It was not a happy end for Desmond Tyrell and his Heartland Hurricanes Under 20's campaign, but he will now go forward with Whanganui team mate Jason Myers for the New Zealand Heartland Under 19's.
There was no fairytale finish for the Heartland Hurricanes Under 20's as they lost to Hawke's Bay Under 19's 55-24 in their last Central Regional Shield tournament match on Saturday.
In perfect conditions at Tremain Field in Napier's Park Island, the Hurricanes with their handful of Whanganui players were up
12-8 at halftime, which they extended to 19-8 early in the second stanza.
But then the home side found their groove as the match opened up, putting together a 36-point scoring burst as both sides kept attacking.
It meant the Heartland Hurricanes matched their debut 2017 season with one win from three games, although last year's inaugural squad defeated Hawke's Bay 10-8 in Napier.
The undefeated Wellington Under 19's qualified top from the Hurricanes region for the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament when they smashed Manawatu U19 64-19 on Saturday.
