The big boys might be calling for a cull of national championship unions, but Hawkes Bay insist they're not going anywhere. The darlings of this year's championship, when they played to packed houses in Napier on the way to the semifinals, the Magpies feel they have proved theirpoint.
"We had to wait far too long for this opportunity,' said chief executive Mike Bishop. "When the game went professional, we got left behind. We are in now and are determined to stay there. The province has got in behind the team and we've had excellent crowds right from the first home game against Wellington. There is real interest in the team here and we hope that will continue next year."
Despite their success, Hawkes Bay weren't immune from the cash crunch afflicting many unions. The union planned to continue its current level of expenditure on players next season, said Bishop. Raising the funds was "an annual challenge but it's one we are determined to meet".
"We want to be part of this thing. But if the costs continue to escalate there will be unions that struggle to stay in the competition. You can't just carry on spend, spend, spending all the time."
There are no shortage of those who believe the Magpies will struggle to repeat this year's success. "You've got to admire what Hawkes Bay achieved but it's a very isolated story," said Canterbury chief executive Hamish Riach.
"It is like Bay of Plenty in 2004, who had the Shield briefly and made the semis. Three years later, you have their chief executive saying he doesn't think they can afford to be in the competition. I am not taking anything away from Hawkes Bay. They have a perspective based on this year and that is valid. The big issue is whether that can continue."
Bay of Plenty's outgoing chief Paul Abbot knows just how difficult it can be. "You have to have the ability to sustain an injection $1.5-$1.7m into your team just to be competitive and for nine teams in the competition, that's just not feasible. Teams can challenge for one year but that sucks the resource out of your union for the next three years."
