The 2009 Gillette Four Nations Kiwis squad October 2009

Bartercard Premiership Selection squad

Kiwis v.

Gillette Four Nations - Kiwis v. Kangaroos

Gillette Four Nations - Kiwis v. France

What’s In This Issue Pages 2 - 4: Update from CEO Jim Doyle Page 12: Update from Football Operations Page 4: Kiwis v Tonga in the Rotorua Rumble Page 13: Kiwi match officials head north Pages 5: Photos from the Tonga Test Page 14: NZ Maori RL tournament Page 6 - 7: Events wrap up by Peter Cordtz Page 15: RL’s Cup Page 8: NZRL’s new management structure Page 16: RL’s Primary Schools competition Page 9: Counties Manukau Zone Board announced Page 17: Canterbury’s Aaron Whittaker moves Page 10: Mutterings around the Coach’s Box Pages 18 - 19: Canterbury RL’s Annual Awards Page 11: High Performance Coach and Trainer Kiwi Page 20: Mad Butcher’s Gillette Four Nations booklet Experience Update from NZRL CEO Jim Doyle - October

October was certainly an exciting and very positive month for . It started with a successful Grand Final of the Bartercard National Provincial Premiership, which was won in the last minute by the Canterbury Bulls in front of their home crowd. Then came the chance to see our pathways in action, as we saw the Bartercard Premiership Selection team come together with the selected team management and enjoy the benefits of all their hard work throughout the season by taking the field against a Toa select squad that included rugby league icon . It was a fantastic afternoon with the Bartercard Premiership Selection team running away to a 52 – 14 victory, and to top it all the crowd turned out in numbers and we raised $31,000 which was presented to the Samoa Tsunami Relief Fund Charity. Above: The Bartercard Premiership Selection team with Talking to the players and management after some of the Kiwis at the Millennium Institute. the game they all said it was something they will never forget. Having hand out the jerseys one day then playing against Ruben Wiki the next, will be something they will all remember for a long time. We then turned our attention to the KIWIS. First stop was to arrange High Performance Coach and Trainer workshops to allow 32 dedicated volunteers to be part of the Kiwis camp for the day (16 at each session). The feedback from the participants, both Kiwi management and our coaches and trainers, was fantastic. Stephen Kearney said that this was really exciting for everyone and agreed this should be done at every possible opportunity. We were then into the first game of our end of season campaign, Kiwis v Tonga, and it was certainly a great warm up for the Gillette Four Nations and the crowd loved it. Although the weather was against us, on the night a good crowd turned up to support the team and saw us come away with a 40 - 24 victory. Before the team got on the plane for Europe we had a leadership session with Dr. Lester Levy who is the leadership professor at Auckland University’s business schools. It was a great time for the management team to discuss leadership and team culture, and review what was ahead of them during their Gillette Four Nations campaign. What a great start to the Gillette Four Nations campaign we got, an absolutely fantastic game against in our opening game. The team was confident they were ready to take on Australia and they sure did. It was one of the best matches that we have seen since the 2008 World Cup Final, and it sure had everyone on the edge of their seats throughout the game. The only pity was that the Aussies sneaked a try in the last minute to draw the scores level at 20 all. Then the Kiwis finished off October with a good win against a gallant French team 62 – 12. Hopefully November is as exciting and rewarding as October. ...continued

Talking to the players and management after the game they all said it was something they will never forget. Having Benji Marshall hand out the jerseys one day then playing against Ruben Wiki the next, will be something they will all remember for a long time.

2 Update from NZRL CEO Jim Doyle - October - continued In line with our improved communications plan and continued transparency please find following an update on how we are progressing against our Game Plan.

Game Development – National Competitions Last month we said we were in the process of setting up a Competitions advisory group (from within our game) that will meet and work on what the future competitions structure will look like. This would then lead to further discussions throughout the country. The Competitions advisory group has now been established and our first meeting was held on Friday October 30th. The meeting lasted the whole day (early start for those from and Wellington) and was extremely positive with lots of very creative thinking and good discussions around what would be best across the country going forward. This will be worked on again before this year is out, and we will keep you up to date as we progress our initial thinking. Kevin Bailey will provide a further update in his section on page 13 of this newsletter. Partners October was a busy month with respect to working with our Partners and particularly our funding partners. Meetings were held with SPARC, Lion Foundation, NZCT, etc where we presented our Game Plan and discussed support required to drive forward and deliver our plan. This was well received and we are now working through the specific details with each of them with respect to how we move forward.

Increased Participation – LeagueNet We are currently processing registrations for season close off and will have an account of all 2009 registered players by the end of November. Although there are some areas of District registration information that we do not have (Waikato Juniors, Northland Juniors, Manawatu) the tally at the end of November will be the most accurate collation of player numbers that NZRL have ever been able to report on – which is a fantastic outcome. It is absolutely fantastic to see for the first time ’s player membership online. This is credit to the hard work and administration provided by Jason and Lara Hemson throughout this 2009 season. Thank you both immensely for your efforts. Over the next two weeks Carmen Taplin will make further contact with Districts regarding the new Online Clearance process for internal, inter-District and international transfers for the 2010 season. A part of this process is for NZRL, in conjunction with the Zones, to enable the Districts ownership of their Online Membership database, which not only strengthens their capability but gives them access to their player membership data online.

Culture of Excellence – “Right People, Right Places” Last month we indicated that now our Game Plan and tactics were complete, we would be reviewing our structure. This is now complete and we have finalised a new structure which sees the disestablishment of both the General Manager and Marketing & Communications Manager roles, and the introduction of a Football Manager, Marketing & Sponsorship Manager and Communications Officer. We will now advertise these roles and look to appoint the right person into each role as soon as possible.

Further details with respect to the NZRL structure are highlighted on page 8 of this newsletter and are available on our website at www.nzrl.co.nz/NZRL Team We are currently processing registrations for season close off and will have an ac- count of all 2009 registered players by the end of November.

3 Family & Community – More than just a Game We recently met with ACC to re-confirm our commitments to reducing injuries in Rugby League and ensuring the game is as safe as possible for all who participate in it. This is a key objective in achieving growth in our sport. We have in the past year achieved a significant decrease in Rugby League injury rates in comparison to other years. This is a good indication that our Injury Prevention programmes can be effective in our community. A focus on increasing the numbers of trained First Aid Officers, an increased reach of the LeagueSmart programme, and Mandatory accreditations will all assist in achieving our objectives. It was very saddening to see the recent serious injury to Wellington player Penehe Sakaria who fractured his neck making a shoulder charge tackle in a Wellington schools competition. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Penehe and we re-iterate that shoulder charges and grass cutter tackles are dangerous and are illegal in . Thanks goes out to the training and management staff and the medical staff involved with this injury in ensuring no further harm occurred giving Penehe every opportunity for a full recovery. International Success – go the KIWIS! What a start to the Gillette Four Nations campaign! And I am sure you will all agree that we hope the Kiwis can maintain their strong performances and come up with a win against England this weekend. It would make for a fantastic Final, and if it is a repeat of the first game with Australia it will have the nation on the edge of their seats. A huge positive is to see that we have such depth of talent in the Kiwis squad, and some of the new young players that are getting game time are really shining, which means the future looks bright. As part of the Gillette Four Nations campaign we also set objectives to learn a few things from other organisations and this starts this week. Obviously Stephen and the team are very focused on the job at hand, but any spare time will see the management team visit some other organisations. Financial Sustainability – Budgets Work is continuing on identifying not only the core cost components for each of the tactics identified to deliver our Game Plan, but also the incremental costs that will be incurred. Building such a detailed analysis of our cost structure going forward will enable us to be far more accurate with our future funding applications, and give the organisation a more stable financial platform.

Communications As many of our members identified the NZRL Newsletter as a core communications channel, I encourage you all to send in content submissions and suggestions so that we can continue to highlight the broad range of rugby league activity that takes place all over New Zealand. Content can be emailed to [email protected] and don’t forget to send some photos as well.

Effective Administration and Governance – Zone Boards With the recent announcement of the Counties Manukau Zone Board, the number of Zone Boards still to be appointed drops to two – Northern and Mid Central. We expect to be able to announce these two remaining Boards in early November, in the meantime go to page 8 for a more detailed update on the Zone Boards.

There is always a lot happening in the rugby league community so I hope this newsletter helps in keeping you up to date. However, if there are any issues you would like more information on, or if there is someone from your local rugby league community you would like to suggest for special mention, please do let us know. We won’t know about it if you don’t tell us about it!

A huge positive is to see that we have such depth of talent in the Kiwis squad, and some of the new young players that are getting game time are really shining which means the future looks bright.

4 Rotorua Rumble a mighty night out! Rotorua rugby league supporters braved the weather to come out in force to support the Kiwis as they took on Tonga at Rotorua International Stadium on October 14. With Tonga taking it to the Kiwis, it was no walk in the park for a Kiwis side that featured four debutants - Junior Sau, Bryson Goodwin, Frank-Paul Nuuausala and Rotorua-local Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. While still very much a full-blooded international – underlined by the manner in which the intensity spilled over at times – the Test was also a build-up match for both sides ahead of important tournaments coming up. For the Kiwis it was their only workout before the Gillette Four Nations while Tonga was using the game to prepare for the in .

Clockwise from top left: Bry- son Goodwin; Frank-Paul Nuuausa; Junior Sau; Jared Waerea-Hargreaves; Jeff Lima; the Kiwis and Tonga assemble for the national an- thems; a keen Kiwis sup- porter; Jared Waerea- Hargreaves with supporters in the tunnel; signing autographs for fans.

5 Events wrap up - by Peter Cordtz September/October is inevitably a very busy period with a congested run of events during the transition from the business end of the domestic representative season to the international programme. It is timely then to reflect on the performance of those events and to acknowledge those who contributed to their success. National Provincial Premiership Finals Feedback from participating districts and the broadcaster in relation to the 2008 format saw the addition of a semi-finals weekend to the Bartercard Premiership in 2009. Amongst the event management challenges were two live televised semi- finals from two district venues across the same weekend, and a finals weekend that saw the NJC finals staged in Auckland while the live Bartercard Premiership final was played in Christchurch. The quality of the live events and the broadcast presentations were testament to the work of NZRL event staff and a number of key partners. The support of personnel from and was invaluable in staging a ‘split’ grand final offering. Sky TV deserves credit for taking the Grand Final to in Christchurch, despite the additional cost they incurred in doing so. All were rewarded with a spectacle befitting the occasion. Auckland showed the hallmark of champions in the manner that they accepted the decision, knowing that a trip to Addington has historically meant a very tough day at the office for their team… as was the case on this occasion. However, the ARL staff that assisted with the NJC finals at Cornwall Park, did get to see the province reassert its dominance at age group level, taking both the 16s and 18s titles (albeit in extra time for national 16s honours against a gallant Taranaki). Bartercard Premiership Selection vs Toa Samoa Domestic – LEAGUE 4 SAMOA The initial rationale for this match was to acknowledge the best players on the domestic scene while also being seen to support the development of Pacific Rugby League at a domestic level i.e. the best of Samoa’s home grown talent. While this objective remained important, the key theme of the event was overtaken somewhat by the tragic event that was the tsunami. Samoan officials were contacted that day to offer them the opportunity to cancel the tour but they chose to proceed on the basis that this would be the best way for them to connect with Samoan communities grieving in New Zealand. In keeping with this intent, NZRL shifted the focus of the event from football, to the unique opportunity that it presented to contribute to the outpouring of New Zealand support for Samoa. Within two days of that first phone call, the ‘League 4 Samoa’ event was a reality. There were many contributors to the success of this event and the easiest way to acknowledge them without missing any body is to list them. Rugby League Samoa – For the courage and vision to proceed with the tour. Auckland Regional Council – For the leadership of Chairman Mike Lee in supporting the waiving of venue hire fees and event support from Mt Smart Operations Manager, Rachel O’Gorman. The Trust – Particularly Noma Sio and Petrina George for talent recruitment and stage management services for entertainment that included the Yandall Sisters, Lapi Mariner, , Anonymouz, Natasha Urale, Cydel, For Da Grind and Luminous. NZ Police Recruiting – For staging and sound requirements via the services of DJ Lenny (known to many as Officer Len Johnson) and ably supported with the MC services of Willie Iosia.

6 Manukau Institute of Technology – For providing bucket collection and gate sales staff. Fetu Samoa & Auckland Womens Invitational - For providing a spectacular curtain raiser and event support via Sally Va’afusuaga. Maori Television Service – For providing delayed, full coverage of the match at short notice. Fusion Audio – For donating inflatable ‘Fusion Aliens’, a marquee and compressor for fund raising sales. Bartercard NZ Ltd- – For a donation of 10,000 Bartercard Trade Dollars toward the cause. The Mad Butcher – For providing the BBQ, bangers and manpower for fund raising sausage sales (in addition to Kevin Mealamu and Graeme Henry, MB CEO Mike Morton and Operations Manager Dan Adams were also spotted on the end of the BBQ during the day). Peter Charles Leitch QSM – For being passionate and mad enough to upset the lovely Janice Leitch by flying back to Auckland from his Wellington break to be part of the day by coming out of BBQ retirement to drive the sausage sizzle and for topping up the sausage sales with a personal contribution that saw the Mad Butcher total reach the $10,000 mark. Ruben Wiki – For putting his body on the line for the cause and for the honour of representing the country of his grandparents birth. Last and certainly by no means least, thanks to the NZRL personnel whose tireless efforts and support from friends and family on the event day, helped to create such a special day that ultimately contributed $31,000 to this cause. Special thanks to NZRL Director Vui Mark Gosche for his efforts in helping to connect with and mobilise his extensive Pacific community networks.

Kiwis vs Ma’a Mate Tonga – THE ROTORUA RUMBLE Those who witnessed this spectacle either live or on Sky TV will not need convincing about whether or not it ‘worked’. However as above, there are some acknowledgements to be made.

The first of these is to Peter McLeod and his team at Events & Venues Rotorua (EVR), who along with the Rotorua District Council presented a compelling case to attract the event to their city. From an NZRL event team used to working with a variety of venues and event personnel, the overwhelming feedback is that the EVR team were exceptional to deal with and entirely focussed on the needs of the NZRL. Event support was also provided by Bay of Plenty Rugby League with match day assistance from Taranaki Rugby League personnel. NZ Maori Rugby League and Warriors development personnel are also to be congratulated for a wonderful curtain raiser event that showcased some exciting teen talent. Even prior to the tsunami appeal, NZRL had planned to conduct a bucket appeal at this event in support of the families of Tongan ferry disaster victims. Local Tongan community collectors were identified and coordinated by Mr Kalolo Fihaki from the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. A collection totalling just over $1,300 will be forwarded to the appropriate appeal committee.

7 New Zealand Rugby League maps out new Management Structure New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Jim Doyle recently unveiled a revamped management structure which will result in three new senior appointments. The way had been cleared for change after staff gave their full support to a proposed new structure to take the game into the future. He said this will see the NZRL advertising for a football manager, a coaching and development manager and a marketing and sponsorship manager. “With the game going through a phase of major change after the independent review, we are now in a position to initiate changes in the way we run the organisation in our national office,” he said. “These are designed to help us in our mission to rebuild rugby league’s public image, to secure significant sponsorship, to improve the way we communicate with our members and to work a lot harder at grass roots level.” In addition to the three senior jobs, Doyle said a junior level position would be advertised for the newly- created role of communications officer. It is hoped the new appointments would be made by the end of December. General Manager’s View - by Peter Cordtz Recent publicity over the planned restructuring at NZRL is clear proof of two things. The first is the fact that NZRL remains committed to the reform that was first floated at the 2008 AGM, even prior to the SPARC review i.e. improving the capability of the organisation to more effectively service its stakeholders and deliver on its objectives. As General Manager at the time, I announced the plan to recruit a CEO with strong commercial skills in order to improve the NZRL’s capability and performance. At that time, I also responded to questions about my role by saying that in recommending the appointment of a CEO, I understood what the possible implications were for my own role i.e. GM role may be disestablished but that was ultimately the responsibility of the incoming CEO. This then is why I was quoted recently as saying “this is not a surprise...” and “...I not only support what Jim is doing, I was part of making it happen”. The second thing the coverage and media response has proved, is that reality is seldom as ‘sexy’ as perception. Recent headlines that have included such gems as “Heads Roll at NZRL…” and “Staff Axed in NZRL Shake Up” are intended to be provocative, not informative. I remain committed to a process that I was instrumental in starting and am currently in the process of assessing my options. As I also said at the 2008 AGM, this has always been about what is best for the game.

8 ZONE BOARD UPDATE Counties Manukau Zone Board named with two Boards still to be confirmed. Following the recent confirmation of the Auckland, Southern, Lower Central and Upper Central Zone Boards, the recent announcement of the Counties Manukau Zone Board brings the total of Zone Boards to be appointed to five. The Counties Manukau Zone comprises of Manukau City, Papakura and Franklin District regions within the current Auckland district. The Boards of the remaining two zones - Northern and Mid Central - are expected to be announced over the next few weeks. All seven Zone Boards will convene with the NZRL Board of Directors and executive at an induction meeting to be held at NZRL on Saturday 21 November.

Northern Zone - a subsection of the existing Auckland Zone - a subsection of the existing Auckland District comprising North Harbour Auckland District comprising clubs from west, combined with Northland District central and east Auckland (incl. Howick) Announced 26 August 2009 TBA Sam Sefuiva - Chairman Luke Gagamoe Brian Lythe Alan Meadows Howard Thomas Counties Manukau Zone - a subsection of the Upper Central Zone - including Bay of Plenty, existing Auckland District comprising Papakura, Coastline, Gisborne and Waikato Districts Franklin and Manukau City (incl. Otahuhu).

Announced 30 October 2009 Announced 01 October 2009 Ken Lotu-Iiga - Chairman Earl Rattray - Chairman Leigh Auton Ken Eruera Trevor Gill Kevin Forgeson Iva Ropati Te Arahi Maipi Emile Va’afusuaga Steve Thackray

Mid Central Zone - including Hawkes Bay, Lower Central Zone - Encompasses the Manawatu, Taranaki and Wanganui Districts greater Wellington region (incl. Wairarapa). Announced 18 September 2009 TBA Timothy Gibson – Chairman John Bishop Mark Feary Jonathon Hanton

Southern Zone - including Tasman, West Coast, Otago, Southland, and Canterbury Districts Announced 10 September 2009 Rex Capil – Chairman John Brimble Carolyn Harkess Reon Edwards Craig McGuigan

9 Mutterings around the table by Dennis Ward Present: Bill Snowden, Eric Carson, Lindsay Proctor, Maunga Emery, Henry Max- well and some other Aussie bloke. “Geez, great to see you………” “been along time……….” “you look great ………” “remember the time ………” “yeah and what about…….” “Hey, touring rules, what happens on ………stays on ……….” “you hear about Bo………” … and so it goes, old mates enjoying each others company.

Kiwis Re-Union 2009 “Should never miss one of these ya know” sez the ‘Straliyan’. “Right” adds Proctor “time goes too quick, things change so fast – blokes go missing”. Carso remarked to Henry “you been to a K’roo re-union?” “Yes, and the G.F. next day. Great weekend, really enjoyed it. Should do it ag……” Henry never finished the sentence before Bill Snowden chimed in “twelve Aussie based Kiwi’s at the one just gone”. Big Lindsay crystallised the thought that was forming – “why don’t we go” Proposal: Kiwi party to K’roo Re-union and G.F. in 2010. Aussies – Pommies - and us. First Saturday in October at the S.C.G., Sunday at the Footy Stadium and good times in-between. Three days in and it won’t cost “your kicking foot either”. Lindsay’s taken on the job as organiser and is keen to hear from any Kiwi who want to time-travel to see old friends and foes and have another great football experience. Lindsay can be contacted by phone on (h) 09 408 3084, mobile 0274 128 872 or by e-mail: [email protected]

Men of League Kiwi Re-union was terrific. Most exclusive club in NZ. That jumper and selection is only available to a select few - very special people and club. Graeme Coutts ad- dressed the assembly, told some very funny stories then mentioned M.O.L. – Men of League. Not many Rugby Leaguer’s in NZ have heard of this – more’s the pity because this is one R.L. organisation that is well worth an investment in time and effort. Graeme is keen to see a similar arrangement kick-on in NZ, and he is dead right. Billy Snowden, Eric Carson, Lindsay Proctor are all members ‘over there’ and jumped on Graeme from a great height, with support for the idea. Believe me, this is a great concept. M.O.L. started in Australia in 2002. Commenced by RL stalwarts Ron Coote, Jim Hall, Noel Kelly and probably a number of other notables. ‘The M.O.L. Foundation is all about mates helping their own through life’s biggest ad- versities. It’s a story of mateship that transcends the bonds developed through our great game of Rugby League. The Foundation showcases mateship, looking after and supporting our own, long after the final siren’. Maybe something unique and pe- culiar to those from the Lands of ANZAC. Emotional but true. The Foundation operates to assist past and present Rugby League players (notice here the words employed are ‘Rugby League players’ – all R.L. players, not just the greats). But it goes further, Rugby League players means coaches, referees, officials, administrators, members of their families who have fallen on the rocks. While no cash grants are made, the hand of friendship has extended to payments for cancer treatments, electric wheelchairs, surgery, transport, rental assistance. This is an organisation that makes you truly proud of the game and to be a Leaguee. The League is also keen enough to have a serious look at this and investigate further. Sooooo keep an eye on this space this time next month for more news. Get on board with this one – its worthwhile. …. continued

10 Mutterings around the table by Dennis Ward - continued NOW, AS PROMISED in the September edition of the NZRL Newsletter - on page 12 – MINI-MOD REVIEW. This is a personal invite to any persons seriously concerned with the growth and welfare of our game and, more importantly, the youngsters who play it, to drop me a line with their thoughts on the Mini-Mod Game. The review is under-pinned by a notion pursuing pre-eminence for the game. This is sought through increased participation rates and maintenance of those rates through the ages. The re- view will have a fair crack at what impacts on recruitment, participation, development of young players and RETENTION. In the end, a programme for kids that keeps them coming back. The other side of the coin of course is a game that is safe, enjoyable and a healthy past-time – in one word – ‘wholesome’. This means a whole of Mini-Mod game review – rules, competition, structure, ethics. A game not for adults but for children. My e-mail is [email protected] if anyone wants to drop me a line. Peter Cordtz will be seeking formal feedback via your local administrators. While on the topic of reviews, the League is serious enough about the connection between safety, learning and participation that it has included the consideration of the 5 metre rule for the ‘Safe Play Code’ grades (13, 14 & 15yrs.) in the review discussions. This is in keeping with a policy change implemented by the for season 2010. Till next month.

11 Community Programmes - with Dain Guttenbeil High Performance Coach and Trainer Kiwi Experience

32 coaches and trainers, nominated by their Districts, recently participated in a High Performance coach and trainer workshop. Two workshops were held – the first in Auckland on 9th October and the second Rotorua on 13th October. These workshops were designed to fit into the Kiwis’ schedules while they were in camp for their one New Zealand based game for 2009, against Tonga. Both workshops gave the local trainers and coaches invaluable insights as to how the Kiwis team train, their training philosophies, how the team is managed in camp and the general running of a high performance team. The Auckland workshop provided the group with the opportunity to view the Kiwis gym-based session, along with a field session and engagement sessions with the Kiwis staff, while the Rotorua workshop provided the group with a close look at the Kiwis recovery sessions and protocols following a close-up viewing of the final team run prior to the Test match. The response to the workshops has been extremely positive, not only from the coaches and trainers who attended the workshops, but also from the Kiwis staff and players. “The opportunity was unique and surprisingly one that had not been implemented in the past. We wanted to turn the idea of using the Kiwis staff and team as another learning tool for our community into a reality, with the opportunity of having the Kiwis back in New Zealand preparing for their Test match against Tonga. This really was a trial to look at the value we can provide to our people, and also to look at how the Kiwis staff and players would respond to the concept,” said NZRL Community Programmes Manager Dain Guttenbeil.

“It is really pleasing that on both accounts this type of programming and opportunity was extremely well received by all involved. Given the support to these kinds of opportunities coming directly from Stephen Kearney, the door is open on developing these sorts of opportunities in more depth in the upcoming season and years following.” The NZRL are currently conducting a formal review of the recent workshops to ensure improvements are made and planning for future workshops can commence.

12 Keeping busy with Competitions Commissioner Kevin Bailey

National Provincial Premiership Sunday 4th October saw the playing of the Grand Finals in the three grades of the Bartercard National Provincial Premiership competition, with Canterbury being successful in the Bartercard Premiership by defeating Auckland 26-20 by scoring in the last few minutes of the match which was played in Christchurch. Canterbury went through the competition undefeated and thoroughly deserved to maintain their hold on the . According to Sky Televisions estimates the final series attracted a viewing audience in excess of 100,000. The final of the National Junior 18 year competition saw Auckland defeat Wellington by 34-10 in a match played at Cornwall Park Auckland under wet and muddy conditions. The first half was evenly contested but the Auckland team came home the stronger in the second half to claim the Kiwi Cup from Wellington, the 2008 holders. Auckland and Taranaki contested the final of the National Junior 16 year competition for the Foundation Cup. This match was also played at Cornwall Park under trying conditions and was an arm wrestle from start to finish with Auckland eventually coming out the winners in extra time by 11-10. All three grades were evenly contested, so much so that the Round 2 games that were deferred due to aircraft problems were all required to be played as they had a bearing on which teams qualified for the final series. Apart from the aircraft problems the competition in the three grades ran smoothly and part of this can be attributed to the performances in particular of the Team Managers. Many thanks to all those who contributed, players, Team Officials, Referees and Match Managers - your devotion and assistance was appreciated.

Bartercard Premiership Selection Following the playing of the Bartercard National Provincial Premiership Final a Bartercard Premiership Selection team was selected to play against the Toa Samoa Residents team on Saturday 10th October at Mt Smart Stadium. As a result of the Samoan tsunami tragedy this match was the conduit for an appeal venture for the victims of the tragedy, raising $31,000 from public donations coupled with assistance from the Mad Butcher and Bartercard NZ. The Bartercard Selection team assembled in Auckland on the Thursday prior to the game, allowing them only two days in which to work on team combinations. However the team combined well on the day and after an evenly fought first half managed to keep the Samoan team scoreless in the second half, running out winners by 52-14. Thanks to Maori TV for coming on board - the match attracted an audience of some 86,000 viewers.

13 Keeping busy with Competitions Commissioner Kevin Bailey - continued Competition Structures Review A meeting was held on Friday 30th October at NZRL Head Office in regard to reviewing all the NZRL competitions structures ongoing from 2010. This meeting was attended by representatives from the NZRL (Jim Doyle, and Kevin Bailey), Auckland (Pat Carthy, with input from Brent Gemmell), Wellington (Jason Hemson and Peter Mellars) and Canterbury (Graeme Sole and ). The meeting from the onset was The meeting from the onset was extremely positive, with a extremely positive, with a good good range of discussions covering all competitions and the timings of such in an effort to provide continuity through the range of discussions covering all season. A draft competitions calendar was formulated and it competitions and the timings of is proposed that this, plus the results of the meeting, be such in an effort to provide con- presented to other District Leagues at meetings to be set up tinuity through the season. in the near future. Judicial Review Meetings The NZRL Judicial and Appeals committees have been conducting meetings regarding a review of the current Judicial and Appeals procedures. Part of this review is to structure a common judicial procedure, coupled with penalties, that can be adopted by all District Leagues and thus bring a uniformity of procedures and penalties throughout the District Leagues. The Review is also undertaking a study of the problems associated with the abuse and assaults levelled at Referees, and in particular the problems associated with spectator behaviour. Also on

REFS CALL! European Federation and Four Nations get a taste of Kiwi referees NZRL referees Leon Williamson and Adam Burns are currently in the Northern Hemisphere, refereeing some of the European Federation rugby league matches. Leon will also be refereeing in the Gillette Four Nations while Adam will be a touch judge. Below is a note from Leon and Adam on the early part of their trip up north. We have settled in with no problems and have accommodation in Leeds City Centre at our disposal. This is where we are based for our entire stay. The RFL have made us all feel as comfortable as possible, which we are. We have been at the "John Charles" Olympic Aquatics Centre this week for rehab sessions, and our physical training sessions have been carried out at the Carne- gie Leeds University. The facilities consist of a running track, weights room, an anaerobic studio and the Administration Offices of the RFL Match Officials. We have been training four days a week and have massages on Monday/Thursday. The training sessions have been to maintain our fitness and have been styled with the intention of not causing muscle tension or injury. The sessions still require a high standard of fitness level to perform.

Myself and Adam had our first European Federation game on Sunday 18 October which required us to fly to Ireland the morning after landing in England. The Irish country side is very similar to that of New Zealand. Unfor- tunately, we only spent 36 hours in Ireland and the game - Ireland v Serbia - was a 82-0 result in favour of Ireland. This was not a very testing game, but allowed us to blow the jet lag out.

Our first game in the Gillette Four Nations is the opening match between England and France. It is by no means going to be an easy task, but we are looking forward to the challenge, and we will both enjoy the atmosphere.

Regards, Leon & Adam

14 2009 New Zealand Mäori Rugby League Tournament 2009 I am writing as the Chairman of New Zealand Mäori Rugby League to say thank you to all the 23 teams that attended this year’s Rotorua tournament.

A special thanks to John Devonshire and Titia Graham who headed a great group of volunteers and workers. I would also like to acknowledge the referees who turned up in such great numbers to ensure the games were officiated both on the field and the sidelines. Also a special mention to the Bay of Plenty Rugby League, led by Jenny Nahu, who provided the back up support to NZ Mäori Rugby League.

This year’s event had 23 teams in the Rohe, Waka and Wahine sections. All of the games were played in good spirit and a very competitive manner. There were no incidents or behaviour that caused us any concern at all both on and off the field. A special thanks to the Managers and Coaches for the way they controlled this aspect of the event. They were very professional in the way the teams ran. I think they made the tournament so much easier to run and enjoyable to be part of.

It was a general agreement that the quality of the rugby league played was of a higher standard than in previous years across all of the competition grades.

The finalists in the Rohe section were Tamaki Makaurau and Nga Puhi. Auckland took this section out winning the converted Steve Watene trophy beating the young Nga Puhi team convincingly. The Auck- land team’s size, experience and power was too much for the younger lighter Nga Puhi side that had played in some very tough matches to make the Final in a count back with the other teams in their sec- tion.

Nga Puhi had scored a surprise but deserving victory over last year’s champions Counties Manukau in their opening match of the tournament to eventually finish second in the section. It proved the old ad- age that you have to have your mind on the job and take no one for granted at the Mäori Rugby League tournament otherwise you won’t get through.

The Waka section was taken out by Tauranga Moana over Te Aroha from Wellington. This was a very good Final that was contested right to the end, with the football being played in an intense and skilful manner. One has to remind oneself that the players are playing their fifth game in two days. The pain and soreness of those previous four encounters had to be put aside to win the Lummy Newton Trophy. It is a credit to the players’ fitness and toughness to be able to front up the way that they did in all of the sections. Full credit must go to Te Aroha - it was their first tournament and they made the Finals in the Waka and Wahine section first time up.

Counties Manukau (right) took out the Wahine section, winning the Te Korowai o Hauora trophy by proving too strong and experienced for Te Aroha. The standard of rugby league by the wahine throughout the tourna- ment was of the highest order. The wahine played with skill and toughness that left many full of admiration towards the way the wahine approached the game. They are a special part of the tournament and we look forward to growing the wahine involvement in the years to come.

One of the features of NZ Mäori Rugby League tournaments is the pride that teams have in their Haka. It is performed with passion and power, with supporters and children all joining in when possible. The haka sets our tournament aside from any in the country with a special trophy named after Fred Penny, a life member of NZ Maori Rugby League and an integral part of the Lummy Newton management team. The trophy was awarded to Counties Manukau who took great pride and care in the quality of their haka. They have set the standard for all to emulate and better - such is our competitive nature.

A big thanks to all in their involvement - we look forward to your continued involvement and support of the NZ Mäori Rugby League Tournament.

Naku noa Na

15 Wellington Rugby League’s Stephen Kearney Cup - the power and the passion! After weeks of intense competition, Wellington Rugby League’s Stephen Kearney Cup, competed for by Wellington secondary school teams, came to a head with Mana and St Pats Town competing for 3rd and 4th place in the curtain raiser, and Taita and Upper Hutt Colleges meeting up in the Grand Final. Below are the results from the Finals day, the full article on Wellington Rugby League’s League- Net website is available by clicking here.

Upper Hutt 28 Taita 25

Tries: Murphy Taramai (2), Kester Crown (2), Tries: Site Timu (2), Benson Tago, Dylan He- Ethan Paki mopo, Shahn Carroll Goals: Gavin Roil (2), Kimihia Hemopo- Goals: Axton Daniels (2), Rubin MacCormick Pakipaki (2) Drop Goal

Mana 33 St Pats 30

Tries: Kaloha Tauhore, Harlen James, Dane Tries: Matthew Proctor (2), Same Kepes, Paul Rota, Tyson Tamakaha (3) Tuia (2) Goals: Fred Robinson (3) + Drop Goal, Tyson Goals: Matthew Proctor (5)

Left: Jason Hemson, Gen- eral Manager WRL and John Hornal from College Sport Wellington present Kimihia Hemopo Pakipaki, Captain from Upper Hutt, the Winners Cup.

Right: Rubin MacCormack from Taita throws himself a dummy to break though the Upper Hutt defense. Taita fought hard, but Upper Hutt were too strong on the day.

16 Point England defend Open Title while new comers St Leonards take out the Restricted Grade The Auckland Primary Schools Rugby League Championships, sponsored by Hub- bard’s Foods, was held on Thursday 22nd October at Cornwall Park in Greenlane. To be eligible for the day each team must have won or been the runner up in one of six zone tour- naments run across Auckland. Two grades are offered - the open grade and the under 45kg grade, which allows the smaller players to compete on an even playing field. After the round robin in the open grade there were four teams who were undefeated: Point England from East Auckland, St Josephs from the Central Zone, Finlayson from Counties, and West Harbour from the Western Zone. St Josephs were too strong for Finlayson while Point Eng- land comfortably beat West Harbour to progress to the Fi- nal. The Final was a very close affair with Point England eventually winning a tough encounter 12-8, and defending Above: Pt. England Primary School - winner their 2008 title. of the Open Grade In the restricted grade the four teams that went through to the Semi Finals were Randwick Park from the Counties Zone, Kelston and St Leo- nards from the Western Zone and Sutton Park from the South- ern Zone. Kelston and Randwick Park drew in one Semi Final with Kelston progressing to the Final due to qualifying higher after the round robin stage. In the other Semi Final St Leonards scraped past Sutton Park by two tries.

This set up a rematch of the Western Zone Fi- Above: St. Leonards Primary School - nal where once again St Leonards were too winner of the Restricted Grade strong for Kelston, taking the title reasonably comfortably in the end. Auckland Rugby League wishes to thank all the players, coaches, managers, trainers, administrators, parents, teachers and supporters that took part in the 2009 Hubbard’s Foods Primary Schools Competition.

Aaron Whittaker big loss to Canterbury Former Warrior and Kiwi (1993-94) Aaron Whittaker recently moved to Aus- tralia’s Gold Coast. His father Merv was a very handy forward with Linwood, and followed the futures of his two sons Jeff and Aaron closely. Aaron was a regular in schoolboy representative teams from a 7 year old, and in Canterbury sides through to Premiers. He joined the Warriors where he stayed for two and a half years, where he made Kiwis Colts, Residents and Kiwi A before mak- ing the Kiwis to tour Great Britain and France in 1993, when he replaced Gary Freeman in the third test against England. He was also on the 1994 tour to Papua New Guinea. Aaron was with the NZ Warriors from 1996 to 1998, retiring from professional football that year but continuing to play Premiers. Aaron started playing Masters from 2005, then refereeing schoolboy football, finally making his Premier debut this year. The name Whittaker continued in Canterbury records with his son, Jaxon, being, like dad, first a seven year old representative, and this month heads to Wellington with the Canterbury 12 year olds. By Bill Whitehead QSM

17 Canterbury Rugby League praised by Bill Whitehead QSM Many visitors praised Canterbury Rugby League for its decision to allow games on its No 1 ground in the week leading up to the Bulls Bartercard Provincial Premiership Grand Final against Auckland. The 13 Years “Southern Zone” invitation tournament attracted teams from Hawkes Bay, Waikato, Taranaki, Wellington and West Coast and all enjoyed host Canterbury’s arrangements. The supporters, which included parents and grandparents were well catered for. All teams were turned out well, and apart from an odd duplicate number, were easily identifiable for the selectors Jeff Whittaker, Bruce McKenzie and Te Wairau, as well as supporters. An excellent programme was available. The tournament team selected was: Xavier Smith (Hawkes Bay), Sean McGregor (Waikato), Elhan Fagahoe-Time (Wellington), Joshua Weepu-Robertson (Wellington), Mahia Hokianga (Wellington); Jeneiro Smallman ( C ) (Wellington), Pepesana Patofilo (Wellington), Tory Nicholas (Taranaki), Daniel Miimetuapoko (Wellington), Owen Bauckham-Taylor (Wellington), Whetu Simmons (Waikato), Sean Morrison (Hawkes Bay), Haimona Hiroti (Taranaki), Sheldon Pitama (Canterbury), Stewart Pili (Wellington), Cale Karanga (Taranaki), Peter Pili (Wellington). Coach - Ihipa Smallman (Wellington), Manager - Jeannie O’Brien (Hawkes Bay), Trainer - Phil Campbell (WC). Best back (presented by Kiwi Gary Clarke) Joshua Weepu-Robertson (Wellington) Best Forward (presented by CRFL GM Graeme Sole) Sean Morrison (Hawkes Bay) Player of Tournament (Bill Whitehead) Jeneiro Smallman (Wellington) Tournament winner Wellington had five wins, Waikato and Taranaki had three wins each, Canter- bury two and Hawkes Bay one. Canterbury also hosted 15 years teams from Wellington and Southland during the week.

Canterbury Rugby League 2009 Awards The 2009 CRFL Awards Dinner was held in early October, with special guests Jim Doyle (CEO of NZRL) Rex Capil (Chairman, Southern Zone Board) and Deputy Mayor Norm Withers in atten- dance. It was a busy night, with plenty of awards being made to plenty of deserving people!

Canterbury Representatives Bulls 16 Years CRL Trophy Most Valuable Player Steve Maat CRL Trophy Development Player of the Year Alfred Toomalatai Clausen McKenzie Trophy Sportsman of the Year Elijah Taumamiti CRL Trophy Player of the Year Blair Galvin Bulls 18 Years CRL Trophy Most Valuable Player Sean Scott CRL Trophy Development Player of the Year Rihari Peeti CRL Trophy Sportsman of the Year Brad Austin CRL Trophy Player of the Year Fraser Alcock Senior Bulls CRL Trophy Rookie of the Year Alex Todd CRL Trophy Development Player of the Year Simon Mounga Cardinal Network Cup Players Player of the Year Vince Whare Peter Lawrie Trophy Player of the Year Nathan Sherlock Played 100 games for the Bulls Vince Whare

18 Canterbury Rugby League 2009 Awards - continued NZ 16 Years Merit Team NZ 18 Years Merit Team NZ 18 Years Maori Team Blair Galvin Mark Walsh Rihari Peeti Elijah Tauamiti Sean Scott Jorge Johannson Fraser Alcock

Division 2 Kidd Mitchell Cup Premiership Papanui Parata Shield Championship Papanui Division 1 Old Crowe Trophy Premiership Addington University Cup Championship Addington Pre-season tournament Radio Avon Trophy Pre Season Tournament Celebration Racecourse Hotel Pre Season Tournament Plate Halswell Premier Reserves Carol Crozier Trophy Premiership Aranui Fred Arneson Trophy Championship Hornby Women New City Hotel Trophy Premiership Celebration Tom Lowe Trophy Championship Addington 17 Years Ron Whitley Trophy Premiership Celebration Chas Clarkson Trophy Grand Final Halswell Trevor Williams Cup Best Presented Team Halswell Presidents Mel Clinton Cup FAB Award Halswell Riccarton Presidents Trophy Annual 10-a-side Halswell Referees Bill Whitehead Trophy Junior Referee Shaun Tipene Social Club Trophy Intermediate Referee Darryl Hawker Aotea Motel Trophy Best Senior Referee Aaron Whittaker Womens Competition Referee of the Year Brent Scanlan South City Auto Spares Trophy Best Premier Referee Adam Burns Premiers W Middleton Cup Runner Up Most Goals Simon Mounga (33) Turner & Le Brun Cup Most Goals Tonga Mounga (37) A G Bailey Cup Most Tries Craig Smith (18) Desmond Rogers Memorial Competed for weekly Linwood Ian Barr Memorial Cup Between Hornby and Papanui Hornby Gore Cup Section 2 Grand Final Celebration Tavendale Cup 1st Round Premiership Hornby New City Plaque 2nd Round Premiership Hornby/Linwood Grut Trophy Premiership-Runner-Up Linwood Massetti Cup Premiership Hornby Graham Neiman Cup Championship Runner Up Linwood John Coffey Cup Grand Final Winning - Coach Scott Nixon

Women Terri Ta’ase Trophy Female Player of Year Lemalie Ta’Ase Punters Sports Bar Trophy Sportswomen of the Year Paula Crothall Gavin Tavendale Trophy Personality Award Fleur Barker

19 Canterbury Rugby League 2009 Awards - continued

Special Trophies and Awards - Seniors

Poore Cup Club with most Premiership points (all Linwood Grades – Seniors and Juniors) Club of the Year (as voted by referees) Halswell

CRL Trophy Volunteer of the Year Linda Kennedy – Juniors Committee John Kerrigan Supporters Trophy Anthony Smith Memorial Cup Presidents Trophy President of the Year Tony Grenfell - Riccarton Gunby Trophy Person contributing most to promote and Aaron Whittaker foster Rugby League in Canterbury NZ Masters Cup Club Manager of the Year Barbara Fletcher - Halswell NZ Masters Trophy Club Coach of the Year Scott Nixon - Hornby D.V Syme Rosebowl Senior Sportsman of the Year (as voted Tony Loffhagen Kaiapoi by the referees) Travel Masters Trophy Outstanding Male Player of Year Jonny Limmer - Hornby

NZ Bartercard Premiership Team REFEREES APPOINTMENTS – Coach Touch Judge Adam Burns Duane Fyfe – Manager Referee 16 years Bartercard Grand Final Sam Perkins Johnny Aranga Touch Judge Bartercard Grand Final Peter Sherwood Junior Salevao Touch Judge Four Nations Tournament Adam Burns Craig Smith Vince Whare Nathan Sherlock Chris Bamford Jonny Limmer Jaye Pukepuke

Send us YOUR news!

Make sure everyone knows what’s happening in your rugby league community and send us your content for the NZRL newsletter.

Competition results, upcoming reunions, volunteers you think deserve a special mention, merit teams - send the details and photos in to [email protected] for the next issue of the NZRL Newsletter.

20 21