Final for Red Star, Carterton

Defending champions Masterton Red Star will meet this season's front-runners Carterton in the grand final of the Wairarapa-Bush premier division rugby competition at Memorial Park, Masterton, on Saturday.
Both teams had to work hard for their semi-final victories, Masterton Red Star beating Eketahuna 26-16 and Carterton edging out East Coast 12-6 in a match in which all of the points came from penalty goals.
Masterton Red Star were good value for their 10-point winning margin over an Eketahuna side which played with all the vigour and aggression expected of them but which didn't have the firepower or tactical nous to take full advantage of the steady supply of quality possession obtained by their forwards.
Masterton were efficient up front to win a greater share of usable ball than might have been expected and they also had a rearguard who chose their options intelligently. They attacked with gusto and when the best option was to kick for territory they did that efficiently as well.
Dan Gilmore, Tim Grooby and Nathan Haglund emerged as three of the strongest performers in the Masterton Red Star pack.
They shirked nothing in the tighter exchanges yet still found time to make the odd barging run and pull off the odd telling tackle.
Locks Jake Bubb and Tyrone McTavish were typically aggressive and confrontational in everything they did and captain Chris Senior led by example in the loose, wrestling ball clear in the tackle situation and constantly harassing the Eketahuna inside backs.
Man of the match for Masterton Red Star was first-five Byron Karaitiana who was right back to the outstanding form he showed through most of the 2009 club season.
He chose his options brilliantly on both attack and defence and the accuracy of his goal kicking was another major plus. About the only blot on the Karaitiana performance was his sin-binning for a defensive misdemeanour late in the game, which resulted in Eketahuna being awarded a penalty try.
That sin-binning was to be the first of three yellow cards (two of them to Masterton Red Star) handed out by referee Andrew Stringer in a somewhat farcical last few minutes where the whistle stifled the best intentions of both teams to keep the ball moving.
Also starring in the Masterton Red Star backline was utility back Heemi Tuipaea, who was at fullback on this occasion. He was always lively on the counter attack and often troubled Eketahuna with his pace. Halfback Callum Buchanan and centre Joe Papaali were others to shine.
Eketahuna relied hugely on their forwards to keep them in the game and they battled manfully to do so throughout the 80 minutes.
Skipper Jake Tipene was prominent with his ability to make decent territory with ball in hand as was prop Jesse Williams and there was no better lineout forward on the paddock than lock Brandan Young. Spearheading the efforts of a busy loose trio was No 8 Joss Tua-Davidson, who ran powerfully on attack and was just as committed in defence.
The Eketahuna backs tended to run across field whenever they decided to move the ball and seldom got themselves over the advantage line as a result. Halfback Kane Broughton did snipe cleverly around the fringes of the mauls on occasions and midfielder Chris Terry was solid enough on the tackle.
Joseph Dahlberg-Paku, Joe Papaali and Heemi Tuipaea scored tries for Masterton Red Star with Byron Karaitiana kicking two conversions, one penalty and a dropped goal. Eketahuna's points came from three penalties and a conversion to Crete Cribb and a penalty try.
Carterton coach Mark Rutene admits he was a relieved man when referee Chris Jefferies sounded the final whistle in his team's semi with East Coast.
Rutene had just watched East Coast throw everything at Carterton in the last few minutes as they tried to overhaul the home team's 12-6 advantage but some stout defence kept them out.
''It was pretty nerve-wracking stuff, it could have gone either way right to the end,'' Rutene said.
''I wouldn't say we were lucky to win but they (East Coast) certainly came to play, no question of that.''
While all the points came from penalty goals, Jono Hurley kicking four for Carterton and Nick Olson two for East Coast, the match was an entertaining affair with both sides often threatening to score tries but being thwarted by solid defence.
Pre-match speculation was that Carterton would probably have the edge up front with prop Dylan Higginson, lock Tomasi Kedrabuka and loosies Mike Wakefield and Mike Harmon leading a forward effort, which was up to their usual high standards, but they had to fight hard to gain even a scant measure of dominance over an East Coast pack which for every scrap of possession.
It was even in the backs too with fullback Jono Hurley taking the eye for Carterton with the soundness of his positional play and lengthy clearances on defence and Zeb Aporo, Sam Mitchell and Nick Olson always looking dangerous for East Coast.
Olson did, however, miss a couple of kicks from relatively close range.
Both premier division plate semi-finals produced big wins with Greytown beating Marist 34-10 and Gladstone taking Martinborough 36-17.
Both Greytown and Marist were without several of their regular players for the encounter at Memorial Park with Marist actually having four forwards in their backs at one stage.
Greytown led 14-0 at halftime after Marist had turned down several kickable penalties in favour of the tap and run, a tactic which brought no reward.
The second half saw Greytown finish with six tries to Marist's two.
Gareth Van Dalen, Tommy Sargent, Johnny Avatea, Senoa Isaac and Cyrus Baker (2) scored the Greytown tries and Senoa Isaac landed two conversions. Ben Hurley and Terry Norman scored tries for Marist.
Fijian winger Joseva Naivalu racked up a hat-trick of tries for Gladstone against Martinborough with others going to Chris Bargh and Richard Puddy. Martinborough ran in three tries through Greg Wilson, Adam Marshall and Warren Ireland.