Whanganui club rugby: Finals footy looms for senior sides

The top eight senior sides are already locked in.

Brought to you by Whanganui Rugby

It is high stakes for the final robin round of the Whanganui Rugby Football Union senior competition on Saturday, with the quarter-finals looming.

But outside of the locked-in top eight teams, one battler club still has a worthy goal left for 2024, and that’s McCrea Scanning Counties.

With the possible exception of the dominant Knights, every other quarter-final-bound team who either came to Macnab Domain or hosted Counties on their patch would tell you they left the field knowing they’d been in a battle.

The Kaiwhaiki club’s victories have been away over Border (30-12) and impressively at home last weekend against JJ Walters Asphalt Marton (53-0), meaning their season’s final game with Gemini Pepper Construction Kaierau is a chance to clean-sweep all their fellow lower-table teams.

Not a bad goal to sign off the season, player-coach James Marshall feels.

“We’re in the rebuilding phase, we’re kind of growing right now,” he said.

“We’re just failing to finish some of those close games. Just another year together might make the difference.”

Although perhaps shy of a couple of impact players, the overall roster size has been very good for the club – 38 registered squad members – and other than the opening weekend of duck shooting season, there has been an excellent turnout, without the major injury concerns which blighted other teams.

Marshall would always delay naming his reserves until game day so the whole squad stayed motivated at training, given four to five players would have to miss out.

“The numbers have been out the gate. There’s a buy-in to the team.

“I think what I’m enjoying about the club at the moment is we’re home grown, we haven’t gone fishing and the guys just want to be there.

“We’re finishing a far better team than we started.”

Marshall has been grateful for the arrival of experienced coach Andy Yarrall, who previously worked in Tasman Tanning Premier with the Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist forwards, allowing Marshall to get back on the field.

Other stalwarts have been Matthew Horrocks and David Macnab, the latter having likely played over 300 games since 2009.

“He’s still one of our generally better try-scorers,” said Marshall.

The Senior draw is: June 22st, 1pm kickoffs unless noted (times subject to change):

Marton v Border, Marton Park; Ruapehu v Rātana, Rochfort Park; Kaierau v Counties, Country Club; Hunterville v Taihape, Hunterville Domain; Pirates v Marist Celtic, Spriggens Park; Utiku Old Boys v Marist Knights, Memorial Park.