With all the attention given to the elite rugby players with professional contracts, it is easy to forget about the players who are the heart and soul of every rugby club throughout the Bay of Plenty.
One player who fits that category is Gareth Brown, who will play his 100th premier game for Tauranga Sports tomorrow against Rangataua at the Tauranga Domain.
The dependable second-five has been ever-present in the star-studded Sports backline this season. The 31-year-old civil engineer, affectionately known by all as "Mad Dog" from his days playing alongside Sports coach Mike Rogers for Waikato University, spent five years playing in Ireland before he joined Sports in 2008 under then coach Errol Brain. "I have played pretty much every game since then, apart from when I broke my hand at the end of the season before last," Brown said.
"There is a high level of motivation at the club and we have managed to keep a reasonable core of old stalwarts who have been the nucleus of the team with new guys coming and going all the time.
"We have always had good coaching and good players, and it is a pretty good club all round."