Skill and discipline make our mens netball team one of the best

AS MEN'S sport goes, outdoor netball probably doesn't rate too highly in the profile stakes.
But the Whanganui Men's Netball Club is keen to change that, and has a vision to provide an opportunity for local talent to represent Wanganui at a national level.
The club has made remarkable progress since Thomas Taiaroa, Berend Quirke, Nicholas Waara and Robbie Potaka' Osbourne set it up in June last year.
All four committee members had experience in various men's tournaments around the country playing for other regions. Taiaroa, Potaka'Osbourne, Waara, Quirke, Justin Gush, James Naera and Sam Nemani entered the Whanganui men's team in the 2006 national Maori tournament in Taupo.
The team finished second in its section, with Gush winning the most valuable player of the tournament award.
That performance gave the club the confidence to enter the 2006 New Zealand men's mixed national netball annual tournament in Auckland in September.
With Wanganui Netball supplying equipment and tracksuits and Graham Cassidy and Russell Geyde boosting the playing stocks, the team made the semi-finals and was recognised as the most disciplined team in the tournament.
Gush and Waara were also selected in the northern men's team and to top it all off, players in the team were eligible to trial for the NZ men's netball team in January. These achievements led the team to a nomination for senior team and fair team of the year in the 2006 Wanganui Sports awards.
The team is coached by well-known Wanganui women's netball player Angel Hamahona, with help from Parata Reweti.
Hamahona said the men's players were all "very skilled" and had made "unreal progress" during the past year.
"No local women's team can beat them, and they're part of the reason why the Ratana youngsters developed so well in the women's premier competition this year," she said.
In fact, the men's team will play in an unofficial capacity in next year's premier competition, to aid its buildup to the 2008 national tournament in Queenstown.
Taiaroa is already looking forward to it.
"It's a good opportunity for all I see," he says. "We get to have some build-up games and what not before the national tournament, because the competition will be finishing just before we go away." The club also plays indoor netball and Hamahona said plans were under way for the men's team to play in the Manawatu indoor competition next season, and possibly, the indoor nationals.
Hamahona paid tribute to the contributions of Taiaroa and Gush, who had been pillars of the club.
"Thomas' commitment to the vision is outstanding," she said. "He continues to organise games for the men, and networks with various organisers around the country." "He has vast experience playing indoor and outdoor netball and is one of the few players here in Wanganui that has the ability and skill to play anywhere on the court. His mission is to take a team to the nationals in Queenstown."
Gush had been a dedicated basketballer for the past 14 years, representing Wanganui through various age group teams to men's level, playing at second and third division national tournaments.
"This was his inspiration to take these skills to the netball court," Hamahona said. "He started playing outdoor netball with various club teams and travelled with the Wanganui men's team to Wellington tournaments." "These teams and players supported and guided Justin through the new game and quickly moved to the indoor version of the sport."
Gush represented Wanganui in U19s, mixing with the likes of Taiaroa and current Silver Fern, Joline Henry. Last year he focused on the men's outdoor scene, playing in three tournaments the Maori men's nationals in Taupo where Gush took MVP for his section, the Whanganui Maori tournament (Gush received the elite player's medal), and the men's nationals in Auckland.
Whanganui did well to finish third at the nationals, and Gush was selected to play in the inter-island clash that followed.
Hamahona said athough Justin was a passionate basketballer, netball was definitely a big focus in his sporting career.
Next up for the men's team is the national Maori tournament in Wanganui on September 29.
Hamahona said the club had hoped to take part in the upcoming nationals in Taupo, but injuries and other commitments made that unlikely.