Masima Still buzzing after final hat-trick

“I couldn't believe it. I was floating. It’s the sort of thing you daydream about, but never expect to happen.” Neyla Masima admits when reflecting on his three tries for St Patrick’s College, Silverstream in the Premiership final against St Patrick’s College, Wellington on Sunday.

So what was Masima thinking when he went within a metre of scoring four tries?

“I stepped the wrong way which slowed me up. If I had gone right, I might have scored. It didn’t matter in the end, we got the try and that’s what counted.”

Silverstream beat Town by 29-22 to capture their second consecutive Premiership title and extend their unbeaten streak locally to 22 matches.

In winning all 11 Premiership competition matches, Silverstream scored 563 points and conceded just 95. The only one of nine encounters they didn’t earn a four-try bonus point in was their 17-7 win against Wellington College.

Silverstream thrashed St Pats Town 52-10 less than a month ago, but were pushed to the brink in the decider.

“We expected them to be a different beast. Finals are always tough to win. They were real physical and there we some sore bodies afterwards,” Masima concedes.

St Pat’s Town finished the Premiership strongly. After their 40-point loss to Silverstream in their midweek traditional at Evans Bay Park, they sought solace in posting a century of points against a depleted Porirua College, before knocking out Scots College 33-26 in an away semi-final.

Town made a fast start to the final, kicking and early penalty and then centre Emin Kaya racing 80 metres for an intercept try under the poles.

Down 10-0 was there any panic?

“No, but we knew we had to pick up the pace and push forward. We thought if we could stick to our structures and get some ball, we could comeback,” Masima reveals.

Only when Silverstream charged ahead 29-15 were thoughts of repeat success exercised, and even then it was far from over.

“I think some of the boys switched off at 29-15 and then they got a quick try. You can't switch off against good teams,” Masima stresses.

Masima was excluded from the Hurricanes Under-18 camp. Did his non-selection trigger a sharper focus?

“I was disappointed to miss out, but that's in the past. I'm not trying to prove a point, I'm just trying to do my best for the team,” Masima responds.

Silverstream plays Hastings Boys’ High School at Jerry Collins Stadium this Saturday for a place in the Hurricanes Regional Final against either Napier Boys’ High School or St Pats Town who clash in the other semi-final. The winner of the Hurricanes region will attend the National Top Four in Palmerston North.

In 2017, Hastings ended Silverstream’s season, but Silverstream won their previous meeting this season by 14-7 in May.

“Hastings is a tough team, very physical and structured. We're going to to have to be at our best to beat them,” Masima concluded.

St Pat’s Silverstream’s road to the Wellington title:

• Round 1: Beat St Bernard’s College 49-17
• Round 2: Beat Wairarapa College 64-12
• Round 3: Beat Wellington College 46-0
• Round 4: Beat Rongotai College 65-0
• Round 5: Beat Porirua College 72-5
• Round 6: Beat Hutt International Boys’ School 74-10
• Round 7: Beat Scots College 17-7
• Round 8: Beat St Pat’s Town 52-10
• Round 9: Beat St Pat’s Silverstream 61-0
• Semi-final: Beat Wellington College 34-10
• Final: Beat St Pat’s Town 29-22