Coast final ‘awesome experience’: referee

Hicks Bay captain Manahi Brooking (left) and replacement No.8 Anton King tackle TVC prop Joe Roberts, with hooker Brent Blackmore backing up, in Saturday’s East Coast club rugby final at Whangaparaoa. King suffered a broken leg in the second half but to avoid the game being called off, he crawled his way to the sideline, with some assistance. Hicks Bay won 13-7. Picture by Annette Chesley

Terry Reeves did a great job for sport on Saturday.

Controlling the Ngati Porou East Coast men’s club rugby final is no easy task for any referee, let alone one from their closest neighbours Poverty Bay.

But with the support of local officials Joe Coleman and Matt Richards, the teams  — Hicks Bay and Tihirau Victory Club — were well served.

With the rescheduling of men’s games prior to the final, and the NPEC women’s semi-finals also being held on Saturday, pressure on NPEC’s small but loyal body of referees saw the invitation to officiate the men’s final extended to Reeves via Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union’s club development officer Florian Bub.

Upon his acceptance, arrangements were made for Reeves and his family to stay at Hicks Bay Lodge on Friday night and a premier grade whistle was made available for Saturday’s clash at Te Kura Mana Maori o Whangaparaoa/Cape Runaway.

“It was an awesome experience to do that final because the players, coaches and supporters were respectful but enjoyed the on-field banter,” said Reeves, a machine operator with Jesse James Contracting. “I told Joe and Matt that I’d handle the technical aspects and I needed them to help me with offside and foul play. They did that. We had a great day.”

Both captains were pleased with the job done by Reeves and his crew.

“Terry was fair to both teams and easy to talk to,” Hicks Bay skipper Manahi Brooking said.

“He refereed a great final, first time up the Coast — controlled the game well and let it flow,” TVC captain Moana Mato said.

The toughest call Reeves had to make was in regards to whether to call the final off after Hicks Bay reserve No.8 Anton King  suffered a broken right leg in the 63rd minute with defending champions TVC leading 7-6.

Player safety is the paramount concern and Reeves handled the situation masterfully.

He spoke to the captains and NPEC union chairman Val Morrison, who informed him that if the game was to end then, a process would determine the result or rescheduling.

Upon conferring again with the captains, Reeves’ inclination was to wait a further 10 minutes (Mato requested 15, which he got).

King was informed of this and incredibly beat the clock in crawling off the field with some assistance. Mato requested five minutes for team warm-ups, which was given after the 25-minute stoppage.

The rest is a matter of record — Hicks Bay right-wing Waikura Delamere scoring a try and first-five Te Rangi Fraser converting in the 75th minute for a 13-7 victory — Hicks Bay’s first-ever Rangiora Keelan Memorial Shield win.

NPEC chief executive LeRoy Kururangi thanked Reeves, Coleman, Richards and Eruera Kawhia — Kawhia controlled the women’s 34-5 semifinal win to Hikurangi over Waima at Kahuitara; Coleman the semi between TVC and Waiapu at Cape Runaway (29-10 to TVC) —  and all those who blew a whistle or ran touch this season.

“Matt came back from Rotorua, where he’d been watching his daughter play rugby league, to be AR2,” Kururangi said. “Terry did a very professional job in terms of handling the injury to Anton and the final, and we’re very grateful.

“We’re pleased that Joe, who did the 2016 final, has returned from Australia and to have a new referee in Chris Haenga.

"We’ve not had to cancel one game this season.”