RUGBY LEAGUE
Father's Day on Sunday will be remembered as the day the national provincial league series came to Kaitaia.
There, the three Northern Swords sides all took a drubbing - and that's putting it kindly - from their central Auckland counterparts, the Akarana Falcons, to make it a Father's Day to forget from a local perspective.
First up were the 15s coached by Jim Larkin of Kaitaia. Down 0-16 at half time, spectators would have struggled to remember a moment when the homeside was allowed out of its own half in the second spell. The match finished 6-54 to the visitors, the second loss in two weeks for the Swords in the competition for the Mark Graham Trophy.
Notable for the Falcons was their giant No.17 Mase-ese'e Kali. Among several players from the two visiting junior sides who seemed as big as if not bigger than the biggest players in the Swords prems, Kali proved a massive handful for those 15s given the unenviable task of trying to stop him. One man in the Falcons entourage happilysaid Kali's 14-year-old younger brother was even bigger - ie wider - again.
Next up were Benson Selwyn's 17s who had recorded what was the Swords' third ever win in the opening round of this year's campaign (for the Nathan Cayless Cup) in Whangarei last Sunday. They were never really given a chance of repeating their strong start to the season against the far more powerful Falcons. After going behind worryingly early, a forward surge in response by the Swords saw a try scored right by the posts and gave the impression a real contest was at hand. It was only a blip on the radar as the match ended 14-60 in favour of the visiting side.
Finally, Joe Rau's prems took centre park stage for the day's main event in the Albert Baskerville Shield competition. They were down 34-0 at halftime with the second spell continuing in the same vein (and seen at its worst when the Falcons kicked off to start the second half and not one Swords player claimed the ball which was embarrassingly left to bounce out and the visitors scored from the re-start) for a final score 10-68.
The skies darkened throughout the day while the gusting wind strengthened before the final whistle of the last game was blown.
Heavy rain from the approaching cold front had already started to descend and spectators left Arnold Rae Park as if it was the scene of a massacre.
It must be said the Swords franchise management had done the right thing for those in the Far North claiming to be supporters of the 13-man game by hosting the second week of the Pirtek National Premiership 2012 competition in Kaitaia.
Unfortunately, the reward was a less than enthusiastic turnout from the notoriously apathetic local community in response.
Judging by the carpark, and taking into consideration the travelling teams, there seemed little more there on Sunday than one would see at an average Mangonui club rugby game.
Upcoming: the Northern Swords travel to Palmerston North to play the Central Vipers at Fitzherbert Park this Sunday (September 9).
Two of the Swords sides return to play in the Far North later this month, when the 15s and 17s take on Counties Manukau Stingrays at Lindvart Park in Kaikohe on September 23; while the prems play on Toll Stadium in Whangarei (this match may be filmed for Sky TV's weekly competition coverage).