Loyalty and commitment sets Cameron Cross apart ahead of his 100th Premier game

Above: Cameron Cross playing in a recent Swindale Shield match against Wellington.

If Avalon hadn’t spent four seasons out of five between 2010-2014 as a non-Premier club, this story would’ve been about Avalon’s Cameron Cross playing his 150th Premier game.

“I actually didn’t know that I was in line to be playing my 100th Premier game until the club brought it up this week,” he said. “It’s definitely a long time coming as I started playing for Avalon in the 2000 and 2001 seasons.”

Then there’s the season he spent playing for Paremata-Plimmerton in 2008. “That was when I was at Police College, and they had a Police College team that played under their banner, I think it was in the Senior 1 competition.”

But apart from that season, Cross, along with his older brother Stephen, has been a lifelong player and supporter of Avalon.

He said he started playing for the club as a junior, headed down the road for a few years to attend Naenae College and re-joined the club upon leaving school in 1999. “My brother and I organised the Avalon 80/80 team [now U85kg Restricted grade] with all our mates and we played in that competition in the first year, and then the next year I got called up to help the Premiers and I’ve stayed there ever since.”

Both brothers have given years of service to the club that they grew up with.

Cameron has played variously at halfback, first-five-eighth, wing and fullback over the years - pretty much everywhere except the midfield. “These days I play where they want to put me, but you would say I’ve always been flexible where I’ve played apart from the centres. I stay away from there if I can!”

This is partly because of the calibre of players that Avalon has had in these key positions, particularly in his early years. First five-eighths such as long-serving flyhalf Darren Kapene, former Hawke’s Bay, East Coast and Maori All Black player Mano Flutey, long-striding fullback Andrew Turner and halfback Peter Sciascia, who was the Billy Wallace Best & Fairest winner in 2006, are some players that spring to mind.

“We’ve had awesome players that I’ve played with over the years. Even the old-school players like Jason ‘Rusty’ Goble. They were all local as well.”

Older brother Stephen has started playing again, playing in Avalon’s second fifteen. “We try and keep playing together, the only time we do so at the moment is when we play for the Wellington Police team.”

Both brothers are police officers and they run the Wellington Police side. “About three weeks ago we played Wainuiomata High School, which was a big success. At this time of the year we try and play the local Hutt Valley schools, partly for some community PR and partly to give us some practice.”

Cameron said he’s played in many memorable matches. “One highlight that sticks out is in my early days we were playing against Ories and we were behind. We came back and I kicked a penalty from the side-line to win.”

He explained that things at Avalon are looking up.

“We went into that stagnant period about four-five years ago when we just couldn’t get out of the Senior 1 competition. But with the return to Premier rugby and with Scooter [Scott Waldrom] coming back, and his associated influence, things are looking positive.”

Plus the recently re-developed facilities at Fraser Park. “They’re great. I think that artificial turfs are the way of the future. They’re low maintenance, cost effective and there’s nothing better than going down on a Saturday morning and watching all the kids running around on it. The kids are rarely going to get cancelled anymore, so it’s a win-win for the next generation of players coming through.”

What about the competition itself?

“The change of the competition this year to 14 teams is a great idea, but I was a bit disappointed when I found out that we wouldn’t be playing everyone. I was a bit frustrated that this year we didn’t play our Hutt Valley rivals Wainuiomata nor Paremata-Plimmerton in the first round

“On the plus side, I think it’s great that there’s no relegation. Hardham Cup clubs this year don’t have that fear, they can actually go out and try and win games instead of trying to play it safe and saying we just need a bonus point here or there and we might finish sixth and an incumbent Premier club might finish seventh.”

The Cross brothers have also both been stalwarts of nearby Naenae Old Boys Cricket Club, also home club of Grant Elliott and Jesse Ryder. “I’ve been playing cricket for Naenae as long as I’ve been playing rugby for Avalon.”

What about retirement? “I’ll retire when I can’t run anymore.”

“I’m probably the fittest I’ve ever been in my career. The young players are getting bigger and faster and I have got to try and keep up somehow.

“I think the good thing now is that I have gone to where the likes of where Rusty Goble was to seeing all these young players coming through. Like our hard running centres Ben Peni and Jesse Oloapu, our ‘little Scooter’ openside flanker Logan Blake and one of props, Shane Fawcett, watching him grow to now be one of our top performers.”

Avalon is currently fourth in the Hardham Cup with two rounds to play in the regular season. This week they play Tawa B at home at Fraser Park in what could be their final home game of the season, and next week they play Norths at Porirua.