Along with two rounds of play between the Dunedin-based clubs, the competition includes a round between Otago and Southland’s club sides, with the top two teams meeting in a final to determine who comes out on top of the battle of provinces.
A nines tournament was played last weekend and the East Coast Eagles fell to the Aranui Eagles in the final, showing they will be a tough side to beat.
A new-look University side made the semifinals, beating the South Pacific Raiders in a tight contest on their way there.
The Kia Toa Tigers will still begin the 2017 season as favourites, following an impressive 2016 campaign that was fittingly finished with a 32-18 victory over the Eagles in the Grand Final. The Tigers were dominant for the entire season and captain Shane Unahi will be looking to continue his side’s winning ways.
The Eagles are the next best bet, after a dominant nines outing and an impressive finish to the 2016 season.
Player-coach Dave Broughton will be looking to get the most out of his side, and with key attacking players like Tama Apineru and Sam Johnstone at his disposal, the Eagles should have no problems scoring points.
The South Pacific Raiders and University sides will be looking to build on the progress made last season. Both sides lost some key players at the beginning of last season, and look to have lost some key members again, heading into a fresh campaign. The presence of experienced coaches David Reedy and Ray Fitiao will be of great comfort to the clubs, knowing the players coming in will have plenty of assistance in their growth and development in the game.
In the first round, the Eagles and Tigers will square off, and Uni takes on the Raiders at Kensington Oval.
- Ricki Allan
