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Southern Zone Rugby League (SZRL) pulled off another successful tournament in North Otago last weekend in trying circumstances.
The NZ Warriors South Island 16s and 18s Tournaments were initially slated to be held in Oamaru at Centennial Park, but wet weather earlier in the week threw the organisers a curve ball.
With all Waitaki District Council grounds closed due to flooding, SZRL was scrambling for another option.
Enter Maheno and Union rugby clubs.
The country clubs offered up their grounds for the two-day tournament.
"Without those two clubs, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off a successful event," SZRL general manager Zara Fa’avae-Mika said.
"Honestly, there was a real sense of community there and southern hospitality."
Union would host the 16s and 18s boys on their two fields in Ngapara while Maheno would host the 16s girls grade.
However, another curve ball was thrown late on the first day.
The 18s boys draw had to be reduced on the Sunday as the 16s girls needed to be moved to Ngapara as well due to muddy conditions in Maheno following a full day of games on the lone field there.
Eventually, the tournament was able to reach a satisfying conclusion, Fa’avae-Mika said.
"It was a lot of work, with obviously the state of emergency announced earlier in the week, for our football operations manager.
"We rejigged the plan, I think maybe seven times.
"We thought fields were going to be available and then they weren’t and then they were so we had a couple of contingency plans up our sleeve."
The 16s girls grade had four teams — including Te Tauihu who brought a girls side to an age-group representative tournament for the first time — which was won by Southland who beat Otago 38-0 in the final.
The 16s boys grade had six teams and that was won by Aoraki, beating Canterbury 15s in the final 22-10.
Then the 18s boys grade also had four teams, won by Southland.
Fa’avae-Mika and the rest of the organisers were just stoked to even get the tournament played.
"The biggest highlight was having everyone running around out there and smiling and just really grateful to have had the opportunity to play and represent their districts.
"At the beginning of the week, it was really looking like it was going to be hit and miss and there was potential it wouldn’t go ahead.
"So to be able to pull of a successful event where everyone participated, had fun and was safe was probably the highlight for me."
A silver lining of the whole ordeal was players got to visit two towns they normally would not, she said.