Bronco movement gathers momentum

SADDLE UP: League enthusiasts from Pawarenga and surrounding vicinities keen for the Pawarenga Broncos to compete in the Rugby League Northland provincial club competition this year.

The move to get the Pawarenga Broncos up and running continued to gather momentum as the side held its second muster of the year at the Broadwood A&P Showgrounds on Sunday afternoon.

Around two dozen players of varying ages took part in light training run, and then executed various drills under the guidance of former player, Shorty Pirini.

Emphasising that the Pawarenga side was perhaps a tad prematurely referred to as the West Coast Broncos in last Thursday's Age, Pirini noted there were nearly double the number of players this time round compared with the previous Sunday, although that first muster had been mostly about the locals getting together for a chinwag to decide whether putting a team into Northland competition was a feasible option. He noted numbers grew throughout the afternoon, with later arrivals bringing word they knew of others waiting in the wings - including several who couldn't make it on Sunday after recovering from a big local do the previous night - who would bring depth to the side.

Also joining the fray during the afternoon were local powerbrokers Hone Harawira and league exponent Jim Larkin. The pair turned up later than they had planned, after coming across a car crash on the twisting turning roads leaving Broadwood and helping the young occupants get back home.

Harawira, in particular, is regarded as integral to getting the Broncos intoo the Rugby League Northland-organised provincial club competition this season. Harawira last week said he firmly believed the 13-man game in the district could return to the level of popularity it enjoyed in the halcyon days of the '80s and '90s when an all-Far North competition was contested by eight clubs. The Mana Party leader also plans to exploit his contacts to source support and sponsorship for the Broncos, who'll need playing jerseys and help with travel expenses.

He has also helped the cause by working with NorthTec to get a full-time forestry course up and running at the Broadwood showgrounds. On Sunday Pirini noted that so far, around a dozen (all potential Broncos players if the side does get accepted into the RLN competition) had already signed up for the course, which will be held at the showground clubrooms and has room for a maximum of 20 students.

Meanwhile, Pirini expects to get a clearer idea of local interest this week when training serious starts this week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5pm. He encouraged anyone thinking of being part of the team to get on board sooner rather than later, as this will allow the squad to approach the winter campaign with confidence. Contact Shorty Pirini, (021) 041-8122.

Decision pending The plan to return as a force in provincial and district league is far from a done deal, however. Rugby League Northland head honcho Alex Smits noted three teams - including the Broncos - had expressed an interest in joining the Saturday senior competition set to start on March 21.

While the burgeoning interest was certainly welcome and, verily, it was under Smits' charter to promote and grow the game, he noted these new sides needed to meet certain criteria, such as being able to field teams in RLN age-grade competition, to prove their sustainability. Smits said a decision will be made - and one which the 10 existing clubs will play a big part in - later this month.

In other RLN news, the first competition to get under way for 2015 will be the secondary schools 1st XIII tournament for the NorthTec Adam Blair Trophy, which kicks off next Wednesday; a draw will feature in Tuesday's edition.

Smits also noted RLN would run its 16s and 18s tournaments on Saturday this year, which means those playing various North Zone and Northland wide age-grade rugby will have to make a choice between the two codes (as opposed to playing one on the Saturday and one on the Sunday; the arrangement in place last season).