lot of other guys who were just as deserving ... I just got lucky," Paese said.

A product of St Pat's Town College in Wellington, Paese, 21, has been in the Bay for two seasons. He followed former first XV teammates Zac Donaldson, Jack Nelson-Murray, Hannon Brighouse and Paul Bickle from the capital where he was a junior sprint champion.

Paese has played centre, fullback and wing for the NOBM club. His ability to cope with his academy assignments off the field matches his ability to perform on the field.

"I wouldn't describe myself as an academic. But the stuff like mental skills and nutrition has helped me heaps," Paese said.

Hawke's Bay Rugby Union academy manager Jason Shoemark described Paese's dedication to the academy during the past two years as "second to none."

"He rarely misses gym sessions which happen at 5.45am Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays each week during the year and also mental skills and nutrition workshops at night. Saia communicates well and is a guy who just goes about his business with minimal fuss," Shoemark said.

"On the playing front he was one of the form players in club rugby this year with his speed and ability to find holes made him a constant threat on attack. He was a solid defender who often made dominant tackles," former Magpies captain Shoemark added.

Some big names have won the Graeme Lowe Award over the years including future All Blacks Bryn Evans in 2006, Israel Dagg in 2007, Zac Guildford in 2008 and Brodie Retallick in 2011. Other past winners were Richard Buckman in 2009, Ihaia West in 2010, Brendon Edmonds in 2012, Jason Long in 2013, Geoff Cridge in 2014, Hugh Renton in 2015, Pouri Rakete-Stones in 2016, Tim Farrell in 2017 and Devan Flanders last year.

Of these previous winners Flanders, Farrell, Rakete-Stones and Long are the only players yet to play at Super Rugby level.

After playing for the Maori All Blacks earlier this year Rakete-Stones is likely to be named in a Super Rugby squad later this year, two-season Baby Black Flanders should make the step up within the next two seasons and if Farrell can halt his horror run with injuries time is still on his side.