By Peter Jessup
Warriors coach Mark Graham's lament about the poor standard of football in what is supposed to be the nation's toughest club rugby league competition was borne out in yesterday's Fox Memorial final.
The Glenora Bears ground out a 24-4, four-tries-to-one victory in a lacklustre game of which neither they
nor the beaten Otahuhu Leopards could be proud.
It was one-out argy-bargy, neither side able to hold the ball to complete sets of six. While there was some early rain and later drizzle, meaqning the good-sized crowd in the Domain stand getting it in the neck through multiple holes rusted through the roof, the field was in remarkably good nick and conditions were no excuse for the dropsy that plagued both teams.
The Bears were simply too fit and fast, rarely bothering to go to their backline or try anything fancy because Otahuhu gave them no reason to. From the 16th minute when standoff Steve Buckingham slotted first points with a penalty there was an inevitability about the result.
Prop Greg Ashby was rewarded for a strong game when he took a short ball to smash over for the first try at 36 minutes. When Otahuhu returned the ball to the Bears with a knock on straight after the kickoff they crossed again, only to be called back for a forward pass, and from the resulting confusion Oats went the length of the field for lock Sinave Gasu to record their only points.
The Bears sealed their third consecutive Fox title five minutes after the break with a touchdown to half Aaron Tucker and a Buckingham conversion. Fullback Shannon Lee and prop Ben Valeni added tries in the 65th and 73rd minutes, Buckingham converting both.
Mt Albert won the seconddivision Sharman Cup 26-18 from Otara, the Lions likewise never looking like losing.
