Rugby: Love of the club runs deep for Northe

Andrew Northe. PHOTO/Paul taylor

IN ONE of his final jobs before leaving Sport Hawke's Bay Kevin Murphy has to discover some finalists for a Grassroots Club Supporter of the Year award.

Expect K9 Petfoods Clive premier rugby team manager Andrew Northe to be there or thereabouts when outgoing commercial manager Murphy announces his finalists later this month. Northe, who is also the Clive Rugby and Sports club's club captain, has support flowing through his veins.

A logging truck driver with Akitio Trucking, Northe first started supporting the riversiders at the start of the century. A move to Otane in 2006 saw him support that club until 2010 and in 2012 he was back supporting Clive after returning to Napier.

"In 2013 I won the club's Supporter of the Year award. I wasn't just supporting the premiers. I was at the women's games on Friday night and both of the curtainraisers before the premiers played on Saturdays," Northe recalled.

Last year when former Clive frontrower Andy Green was appointed head coach of the premier team, Green, who first knew Northe as an 8-year-old, was quick to secure Northe's services as manager. Despite spending up to 60 hours each week behind the wheel of his truck, Northe still makes all of the club's committee meetings and premier team trainings.

"We're doing firewood as a team fundraiser at the moment and with that, trainings and games I completed 13 days in a row for the club the other day ... I love the club," Northe said.

Today he intends to have his late grandfather, Sydney Northe, turning in his grave with a Clive upset against Tech Group of Companies Napier Technical in a third round Tui Maddison Trophy fixture at Napier's Whitmore Park.

"Grandad was a founding member of the Tech club and a life member when he died. I played for the Tech division four side for one season a while ago," Northe recalled.

"Tomorrow the goal is to spoil Cracker's party," Northe said last night, referring to Tech prop Mark Braidwood who will play his 100th match for the hosts today.

"If we can play an 80 minute game we will walk away with a victory," the optimistic Northe said.

When it was put to him he will be a winner either way because of his links to both clubs Northe replied: "No way. I want to upset my grandfather."

A former member of the old Magpies Supporters club, Northe still gets to as many Magpies games as he can but those games don't rank as high up his list of priorities as the Clive premiers.

"I'm all for the club. I don't do it for awards ... I do it for the club," Northe stressed.

Northe is proud of the premier team's new strip which was used for the first time against Taradale last weekend. Today the new jerseys will feature a list of the team's major sponsors.

Today's other games will see Hawke's Bay Insurances Limited Napier Old Boys Marist host Northfuels Central at Park Island, Tamatea host MAC at Bill Mathewson Park, Progressive Meats Havelock North host Tanalised Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports at Anderson Park and Ansin & Monteith Hastings Rugby and Sports host defending champions and competition leaders Carters Frame and Truss Taradale at Elwood Park.

-Nominations for the Grassroots Club Supporter of the Year close with Sport Hawke's Bay on April 29 when finalists will be drawn. The final draw will be made at the May 16 Hawke's Bay Sports Awards at Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena where the winner will receive an Air New Zealand Mystery Break package worth $1000.