Misfits spread their wings

MATES: The Manaia Golden Oldies rugby team, the Manaia Misfits, take off today for the Golden Oldies World Cup in Argentina. But first they'll kick off their day by celebrating getting this far.PHOTO/DIANE STOPPARD

Manaia's Golden Oldies team is off to Argentina

Bacon and egg sandwiches, coupled with a splash of champagne, will line the stomachs of 30 Northlanders who set off today for Argentina to take part in the Golden Oldies World Cup.

Along with the champagne brekkie, the countdown in the shop window of the Parua Bay g.a.s petrol station will read "0 days" as the Manaia Golden Oldies ready themselves for international competition.

After two years of build-up, and $30,000 worth of fundraising, the Manaia Misfits, as they call themselves, will finally hop aboard a bus for the drive to Auckland International Airport.

For Manaia Golden Oldies President Ross Brown, it is a day he thought might never come.

"I can't get over there are 30 people from this community who are going," he explained from the office of the g.a.s station he owns.

"The goal was getting these 30 people on to the bus. A few people have pulled out but others have stepped in. It is really good for the community, everyone has got behind us."

It really has been a community effort to get the Misfits this far, with several fundraising activities to make the trip possible. Last year, an auction the Misfits held raised $11,000 in one hit, blowing Brown and others away.

It is no surprise that the auction was so successful, with Brown saying a number of the items auctioned had been donated, ranging from hay bales, to ITM Cup corporate box tickets, to having the services of a digger and an operator for a day.

Brown's petrol station has served as an ideal shop window for the Misfits, who have also run raffles.

In a way, the Misfits is a suitable name for the travelling team - boasting players who, in their day jobs are doctors, lawyers, mechanics, farmers, carpenters, lawn mowers, and garage owners.

"We've had such a good group of people," says Brown. "We don't argue. We take the mickey badly all the time but it is all part of that camaraderie.

"With rugby, it's one of the only sports that have this kind of thing. When you play rugby for a number of years you play with the same group of players. The camaraderie is the main part of it."

That camaraderie will be at the core of the Manaia Misfits' efforts in Argentina. They say they are attending for the festival feel of it rather than the winning.

While enjoyment is a big factor, the Misfits don't exactly have an old team as their oldest player is 67 - who has suitably been given a walking stick to indicate his seniority.

In total, there are 132 teams - 16 of which are from New Zealand - taking part from 17 countries, bringing together 2000 to 3000 players all for the common love of rugby.

The Misfits have had special trophies made for opposition teams featuring a glass cut out of Mt Manaia's ridge-line.

Manaia have forged relationships with Auckland clubs, playing matches with them now and then, with the Misfits usually getting eight or nine games in a year.

The club's first Cup game is against a combined Australian and Canadian team, before facing two Argentinian sides.