Pioneers look to past and future

BREAKOUT YEAR: Louis Katene, named Rookie of the Year at the Hokianga Pioneers' 2015 prizegiving last month. PICTURE/DEBBIE BEADLE

Having flown home from Sydney to attend the Hokianga Pioneers' end-of-season prizegiving, Louis Katene ended up pleasantly surprised on being presented with the Rookie of the Year title.

Hailing from Horeke, Katene began the 2015 season by playing for Hokianga prems in the season-opening RLN 9s tournament. He was planning on attending the Lowie Kick for the Seagulls high performance sports academy in Kaitaia but instead chose to head across the ditch in April to play fullback and wing with the Redfern-based Mascot club, a feeder club to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Katene helped Mascot win the finals of the South Sydney Combined U17 competition by 16-11 in extra time over the St John Eagles (feeder to the Bulldogs) and score the game's first try.

Noting that at only 17, Katene would have been too young to play in the senior comp this year, Hokianga Pioneers coach Jason Smith believed the recent sojourn to Australia had given the local teenager a new perspective.

"His whole attitude toward life has really changed [since he's been there]," said Smith.

The annual prizegiving ceremony provide a fitting way for the Far North club to celebrate surviving another tough season with all the related ups and downs. Smith noted the occasion brought a great turnout from Pioneers stalwarts including players, supporters and management.

"We went through a bit of a hard year, [if you are] talking about the discipline. Sometimes it was up there, sometimes it was down. Of the finals, how can you go to a 20 points to 12 lead, and give it away? [As coach] I take half of the blame for that," he said.

"I thought we had a great season. The thing is, to all the management, to all the players in the team, all the supporters, helping me with that. I'm just so proud of them whether we win or lose," Smith remarked, adding special thanks to those whom he described as the "backbone" of the Pioneers, people like the William McCarthy, and Mickey and Sonny Barber.

Other players recognised at the Pioneers' prizegiving were as follows. Player of the Year, and Best Back awards: Blue Ray Joyce, and Most Improved Forward and Most Improved Back: Wiremu Iringa, Sportsmanship: Jerome Stowers. The team also recognised the players who went on to record higher honours by gaining selection into the Swords, being Eli George, Richie Koroi and the aforementioned Joyce and Stowers.

Elsewhere, Smith also spoke of the disappointment he felt personally for the Pioneers - along with Far North stablemates, Moerewa and Muriwhenua - at missing out on making the grand finals. He then looked ahead by considering the impact the controversial breakaway proposed by Far North clubs to form their own competition would have on league province-wide.

"I hope it stays strong. The important thing is to play good teams. We [Far North clubs, also] need to play teams like Takahiwai, Hikurangi, Portland."

He also spoke of the tyranny of distance faced by the more remote teams under the existing format, along with the lack of resources - such as lack of lighting, for example - which made proper midweek trainings impractical and which kept the Far North clubs on the back foot compared with their Whangarei counterparts.

But, he reminded, it wasn't always entirely up to the people running the show behind the scenes to ensure league's ongoing progression development in the district.

"The end of the day, the players need to be dedicated themselves."