The numbers
— Played 9, won 4, lost 5, points for 330, points against 232.
— Fifth after round-robin.
— Beaten Lochore Cup semifinalist.
Three best players
Ben McCarthy
Provided one of the great stories of the season when he scored 29 points, a North Otago record, in the extraordinary win over Horowhenua-Kapiti in the fifth round, landing a record 12th conversion as a streaker ran past. A super talent who did well on the wing considering he is a first five.
Tini Feke
Started at halfback, finished at second five, and could be found all over the field. A clever, enterprising player who always looked capable of sparking something but often ran out of support.
Junior Fakatoufifita
Probably his best season for the Old Golds. The powerful and quick No 8 was close to unstoppable when he had the ball in a sliver of space.
Honourable mentions: Levi Emery, Mone Samate, Manulua Taiti, Hayden Tisdall, Kelepi Funaki.
Best game
Beat Horowhenua-Kapiti 89-23 (Oamaru).
Horowhenua-Kapiti was truly awful that day, and there was a niggling sense the overall standard of Heartland rugby was not at its highest this season. But 89 points! The Old Golds were ridiculously good, and scored some tries that will live long in the memory.
Worst game
Lost to Mid Canterbury 31-15 (Oamaru)
The golden-point loss to the Hammers in the round robin in Kurow was frustrating, and the thumping away to King Country was poor. But the Lochore Cup semifinal collapse was hugely disappointing, and not the sort of thing Old Golds fans are used to.
Overall rating
An adequate 5/10. When the Old Golds were good (the Horowhenua-Kapiti game, 71-10 v Buller), they were fantastic. But they never really looked like a Meads Cup team otherwise, and the season ended so poorly. Injuries played a part, certainly, but that is part of sport.
Next year
The aim will always be the same: reach the Meads Cup. And for the love of god, stop the hated neighbour marching to a title with ease. But North Otago has some big questions to answer. Jason Forrest has a solid body of work — and the glorious Meads Cup run in 2019 is not that long ago — but he will know people expect better in 2023. And chopping and changing imports every week is not a recipe for success.
