Strong performers in Clubs? Players of the Year

Above: The Wellington Axemen’s 2014 ?Premier MVP Vaea Fifita in familiar stride in Wellington club rugby, with OBU’s Player of the Season Ian Kennedy (inset left) and the Upper Hutt Rams’ Premier MVP Murphy Taramai watched by Ories’ Best Forward winner Hunter Prescott (inset right).

The 2014 fifteen-a-side club and representative men’s rugby season that finished last Saturday has gone down as a memorable one for Wellington’s fans - for good and not so good reasons.

From the under-performing Wellington Lions to the national title-winning Junior Lions, the representative year will be remembered for a long time. The Premier club season that preceded it was one of the most evenly contested and exciting in years. The 2014 Premier Swindale Shield, Jubilee Cup and Hardham Cup competitions were all tense and dramatic for the 14 clubs involved. Below – in alphabetical order - is a run-down on each of the clubs’ top sides’ individual Player of the Season award winners.

Avalon

Player of the Year: Logan Blake

Born and bred local player Logan Blake returned to his former junior club this season and played every match except one. Under the influence of Scott Waldrom, another openside flanker, Blake had a super-consistent season leading Avalon to the Senior 1 Harper Lock Shield title and to the semi-finals of the Hardham Cup. Blake, along with loose forward partners No. 8 Daniel Sione-Leota and blindside Jonam Segi, more than held his own against Premier opposition in the Hardham Cup. Watch out for these guys in 2015.

Hutt Old Boys Marist

Marist Brothers Old Boys All Star Trophy Top Premier Player: Jason Risdon

Players Trophy Club Player of the Year: Jason Risdon

Team MVP: James Wall

Jason Risdon missed the entire pre-season and the first seven rounds of the Swindale Shield through injury. The Eagles’ form suffered without the long-serving fetcher and HOBM was flirting with regulation. When Risdon returned Hutt’s form improved dramatically. They sneaked into the Jubilee Cup and then won the competition, dropping just one game by one point in the second round. Risdon carried the ball with greater gusto this season and was typically effective winning turnovers and making countless tackles as Hutt won their first Jubilee Cup since 2007. Wall was also a champion performer for the Eagles, giving it his all every Saturday in a pack that came up trumps.

Johnsonville

Best Forward: Ha’mea Ahio

Best Back: Jack Taulapapa

Players’ Player of the Year: Corey Lawrence

Ha’mea Ahio and Jack Taulapapa have both made significant strides since the start of their first seasons playing for Johnsonville at Premier level, hard-running prop Ahio helping Horowhenua Kapiti reach the semi-finals of the Heartland Championship and livewire halfback Taulapapa this week named in Samoa’s Test squad for their end of year tour. The pair, and super-industrious flanker and some-time hooker Corey Lawrence, were key players in Johnsonville’s game showing in the Swindale Shield before injuries took their toll. Ahio played every match for Johnsonville this year, while Taulapapa played all but two Hardham Cup fixtures.

Marist St Pat’s

Marist St Pat’s Sportsman of the Year: Isaia Petelo

Explosive second five-eighth Isaia Petelo was named Marist St Pats' Sportsman of the Year at the clubs’ end of season awards. This capped off an excellent club season for Petelo whose light footwork and direct running saw him score 10 tries for the MSP, playing much of the season outside flyhalf Fa’atonu Fili and inside hard running Hurricanes centre Cardiff Vaega in MSP’s Swindale Shield winning squad. Post season he was also part of the Horowhenua Kapiti Heartland squad and also turned out for the Wellington Samoans team. Flanker Valentine Meachen won the Mick Horan Memorial Trophy and NZ U21s No. 8 Matt Peni won the O’Callaghan Cup for Most Meritorious U21 Player award,

Northern United

Most Valuable Player: Daley Ena

Best Back: Konelio Feaunati

Best Forward: Fala Tuala

Northern United’s rebuilding phase continued in 2014, and for the second successive year they found themselves arriving at the Hutt Rec on Finals Day to play the Hardham Cup. One player who consistently stood out for Norths this year and was Daley Ena. He started the season at No. 8 and also played several matches at lock. It wasn’t until the end of the Swindale Shield that he moved to prop, where he played the remainder of the season. A strong ball carrier with strength and agility, Ena trialled for the Wellington Lions and featured in the Wellington Samoans team along with his teammate Konolio Feaunati. A powerful midfielder who runs with speed and aggression, Feaunati was also a photographer’s favourite this year with his distinctive beard. Fala Tuala made a successful position change from lock to openside flanker this season due to his speed and technical ability at the breakdown. He is competent and dominant in the lineout.

Old Boys University

Ian Archibald Trophy - OBU Premier Player of the Year: Ian Kennedy

Ian 'Chisel' Kennedy, along with his brother Ross, was the beating heart of Old Boys University’s forward pack that was often immense in 2014. But for a couple of mis-firing performances, OBU would have made the Jubilee Cup playoffs. Ian Kennedy’s experience in the trenches and his ability to cover several positions when injuries struck made him most valuable Goat in 2014. Kennedy is often seen winning lineouts, ranging wide on attack and cutting down opposition backs all in the space of a few minutes. Other Premier award winners inluded: Noel Ryder Cup Outstanding Player First year out of school - Wes Goosen; Al Keown Memorial Cup – Best U21 Player Teariki Ben-Nicholas; Supporters Cup – Most improved premier team player - James Waddel.

Oriental-Rongotai

Best Forward: Hunter Prescott

Best Back: Trevor Marama

Hooker Hunter Prescott returned from three years playing in the ACT in Australia to join the WRFU Academy and the Ories Premiers. With Ories’ number 1 hooker Motu Matu’u absent with a broken arm for much of the season, 2010 Scots College captain Prescott made the most of his opportunities for Ories this year, starting in 13 matches. Prescott is a committed team man, a great trainer and gave 100% on the field all season and justifiably made his debut off the bench recently for the Wellington Lions against Taranaki. ?A Player to watch in 2015. Second five-eighth Trevor Marama was Mr Consistent for Ories. Not the flashiest player in the backline but a rock in midfield and when fit and available from the second half of the season onwards helped bind the Ories backs together in a series of tough Jubilee Cup battles.

Paremata-Plimmerton

Premier MVP: Ryan McLean

2014 was a memorable year for fullback Ryan McLean, having played for Paremata-Plimmerton’s top team since he left school and this season having passed the 200- game milestone for his club. On the back of the team’s success this year, Ryan had the opportunity to show his class as a player throughout the season, and was an integral part in the team’s success in reaching the Hardham Cup. McLean touched down five times in the Hardham Cup and showed superb positional sense both on attack and defence. He capped off the year by being selected in the Suburbs Team which was a testament to this.

Petone

Ian Upston Trophy Open Grade Player of the Year: Tamati Samuels

Tamati Samuels was a member of the Gisborne Boys’ High School First XV that won the schools’ maiden Super 8 title in 2011. In recent times he has been a member of the Hurricanes Development squad. Samuels made big strides for a much improved Petone this season. Samuels covered both first five-eighth and fullback as the villagers pushed for a Jubilee Cup semi-final place. Samuels is a fleet-footed counter-attacker; with the ability to pass long and accurately in both directions and kick off both feet.

Poneke

Premier Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year: Sam Johnson

Former St Pat’s Silverstream and HOBM player Sam Johnson returned from a couple of seasons side-lined with a back injury, joining Poneke through his good mate Roy McGrath. His arrival proved a blessing in disguise, with the loss of Presley Tufuga to Auckland and a shortage in the locking stocks within the senior club. Johnson didn’t take long to make himself at home, slotting in to the engine room perfectly as if he had always belonged. ?He has a very strong work ethic on the field, is physically up for the battle, gives his team 110% and also has good rugby nous. Off the field, he earned the respect of his teammates and the club for being a player who was willing to play his heart out for the team but when the game was over he was always willing to hang around and be a part of the team and club’s social activities.

Tawa

Player of the Year: Fili Koloamatangi

The Alhambra-Union club in Dunedin’s loss was Tawa’s gain a few years ago when Fili Koloamatangi made his way north to Lyndhurst Park. Koloamatangi has proved a mainstay of Tawa’s side and was a key member of their Wolfpack that won the Jubilee Cup and Swindale Shield last year. In a competitive competition this season Tawa were just that little bit off the pace, but Koloamatangi had several giant games for them. Playing mostly at lock, but equally at home at blindside flanker, he missed some of the Swindale Shield rounds through injury but returned to play every match in the Jubilee Cup, wearing the captain’s arm-band in some games too in the absence of Taniela Koroi.

Upper Hutt Rams

Most Valuable Player: Murphy Taramai

Former Upper Hutt Colt and Penrith Panthers rugby league trialist Murphy Taramai made a name for himself in Upper Hutt’s 2012 Sevens campaign and went on to win the National Sevens with Wellington at the start of this year. But it was the 15s game that he made giant strides in his second Premier season in 2014. The Upper Hutt Rams’ strengths this year were their bevy of busy, ball carrying loose forwards and Taramai was a key cog in this set-up. As well as his skills on attack, Taramai didn’t shirk the hard work and he was also named his team’s Best Tackler. He made his debut off the bench for the Wellington Lions recently. Best Team Member for the Upper Hutt Rams was Mat Luamanu.

Wainuiomata

Player of the Year: Ben Tupuola

Forward of the Year: Bevan Clark

Back of the Year: Corey Draper

Ben Tupuola transferred from league to union in 2014 and it proved to be a great decision. The 28- year old who had sustained shoulder injuries in the past won the Billy Wallace award as the best and fairest player in the competition. Tupuola played 15 games and impressed with his explosive running, ability to offload in contact and improved work rate. Tupuola missed the Jubilee Cup final which Wainuiomata narrowly lost. Had Tupuola been available he might well have been the difference in a tight tussle. Clark epitomised Wainuiomata’s never say die attitude amongst their tight five, while former Wellington Colts halfback Corey Draper was always in the fight.

Wellington

Premier MVP: Vaea Fifita

Forward of the Year: Dean Brunsdon

Back of the Year: Tony Smith

Back in mid-2012, the then unknown Wellington Axemen’s No. 8 peeled off the scrum and ran 50 metres to score s stunning individual try against Petone. This was a Senior 2 match and few were watching. Fast-forward two and a bit years and audiences have seen a lot more of Vaea Fifita in the ITM Cup. It’s almost impossible to consider the Axemen's debut season in Premier rugby without the contribution of Fifita. A freakish athletic talent at both set-piece and in open play, he notched Best & Fairest points in 8 of the 11 weeks of the Swindale Shield, including seven consecutively from rounds three to nine; and still finished fourth in those standings despite points not being allocated to Hardham Cup matches. After playing for Norths between 2007-13, Brunsdon transferred to the Axemen this year and picked up from where he left off with a series of whole-hearted performances at No. 8 and openside flanker, while Smith showed genuine speed in scoring 15 tries this year playing equally on the left and right wings.