Jamie-Lee Robertson is one of the league converts who has filled the coffers of Marist to help them avoid the pitfalls of last year's injury crisis.
Jamie-Lee Robertson is one of the league converts who has filled the coffers of Marist to help them avoid the pitfalls of last year's injury crisis.
The loss of the Whanganui Boxon league team has been the gain of a grateful Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist, with a host of talented ball-runners helping them build a squad with depth ahead of Saturday's derby game with Black Bull Liquor Pirates.
Currently second on the Tasman Tanning Premier table,Marist are working themselves into the season nicely, as their first game hiccup with Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau (35-31) has been followed by three straight wins over Waverley Harvesting Border (27-25), Settler's Honey Ngamatapouri (35-15) and Harvey Round Motors Ratana (48-7).
This is in contrast to the attrition during the opening round of games last year, when the Jerome McCrea-coached side was desperately awaiting the arrival of former Buller representative player Penijamini Nabainivalu after losing a host of their backs to significant injuries.
Having to come from deep down the points table, a recovered Marist squad all-but won their way back into the semifinals with an excellent second round, only just missing out when they surrendered the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield in the last pool game to Byford Readimix Taihape.
This year, having regained the Shield, new head coach Marty Bullock is using Nabainivalu as his backs coach and despite the retirement of club stalwart Cameron Crowley, the coffers were refilled when the Boxon opted to go on hiatus for 2019, with Manawatu and Taranaki Rugby League struggling.
Fullback Emitai Logadravdrau, midfielder Jamie-Lee Robertson and prop Gordon Karaitiana have all made comfortable transitions, while against Pirates, Bullock and Nabainivalu will give Boxon's young leader Haze Reweti a start at first-five, after his off-season ACL surgery.
"He comes with quite a good pedigree," Bullock said.
Boxon's player-coach Haze Reweti comes straight into the Marist starting XV to play first-five against Pirates on Saturday.
Certainly, the league converts have needed a brush-up on the finer points of union's more technical rules for the breakdown and set piece, but Bullock said they are settling back into it well, with all of them having played either senior or schoolboy rugby not long ago.
"They have that natural instinct anyway – pretty handy."
Key to that has been Nabainivalu, who in four games has already covered three backline positions in first-five, second-five and fullback – fitting in wherever needed as Bullock continues to tinker and move players around.
"He just brings a level of stability with the boys. A communicator."
Putting his hand up for Crowley's spot on the wing has been talented youngster Ioane Hough-Aki, a Cullinane College old boy, although he is unavailable tomorrow due to a family bereavement.
In the forwards, there has been another welcome return in 2009 Premier championship winner Bradley Graham, who moved to Australia back in 2014.
"He's really good with the young guys. Got in there and doing the hard work," said Bullock.
Therefore, the new coach currently has the complete luxury of a talented bench while even leaving a couple of players out every week.
Remembering last year's tribulations, he knows depth will be crucial under the new format of the second round – a Division 1 consisting of the top six teams, where the elevated intensity in each game makes injuries all-but inevitable.
"Every game's going to be going either way. You need that [ability] coming off the bench."
"We'll treat [Pirates] with respect. They've beaten us a lot in recent years, and beaten us when we thought we should have won."
In the other matches, it will be a big test in Ohakune for both Ruapehu and Border when they meet in a rematch of last year's thrilling semifinal.
After two close losses, Kaierau will look to right the ship when they play Ratana at the Country Club, while after two weeks on the road, Taihape are glad to be home at Memorial Park to face Ngamatapouri.
