Senior game, Premier implications

Bryn Hudson and his Ngamatapouri team will be looking for one more big game to cap off an undefeated season in the Senior competition final today.

If the 2016 Tasman Tanning Premier final at Cooks Gardens today represents the best of this season's competition, then the Senior championship final represents the immediate future.

The undefeated Settler's Honey Ngamatapouri, with their multitude of Steelform Wanganui representatives and former NPC veterans, will be looking to put a stamp on their dominant unbeaten season with one more big performance with the most eyes upon them at Cooks.

Having bolstered the squad with stars like try scoring machines Michael Nabuliwaqe and Samu Kubunavanua, powerful representative loose forwards Bryn Hudson and Malakai Volou, other professional union veterans Timoci 'Jim' Seruwalu and Isireli Baleitavuku, plus former NZ Maori prop Clint Newland, the intentions have been crystal clear since the 2015 resurrection of the South Taranaki club.

Benefactor Henry Matthews, who has enjoyed that winning feeling every week being on the bench alongside the young men he has given employment up the valley, acknowledges Ngamatapouri fully intend to play Premier in 2017.

"If we get a win, we'll go up," he said yesterday.

"It's a step up [today], I suppose. It's a good game."

There is almost little choice in the matter after the WRFU Council of Clubs, so concerned with the slaughter Ngamatapouri has visited on most of their opponents this year, passed a resolution recently to restrict any Senior club to a maximum of two recent Mitre 10 Heartland Championship players.

While Kubunavanua, whose surname Matthews still struggles with, will miss the final with an ankle injury, his brother 'Thomas' Kubunavanua - anglicisation of his name - is a part of the squad.

"Everyone else is ready to go."

When asked if Ngamatapouri wanted to "put on a show" in the championship game in front of a good crowd, Matthews felt there is little need to perform differently.

"Our backs are quite entertaining anyway, if the forwards step up."

However, their opposition today are no pushovers as Speirs Food Marton, themselves a Premier team up until the start of last season, have been the one side to challenge Ngamatapouri for the full 80 minutes.

If you don't use Ngamatapouri as a comparison, Marton have had an excellent year themselves by regular Senior standards - just two defeats and having ended Kelso Hunterville's streak of grand final appearances with victory in last weekend's semifinals.

This included pushing Ngamatapouri in the 40-32 loss at Marton Park on April 23, the only match that was remotely close.

President Isaac Greer, also a bench player for his team although he was in America during the semifinals, felt they will want to embrace the occasion.

"I'm quite looking forward to it, to be fair. We'll give it a go, anyway.

"You always go out to win and I imagine there will be no stopping us from doing that.

"You can't really ask for a much better year. A lot of these guys won't ever get the chance to play on [Cooks Gardens] again.

"It's a pretty awesome ground."

The club have arranged a bus from Marton Park and is expecting plenty of other supporters to make the car trip, while Ngamatapouri is hosting an after-party at 5pm at the Red Lion tavern.

Kickoff is at 12.45pm.

NGAMATAPOURI AND MARTON IN 2016

Regular Season
Ngamatapouri - Played 12*; Won: 12; Lost: 0; Points for: 645; Points against: 120.
Marton - Played: 12*; Won: 10; Lost: 2; Points for: 363; Points against: 126.
*Ngamatapouri received two default wins and Marton received one.

Quarterfinals
Ngamatapouri bt Taihape by default.
Marton bt Border 49-10.

Semifinals
Ngamatapouri bt Marist Celtic 50-14.
Marton bt Hunterville 29-17.

Head to Head
April 23: Ngamatapouri bt Marton 40-32 at Marton Park.