While they won their last game but failed to make the playoffs, 2012 will be remembered as the year when a senior team representing Kaitaia finally emerged from the wilderness to play in Northland senior league.
The Muriwhenua Falcons eventually played the last game of their debut season in the Whangarei City and Districts Senior Rugby League Competition at Waipapakauri Domain earlier this month, against the Moerewa Tigers after learning the Marist Brothers had been withdrawn from the competition before the final round (21) had even be played last weekend.
Of the historic and significant 24-22 win over the Tigers, Manager Ollie Itielli Ifopo was pragmatic. "We had nothing to lose. Rather than focus on win or lose, we just focused on having a great game."
He went on to note the fledgling outfit had a "fantastic" start to the season by signing 53 players. As expected the team started off with a hiss and a roar, early pre-season training paying off as the side went about showing strong form at home and away and making some of the longer standing clubs sit up and take notice.
"Our fitness and mobility served us well in the first round, allowing us to post some big upsets which sent a quiet murmur around the competition that Muriwhenua was a team to watch out for," said Ifopo. He noted the goal at that stage had been to make the top 4 and this appeared to be on track after the first round.
But when the second round began, the other teams had started to warm up from the unseasonably early start while the Falcons' momentum began to stumble with players lost to injury, rugby union loyalties, work commitments and travel. In particular, departures by the hard-working Thompson twins and the talented Kahi Harawira and William Yates came at a cost.
The Kaitaia side couldn't maintain the same pressure and consistency it had displayed in the first round and crucial results began to slip away. However, the Falcons gained a huge amount of respect for their sportsmanship, in particular the willingness to play away fixtures in a competition which was notorious for defaults this season; even including one by the premiers and front runners, Hikurangi (against Otaua much to the Stags' eternal shame).
And putting a feather in the cap on what can now be regarded as a successful season was having four Falcons selected to trial for the Northern Swords premiers side: Te Puhi Rudolph, Conor O'Sullivan, Ricky Toby and Hozay Crewther.
In the meantime, Ifopo wanted to acknowledge all the people who supported the Falcons's ambitions this year. The list included Wihi Stevenson for organising the Kaitaia College top fields for early season games/ trainings; the Waipapakauri Domain committee for providing facilities including showers, fields and training lights; and dedicated Falcons committee members JT Tahana, Shirley Neho, Les Edwards, and Steve and Jo Marsden. Also thanked were the kaumatua who spoke on the team's behalf at games, bus driver Annie Rudolph, the coaching staff of Tini Rudolph and Frank Wiki, the supporters made up of whanau, wives and partners, and last but not least, the players who fronted up week in week out and dug deep every time.
Ifopo thanked all of the above for their "dedication and loyalty which will generate a lot of interest in the years to come" and help ensure the Falcons remain an established force in Northland.
"We certainly made it known that league was alive and well in the Far North!"
The Muriwhenua Falcons as they appear in the accompanying photo before their last game of the season, against the Moerewa Tigers at Waipapakauri Domain on July 21 are, Ollie Itielli Ifopo (manager), Frank Wiki (coaching team), Conor O'Sullivan, Tangimetua Rangi, Lameko Samuelu, Nathan Trent, Brian Graham, Te Puhi Rudolph, Kaina Kairua, Holly Rudolph, Jimmy Moa, Vince Rudolph (coach), Steve Marsden (with son Nikau), John Tahana; Layton Karena, Taiaho White, Hozay Crewther (captain), Destry Wade, Tamiora Nikora, Piripi Parangi, Thomas Pirini, and young supporters (not named).