Gladstone taking nothing for granted

Gladstone don't have to cast their minds back too far to know that a top qualifying spot doesn't necessarily mean future honours in the Wairarapa-Bush senior first division rugby competition.
Their unbeaten record in this season's preliminary round did earn them the Moose Kapene Memorial Cup as top qualifiers for the championship proper.
But they tripped up after filling the same position going into the semi-finals of the latter last season and coach Steve Thompson says neither management or players are taking anything for granted on this occasion.
"We're not in the final yet & there's a long way to go before that's decided," he said.
"If we start thinking too far ahead we'll only get ourselves into trouble."
The winning of the trophy named in memory of former New Zealand Maori and Wairarapa-Bush prop Chris Kapene, had special significance for Thompson.
As a hooker he literally played alongside Kapene several times on the representative scene and often fronted up to him at club level.
"He (Moose) was a great player, he had huge respect both on and off the field," Thompson said.
"It certainly is special to pick up a trophy named after him."
Not surprisingly, right now Thompson wouldn't mind the same rules applying for the senior first division championship as was the case last year.
Then the six teams to contest the championship went forward to that competition with the points they had earned in the preliminary round which in Gladstone's present case would have given them a huge buffer of five points over nearest rivals Marist and all of 16 points over third - placed Greytown-Tuhirangi.
This season, however, the preliminary round points count for nothing as the championship proper swings into gear, so for Gladstone, like everyone else, it's back to square one this coming weekend.
Thompson believes the current format could see some teams make marked improvement on previous performances now that the race for the title is on in earnest.
"It's probably fair to say some sides have been prepared to experiment a bit up until now but that won't be the case any more," he said.
"You need to ensure you get enough points early on to make the semis so everybody will be going for it."
Thompson said Gladstone's main attribute through the preliminary round was the depth of playing resources within their squad.
"We have a very strong reserve bench and that's a big help at the tailend of games," he said.
"They come on the paddock and make a positive impact, they lift the effort when it needs lifted."
Thompson sees the even spread of talent through the squad has been another definite plus with the forwards and backs contributing equally to the overall performance.
"We don't have to cover any weak spots, we've got good strength all the way through," he said.
Gladstone's complete record on their way to winning the Moose Kapene Memorial Cup: beat Carterton 23-0, beat Marist 25-15, beat Pioneer 29-5, beat Puketoi 54-8, beat Masterton Red Star by default, beat Martinborough 33-0, beat Greytown-Tuhirangi 19-13, beat East Coast 48-17, and beat Eketahuna 30-5.
Meanwhile, the first round draw for the senior first division championship sees Gladstone down to meet Marist at Memorial Park, Eketahuna playing Pioneer at Eketahuna and Greytown-Tuhirangi at home to Carterton.
The second division championship, which comprises the four teams at the bottom of the first division points table at the end of the preliminary round, has Puketoi up against East Coast at Pongaroa and Martinborough playing Masterton Red Star at Martinborough.