Napier City Rovers did some great things on the football pitch on the national stage during 2023.
But some of the most telling actions they did last year came off the pitch in the wake of the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle when parts of Hawke’s Bay had been decimated by the deadly storm.
The Jim Hoyle-captained team were firing into pre-season training mode when New Zealand’s worst storm in living memory changed parts of Hawke’s Bay – and some of its residents’ lives – forever on the night of February 13, and the morning of February 14.
But football was secondary to helping those who lost so much in their beloved Hawke’s Bay.
The handbrake was put on pre-season training; with players swapping football boots for gumboots and getting involved in the huge clean-up that is still ongoing in some places a year on.
“We got into pre-season looking to hit the ground running,” left-back and midfielder Liam Schofield said.
“And then the cyclone hit . . . it was devastating what happened.
“We got together and wanted to help in the community and give something back to help families in need. They were tough times.
“It was shocking. Driving down Esk Valley . . . it was crazy . . . it’s just so surreal. I just couldn’t believe what had happened and how it had happened so fast as well.”
Just weeks before Cyclone Gabrielle hit, Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson was solely focused on moulding a squad that could make a strong start to the 2023 Central League; a competition in which they ultimately finished in third place.
The impact of vast devastation caused to areas on the outskirts of Napier and Hastings saw his focus – and that of his players and fellow off-field staff – turn to what they could do to help fellow Hawke’s Bay locals.
The response was player-led, said Robertson, who last week launched the side’s pre-season campaign for 2024.
That included the squad as a whole volunteering their time to help clear homes in two of the worst-hit rural areas, Waiohiki and Puketapu.
“I was proud of the players, and everyone connected with the club, in a devastating time for the region,” the coach said.
“We felt we had a part to play in helping those that needed help.
“A number of the players approached me . . . did that off their [own] backs . . . then we were able to galvanise a few more, and we went out as a squad to help.
The @thirstywhale Central League team ditched training to help the community of Waiohiki in the aftermath of the devastation left by the cyclone 💙 They'll be going to Puketapu soon. The club is very proud of the mahi you are doing out there boys 💙#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/emdSA7H11h
— ⚽️ Thirsty Whale 🐳 Napier City Rovers (@NCR_fc) February 24, 2023
“I was really proud of the players for that.”
Memories of the scenes that the players – and other kind-hearted Hawke’s Bay residents who helped those less fortunate than them – encountered remain fresh 12 months on.
As they shovelled loads of drying and stinking silt from ruined homes and helped remove ruined household appliances beds and other items, they came across locals who had lost virtually all their worldly possessions.
“It was difficult to fathom,” Robertson said. “You see things like this flooding and devastation on the news and you never think it’s not going to happen to Napier.
“Then you go out there and see some of the devastation. We were shovelling mud and clearing houses and people’s whole lives had just been upturned. It was shocking.”
Schofield and forward Jonny McNamara were among the players who led the response from the club.
The pair were also among a smaller group who donated their time around work, family and football commitments to continue to help the clean-up.
“Me and my partner, Holly, got in touch with the community and we just wanted to help because we were in a state where we could help,” Schofield said.
“I just wanted to get down there and do my best to just put in some work and help clear up the mess.”
Raised in Barnsley, Yorkshire, Schofield joined Napier City Rovers in 2018 and is firmly a fan favourite.
The legacy of what he saw in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle saw him take a break from first-team action early in the Central League, confiding he “just couldn’t get up for it physically and mentally”.
He made an impressive return to the team later in the season and is again fizzing for Napier City Rovers’ upcoming Central League campaign, kicking off with a March 31 clash at Bluewater Stadium against national champions Wellington Olympic.
Last year, Wellington Olympic strength and conditioning coach James Mac Aodhagain launched two initiatives to help give Hawke’s Bay kids in the region some sporting relief from the aftermath of the cyclone.
That included a Givelittle page which raised money for football gear for children in the area. He also oversaw a large collection of donated football gear that has been distributed by Napier City Rovers to communities impacted by the cyclone.
Eleven people tragically lost their lives in Cyclone Gabrielle; the majority in Hawke’s Bay.
Their memory was honoured throughout Napier City Rovers’ Central League and Northern League campaigns, with players wearing black armbands throughout the season.
It was a mark of respect that meant a lot to the entire squad.
“Putting that armband on, we knew who we were playing for and supporting the community and the town,” Schofield said.
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience. He was on the frontline of NZME’s coverage of Cyclone Gabrielle when it hit Hawke’s Bay and closely followed the clean-up operation that has followed.
Sextortion and hidden cameras are growing threats, says Detective Beard.