Eketahuna's chances of a three-peat in the 2005 Wairarapa-Bush senior first division rugby competition have taken a severe jolt.
The squad which has dominated the premier series over the past two years has been decimated 12 members of last season's line-up already having moved on, and another three set to follow
suit in June.
"Yes, things have changed pretty drastically from what they were this time last year," coach Graeme Cheetham said. "We had good numbers to pick from then but now?..well, it's been a bit of a struggle to actually get a team together."
Among the missing for the coming season are Wairarapa-Bush representatives Stu Smith, Dan Griffen, Kojak Faiso and Anthony Hullena.
Locks Smith and Griffen are trying their luck in other provinces, Smith in Nelson-Bays and Griffen in Manawatu.
Prop Faiso is overseas and Hullena has turned his attention to soccer.
Also in doubt are two other Wairarapa-Bush reps in centre Simanu Simanu and halfback-first five Hamish McKenzie.
Simanu has returned to the islands and while Cheetham is hopeful he will back in the fold over the next few weeks nothing is certain in that regard while McKenzie is in the South Island. Whether he will be joining up with Eketahuna again is also
unclear.
With so many gaps to fill Cheetham has promoted a number of last season's Eketahuna colts side into the senior squad for 2005.
A new arrival from Taranaki is loose forward Matt Cox and among the few from the 2004 side up turning out again are Steve Olds, Rob Foreman and Brendan Walker, all of whom played for Wairarapa-Bush last year.
Cheetham., who is entering his fifth season as coach of the Eketahuna seniors, admits the drain on playing resources makes a third successive first division title a difficult objective to achieve.
"It's a big challenge but we'll give it our best shot. That's all we can do," he said.
