Photo: Getty Images Cromwell coach Rodger Dawson can scarcely believe what is happening with his premier club team when he reflects on where they were at the corresponding stage 12 months ago. In the first three games of the 2025 competition, his team bombed out against Alexandra, Maniototo and Upper Clutha, conceding an average of 42 points a game. Twelve months on, Cromwell are handsomely placed in second position, having beaten Arrowtown, Matakanui Combined and, in what represented a major upset last weekend, Wakatipu. Tomorrow, they head for Ranfurly to take on a Maniototo side desperately in need of competition points. “We had an incredible run with injuries last year,” Dawson said. “At one stage we had eight or nine players out injured, some of them in hospital. We were scraping to get 15 players on the field. “In contrast, we’ve lost just one player to injury this year. It makes such a difference when you can keep building combinations from Saturday to Saturday.” Dawson said his team had worked exceedingly hard on defence this year, and it paid off handsomely against Wakatipu. “They are an incredibly hard team to beat at home, especially when mud is a major factor like it was last weekend. But we got there.” Dawson is relieved the forecast is for fine weather this weekend, given Maniototo rarely lose at home, particularly when there is mud around. “Few teams come away from the Offal Pit with maximum points. We’ll need to step up still further from last weekend.” The Central Otago premier points table has a bizarre look to it after three rounds. Three teams - Upper Clutha, Cromwell and Wakatipu - are way out in front with 15, 13 and 10 points respectively. Arrowtown come next with six points, while Alexandra, Maniototo and Matakanui have all yet to score a point. Alexandra will be desperate to alter that when they tackle the much-improved Arrowtown team at Jack Reid Park. Last season, Alexandra beat Arrowtown 32-21 and 41-14 but, under Aidan Winter’s guidance, the Arrowtowners are playing much-improved rugby. This is a game that could go either way. Meanwhile, Matakanui Combined will host Wakatipu at Omakau and will need to demonstrate a vast improvement to remain competitive. - By Bob Howitt
