Mitre 10 Cup rugby
Fears new Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby loosie Matt Gardner may miss the Mitre 10 Cup season with a broken arm have been alleviated.
Speaking after yesterday's Magpies team launch attended by 148 people in Napier, this season's Hawke's Bay club rugby MVP said he hoped to resume playing again within the fortnight.
Magpies medical staff feared Gardner had broken his arm during Friday night's 38-5 pre-season loss to the Manawatu Turbos in Palmerston North, a repeat of a season-ending injury in the corresponding game last year.
However X-rays revealed the injury wasn't as bad as 2016.
A key member of the Napier Old Boys Marist team which retained the Maddison Trophy, Nash Cup and Hawke's Bay Challenge Shield this season, Gardner, 24, told the function making the Magpies Mitre 10 Cup squad has been a dream come true.