Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate / Sport

Northland athletes to leave early imprint

Andrew Johnsen
Northern Advocate·
5 Aug, 2016 06:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Northland will be well represented in the early stages of the Rio Olympic Games.

While Abby Erceg and Hannah Wilkinson have already started their campaign with the Football Ferns, two more will join them in competition over the weekend and one will be carrying our flag.

49er sailor Blair Tuke, along with Peter Burling, will bear the New Zealand flag during the Opening Ceremony (Saturday 11am NZ time).

Tuke and Burling were awarded the honour by chef de mission Rob Waddell and Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

They will lead about 60 members of the New Zealand team into Maracana Stadium.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

After that, four Northland athletes will be on show.

Shay Neal will be turning out for the New Zealand hockey side as they take on Australia in a transtasman clash.

The group A clash takes place at 4.30am tomorrow.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Erceg will then lead the Football Ferns onto the park for their second match.

Erceg, Wilkinson and the rest of the team will want to improve on their 2-0 loss to world number one USA when they play a virtual must-win match against Colombia.

Kick-off is at midday tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Portia Woodman and the NZ women's sevens side kick-start their campaign with two matches tomorrow.

First they take on Kenya at 2.30am and follow that with a match against Spain at 7.30am.

Woodman has been pegged as rugby's first female superstar.

A winger with a tryscoring knack, she would be a natural face for what was once considered the least feminine of sports.

Coach Sean Horan was full of praise for the Northlander.

"I think now Portia has grown into a phenomenal rugby player," he said

"If you look at the way she plays the game, she's fit and fast, an amazing athlete physically.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"But with her skill-set ... she's really becoming the 'New Age' female rugby player."

Woodman, despite being one of the quickest on the sevens circuit, doesn't mind getting in the thick of it.

"I love being able to dominate my opponents or run around them.

"I love the contact, too, when you're allowed to tackle people, it's awesome," she said.

Woodman is the most prolific scorer in women's sevens: she has scored 119 tries and 595 points in the women's sevens World Series.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Northern Advocate

Brain bleed survivor takes on world’s toughest Ironman

06 Oct 09:20 PM
Northern Advocate

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe honoured with her own Barbie doll

06 Oct 06:14 AM
Sport

Woodman-Wickliffe breaks try-scoring record in Black Ferns win

31 Aug 05:48 PM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Brain bleed survivor takes on world’s toughest Ironman
Northern Advocate

Brain bleed survivor takes on world’s toughest Ironman

Tamsin Horne has turned the trauma of a brain haemorrhage into triumph.

06 Oct 09:20 PM
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe honoured with her own Barbie doll
Northern Advocate

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe honoured with her own Barbie doll

06 Oct 06:14 AM
Woodman-Wickliffe breaks try-scoring record in Black Ferns win
Sport

Woodman-Wickliffe breaks try-scoring record in Black Ferns win

31 Aug 05:48 PM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP