Alekesio Vakarorogo was joint winner of the Player of the Year award. Photo / Blake Davison
Alekesio Vakarorogo was joint winner of the Player of the Year award. Photo / Blake Davison
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The two young Fijian powerhouses in Steelform Whanganui's run to the Meads Cup final were recognised as joint Player of the Year at the 2022 WRFU Rugby Awards on Saturday night.
It was a glittering occasion at The Barracks bar as players, coaches, administratorsand volunteers came together to celebrate the 2022 season, the first time they have been able to do so in three years due to Covid.
The award for Whanganui's Player of the Year for the 2022 Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship season was shared between winger Alekesio Vakarorogo and No8 Semi Vodosese.
Stepping out of the shadow of his Highlanders and Taranaki representative cousin Vereniki Tikoisolomone, Vakarorogo scored 10 tries in the Heartland campaign, including a double in the Meads Cup final at Pleasant Point on October 22.
He played his 15th blazer game this season, as did Vodosese who, in his sophomore campaign, became a real attacking weapon at the back of the scrum, setting up and scoring tries.
In choosing the pair to share the prize, Whanganui coach Jason Hamlin said Vodosese went very close in the selection process for the New Zealand Heartland XV, while Vakarorogo was not considered as he still affiliates to his native Fiji.
Their big prop teammate Keightley Watson received the Team Member of the Year award after an outstanding rookie season.
Part of the Whanganui squad without taking the field last year as an apprentice player, Watson worked his way on to the bench and then the starting XV and anchored the scrum in the big matches against Thames Valley and South Canterbury.
Semi Vodosese was joint winner of the Player of the Year award. Photo / NZME
The Silks Audit Whanganui Women's team had a good season with a 3-1 record, unfortunately missing out on a couple of other potential games due to lack of numbers for the opposition.
Their playmaker and former NZ Māori Under 18s rep Riana Tamati was Player of the Year, while front-rower Kimberley Hunt was the Team Member of the Year.
There was another shared prized for the prestigious Allan E Jennings Outstanding School Leaver award.
Whanganui Collegiate's prop Konradd Newland, who played for NZ Barbarians U18 and a Hurricanes selection this season, was joint recipient with Whanganui High's Hayley Gabriel, who attended the NZR National Under 18 Māori Development Camp and made the Manawatū Cyclones squad.
Both have captained their respective school teams, with Gabriel also named the Whanganui U18 Girls Player of the Year, while Newland was Team Member of the Year for the U18 Boys.
In the club rugby awards, the 14-year drought-breaking campaign of Ali Arc Logistics–TD Brick & Blocks Marist Celtic to win the WRFU Senior title was recognised with Rongomai McLean-Wanoa and Te Heru Reu Koro claiming the Forward and Back of the Year awards respectively, with Koro also the Player of the Year.
As the Ruapehu man who played for Byford's Readimix Taihape and was Tasman Tanning Premier's top try-scorer, prop Gabriel Hakaraia was Premier Forward of the Year.
The Back of the Year and Player of the Year was Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau halfback Caleb Gray, who had earlier received the Premier MVP prize.
Gray played a big part in Kaierau's second round recovery to make the Premier semifinals and earned his way into the Whanganui squad, getting eight first class games this season.
In his last hurrah after winning an extraordinary Premier championship three-peat, Waverley Harvesting Border mastermind Cole Baldwin was named Club Coach of the Year.
The Gordon Thompson Memorial Trophy for Best & Fairest, which is judged by the WRFU referees, went to the Bennett's Taihape Senior team.
Of course, clubs cannot function without the hard-working individuals behind the scenes, and the prestigious Volunteer of the Year award for 2022 went to Marist's Phoebe Scamp.
Rugby Awards Trophies 2022
Allan E Jennings Outstanding School Leavers 2022: Hayley Gabriel and Konradd Newland.
Representative Whanganui U14 —Team Member of Year: Dayton Muru-Albert; Player of Year: Ben Kuratau. Whanganui U15 Girls – Team Member of Year: Azariah Vakuruivalu-Rope; Player of Year: Elizabeth Adrole. Whanganui U16 – Team Member of Year: Lachlan Fisher; Player of Year: Tahatika Te Riaki. Whanganui U18 Girls – Team Member of Year: Samantha Rees; Player of Year: Hayley Gabriel. Whanganui U18 – Team Member of Year: Konradd Newland; Player of Year: Monty Sherriff. Whanganui U20 – Team Member of Year: Stan Puapii; Player of Year: Neo Tichbon. Whanganui Women – Team Member of Year: Kimberly Hunt; Player of Year: Riana Tamati. Whanganui Development – Team Member of Year: Ashley Tamihana; Player of Year: Ben O'Leary. Whanganui Heartland – Team Member of Year: Keightley Watson; Players of Year: Semi Vodosese and Alekesio Vakarorogo.
Referees Emerging Referee 2022: Scott Dowman; Referee of Year: Seanoa (Noah) Viliamu.
Club Senior Forward: Rongomai McLean-Wanoa (Celtic); Senior Back: Te Heru Reu Koro (Celtic). Senior Player of Year: Te Heru Reu Koro (Celtic). Premier Forward: Gabriel Hakaraia (Taihape); Premier Back: Caleb Gray (Kaierau). Premier Player of Year: Caleb Gray (Kaierau). Club Coach of Year: Cole Baldwin (Border). Gordon Thompson Memorial Trophy (Best & Fairest): Bennett's Taihape Seniors.
Volunteers Volunteer of Year: Phoebe Scamp (Marist). Volunteer certificates: Deb Koubaridis (Border), Phoebe Scamp (Marist), Terry Baird (Taihape), David Pedley (Pirates).
