Pātea Warriors to lace up boots and play in premier competition next year

The Pātea Warriors celebrating after reclaiming the Scanlon Shield in 2020. The photo is in loving memory of Demelza Hurunui (holding the ball) who died this year. Photo / Supplied

The Pātea Warriors are getting ready to lace up their boots and take to the field in Taranaki's CMK premier club rugby competition.

The Pātea Warriors are re-entering the competition after 25 years. Pātea Warriors Rugby League Club chairman Tere Diamond says re-entering the competition has been the ultimate goal of the club.

"We re-entered the junior competition in 2019 and it's been our goal since then to re-enter the premiers competition."

The first step was to organise a management team for the premiers.

"Our head coach is Tamati Neho. He is well respected in our community. I think that was a drawcard for a lot of the boys. We also have Brenon Broughton as one of the trainers. He's a renowned trainer in the Taranaki rugby scene. Both of these men and the rest of the management team were happy to jump on board."

Tere says they've received a lot of interest from people who want to wear the jersey and represent Pātea in the premier competition.

"We set up a Facebook group and we've got a lot of people in there ready to play in the team. We start our pre-season training on December 12. We're very excited to enter next year's competition."

He says having a premier team gives the junior rugby players people to look up to.

"It inspires our junior players by giving them someone to look up to and a pathway for them to advance in their rugby. The junior players can strive to represent their town on the big stage one day, just like our premier team."

The premier competition starts in February, and Tere says the team is excited to get out onto the field.

"It's good for the club, but also for the community as it draws people in for the games and puts Pātea on the map."