Hunt on for elusive Dunedin medal

A Wanganui football team is taking both its on and off-field talents to Dunedin next month to debut at the southern version of the New Zealand Masters Games.

Wanganui Cosmos already has a trophy cabinet bursting at the seams at masters level, but has one vital goal yet to achieve - a Dunedin NZ Masters medal.

The affable bunch has competed at every Wanganui NZ Masters Games, five Taranaki Masters (picking up gold every time) and in Australia at PanPac and world masters level.

The team, whose members range in age from 45 to 64, will compete in the 45+ age group in Dunedin and feel reasonably confident they can bring home some hardware.

Wanganui NZMG Games manager, Mike Cronin who is part of the squad and who has participated in the Dunedin Games before, believes the standard of football in Dunedin is very similar to Wanganui.

And with multiple honours at the NZ Masters Games in Wanganui including bronze in 2011, silver in 2007 and gold in 2009, "the chance of a medal in Dunedin looks very promising," Cronin said.

"The added bonus of playing the finals in the new Forsyth Barr stadium only just opened in time for the Rugby World Cup, should be reason enough to go for broke."

The members of the 2012 Cosmos team going to Dunedin are: Gregor Vallely, Mike Cronin, Uwe Kroll, Neville Groves, Russell Burney, Craig Edmonds, Bryan Stewart, Paul Anderson, Trevor Strong, Gavin Parsons, Memo Musa, Brian Hickling, David Downes, Robert Organ, Mark Goodier, Jonathan Paine, Kerry McGuinness and Shane Wye.

"We have 18 captains and one player-manager, Trevor Strong, and while the lads are serious within the spirit of masters football on-field, when the final whistle blows they are just as comfortable in the social setting," Cronin said.

The Cosmos became international Masters competitors in 1998 when it attended the PanPac Masters Games on the Gold Coast of Australia. Against experienced opposition it gained a credible fourth place. Australia beckoned again in 2002 when the World Masters Games where hosted in Melbourne. Again fourth place was the result. Cosmos returned to PanPac in 2004, this time gaining a silver medal and in 2009 they entered the Australasian Masters Games in Adelaide picking up gold and going through the entire competition undefeated.

"With all this international action it seems a little ironic that we have never been to Dunedin before now, but with many of the players now over 50, the decision has finally been made for the team to prove it is truly a NZ Masters champion," Cronin said.

To date 38 competitors from Wanganui are registered for Dunedin and will be representing the River City in athletics, badminton, football, golf, indoor rowing, squash, tennis and volleyball.