The wrap
Well, the season is done and dusted apart from the final, of course.
It’s a final a few weeks ago nobody saw coming but here we are as Kaik and Harbour are on a collision course at the Greenhouse tomorrow to decide the Speight’s Championship Shield. Well that’s not totally true. In my first column of the year I picked Harbour to win it all (slightly tongue in cheek).
Southern and Kaik went at it for a bruising and enthralling 80 minutes at Bog Bathgate last Saturday. The defences on both sides were stupendous and unbelievably it was the Kaikorai scrum in the 75th minute that won the game. They decimated Southern (the strongest pack all year) at a 5m scrum to force the penalty and win the game. In the other semi, Taieri made a lot of the play, had the territory and possession and the astute boot of Cam Millar but couldn’t get it done. Harbour hung tough and invaluable halfback Nathan Hastie scored the matchwinner to propel them into the final.
The Ainge Shield
So who wins the Ainge Shield, which signifies the strongest overall club in town?
We need to bear in mind we won’t have a final result till August 9 as that is when the two colts finals will be played. The Ainge Shield points are calculated on the four best results of teams in your club. Dunedin and Kaikorai have had a mortgage on the shield over the past few seasons and they are right there again as the whips are cracking. Taieri is the only club that could upset them but you’d have to say they are a 50-1 shot. They could win P2s and seniors next weekend and their prems finished fourth but their fourth team will dramatically bring them down. Kaikorai are the favourites as they are still in the hunt in premiers, seniors and both colts grades. They are at 3-1 to win it all. Dunedin finished second in the women’s competition and are still in the running in prem 2 and both colts grades and could finish as high as third with their second junior colts sides but they are rated 6-1. We won’t have it all tabulated until l colts finals day.
Down on the farm
Congratulations to Excelsior and Woodlands on their respective championship wins at the weekend. That leaves the Central and South Otago finals to be played this weekend.
In Central the all-conquering Upper Clutha host Wakatip on the shore of Lake Wanaka. The inversion cloud has lifted and the sun is out for the first time in months so it should be some spectacle. The "Polter" stand is up and they’re expecting 2500-plus at the game at 2.30pm tomorrow — if you’re within 50km of the game get along and see it.
Down in Balclutha, Clutha are hosting West Taieri in the shadows of the bridge. They have been the best two teams in the comp this year so it will be a spectacle. If you’re passing through Balclutha tomorrow afternoon you’ve finally got a reason to stop!
The Form XV
It was hard to pick certain positions — namely halfback, front row and the wingers — but the rest picked themselves. My thanks to the group of selectors who covered games all season and this is the representation of that work.
The team:
15 MacKenzie Palmer (S), 14 Oscar Schmidt-Uli (D), 13 Josh Whaanga (T), 12 Matt Whaanga (T), 11 Aaron McMurray (V), 10 Rique Miln (H), 9 Oliver Thode (AU), 8 Konrad Toleafoa (S), 7 Slade McDowall (K), 6 Lucas Casey (K), 5 Reuben Palmer (D), 4 Aron Einarsson (S), 3 Cam Allan-McNeill (T), 2 Fatai Koloi (D), 1 Ben Fakataha (H).
Otago team aftermath
I said last week that Otago were bringing in three players to bolster their squad. They have named two, a lock and a winger. My spies tell me a midfielder had been signed as well, I think from out of Canterbury. I see there is a new name playing in the game against Southland tonight, Jae Broomfield. I presume that is him so why wasn’t he named on Tuesday? I can’t see why Dunedin winger Oscar Scmidt-Uli wasn’t given a chance rather than bringing in a Sydney winger who played for Southland last year. Kyan Rangitutia played for Otago last year but is not required this year as a winger either? Why do we keep letting this happen. Reuben Palmer has been the best "big" lock in the competition this year but we’ve bought in a Fijian loose forward from the Drua instead. Again I ask why? But I doubt I’ll get any answers.
The final
So it is all on tomorrow at 3pm in the Greenhouse between Kaikorai and Taieri. If you can’t make it along, don’t panic — the ODT will come to your rescue. We will be livestreaming the game on the ODT website (odt.co.nz) and it will be on the homepage or just scan the QR code next to this this column. Yours truly will be commentating so I won’t take offence if you turn the sound down. Greg O’Brien from the Highlanders will be providing comments and Lee Piper (self-proclaimed legendary commentator for the Stags) will be the sideline eye.
This weekend and tipster results
I drew with Arvi from Cableways and the Mornington last weekend and as you know I win all draws. We wrapped up our Dunedin tipsters comp last weekend and unbelievably three of them beat me over two rounds and that was Benji Culhane, Llew Johnson and Nigel Bilbo Smith. Llew from the Volts had the best margin against me so I declare him as the winner and his prize will be in the mail! Well done mate. Mark Scully, the mein host of the Speight’s Alehouse, is the guest selector for the final this week and sponsor of this segment but alas still has no chance!
So what happens in the final? Harbour are starting the same team as last week so Sa’ula Mau and Abraham Pole, their two super players, are not getting a run. Otago have pulled them because of injury concerns. They are certainly a heavyweight pack so Kaik will be conceding plenty of kilograms. But Kaik showed last week they are up for the fight up front. Will Tucker, the Hurricanes and an Otago starting lock, is suiting up for Kaik for the first time this season and will be a real bonus when he comes on (replacement) at lineout time. Kaik will certainly have the edge in the loose forwards with Casey and McDowall at the absolute peak of their powers now. Under the roof, Kaik will be wanting to play at a fast tempo and move Harbour around with their phase play. So who wins? Unbelievably I’ll tip Harbour (12-) but with no real confidence.
As predicted, destroyed poor old Tom Hollows last week so the winner for the season in the Country was Otago legend Dick Knight with the best differential — well done mate. To be fair, across the season not many beat me at all — I go well in the country?
So what happens between Upper Clutha and Wakatip? Upper Clutha are nearly back at full strength and have already beaten Wakatip twice this season. They’ve locked away the White Horse for the summer and I get the feeling they win the banner for the second year in a row. Upper Clutha (12-). In Balclutha, Clutha (13+) have been the best team all year and they should get it done over West Taieri with the Clutha backs storming home late with some stunning tries! Good luck to all the finalists.
