Hawks unbeaten in nines competition
Steadfast defence makes the difference for Mangakino
beat Hamilton 26-4 and Taupo 21-12 to book a spot in the final.
The final was much closer than when the two teams met in round robin play. Hamilton opened the scoring with a fivepoint try — scored in the ‘bonus zone’ between the posts by Te Puhi Rudolph.
Mangakino hit back with a five-point try to Peri, who hit a gap in the defensive line after a sustained period of possession in the Hamilton half.
The finalists went toe-to-toe in the second half, with neither able to break the deadlock until, in the last minute, Mangakino received a penalty 5m out from the tryline. They took a tap and shifted the ball right where Keanu Dawson spun out of a tackle and dived in for the match-winning try.
In a poignant moment for all involved, the McLeod Cup was presented to the winners by Peter McLeod’s daughter Fiona.
Peri said he was impressed by the effort his team put in to the tournament.
“We played a really good tournament, we worked hard for it and I think it showed out there today. Our defence really paid dividends this weekend.”
He said Mangakino had started pre-season training earlier than ever before this year, in an attempt to be better prepared for the season.
“It’s definitely paying off for us. This tournament is definitely a good thing to have, it would be nice to see a few more teams from Waikato, it’s a good challenge.”
Mangakino coach George Samuels said his team had been “amazing” all weekend.
“That last game, they really had to grind it out, energy was down. We’ve had some pretty good wins and today they left it all out there. To work hard and come away with a win is probably more satisfying for me than blowing them off the paddock.”