GBHS 'super unlucky' not to reach final

Gisborne Boys’ High School’s first 11 football team finished fourth in the Rex Dawkins Tournament. The squad and support personnel are, back (from left): Darren Larkins (assistant coach and manager), Sebastian Itman (teacher in charge and head coach), Daniel Walters, Cory Thomson, Ethan Cunningham, Sam Briant, Oska Smith, Max Kume, Lukas Maillet-Ricard, Oliver Aldridge (assistant coach and video analyst) and Bruce Talbot (parent in charge). Front: Anton Larkins, James Talbot, Jacob Adams, Shai Avni, Hugo Lodewyk, Matt Hills, Kaden Manderson, Kyran Lasenby and Te Kani Wirepa-Hei.Picture supplied

Gisborne Boys’ High School’s first 11 football team finished an “unlucky” fourth in the Rex Dawkins Tournament in Napier last week, but they have inspired their coach to aim much higher.

“We were super unlucky not to reach the final,” coach Sebastian Itman said.

Teams from around the Central North Island gathered in Napier last week to sort out the pecking order for another year.

On the first two days, GBHS beat Whakatane High School 1-0 and Karamu High 11-0, and lost to eventual tournament winners Northcote College 3-0.

“They beat us because I changed the tactics to try things,” Itman said. “We knew we were going to be in the top two places in our pool.”

In the first of the crossover fixtures, Gisborne played Kapiti College, who had won all their pool games, and beat them 4-0. Oska Smith scored a hat-trick and Matt Hills hit one from 25 metres that caught the goalkeeper off his line.

In the semifinal, against Auckland’s Lynfield College, they drew 0-0 at the end of regulation time and lost 6-5 on penalties. In the third/fourth playoff, they lost 1-0 to Pukekohe High School, conceding the goal late in the game.

“We went to this tournament with only seven competitive matches under our belt,” Itman said. “We had two quality exchange games, against Tauranga Boys’ College and Rotorua Boys’ High, and five games in the Super 8 tournament. After those games, we knew our strengths. But other teams had played many more competitive matches.”

The whole team worked to shut down scoring opportunities for their opponents. Conversely, they created a lot for themselves, especially in the semifinal, he said.

“In the first 15 minutes, we were a hurricane. The opposing goalkeeper was the star.

“This is my fourth season at Gisborne Boys’ High, and it was the first time that the first 11 had a clear chance of winning a football tournament. In previous years we’ve had strong squads, but at this tournament they were playing tactically, using their strengths.

“It’s bitter-sweet because I feel we were good enough to get to the final.

“Next year we will change the focus. This year we were supposed to play in Hawke’s Bay but we couldn’t because of the weather and transport problems. Next year we will move one step higher. We will enter the playoffs for the premier national high schools competition for the first time.

“I have spoken with the organiser of the Hawke’s Bay high schools league. Next year eight schools will play in that league, and Gisborne Boys’ High will be one of them.”

While that league was not a qualifier for the premier national competition, the games against Hastings and Napier boys’ high schools and Lindisfarne College would count for the league and the national competition playoffs.

“It entails quite a bit of travelling,” Itman said. “But it is what the boys want.”

Gisborne Boys’ High, Lytton High and Gisborne Girls’ High also competed in other football tournaments last week.

Hillsdene Junior Tournament (involving Lytton High and Gisborne Boys’ High) in Tauranga — Pool play: Lytton High 1 Otumoetai 1; Lytton 2 Northcote College 0; Lytton 0 Scots College 5; Lytton 0 Palmerston North Boys’ High 8; Lytton 2 Tawa 4.

Bottom 8 quarterfinals: Lytton 3 Rotorua Boys’ High 2.

Semifinals 17th to 20th: Lytton 2 Hillcrest High 4.

Playoff for 19th/20th: Lytton 1 Northcote College 4.

Pool play: Gisborne Boys’ High  0 Bethlehem College 1; GBHS 2 St Peter’s 1; GBHS 0 Hutt International Boys’ School 5; GBHS 0 Westlake 8; GBHS 1 St John’s 4.

Bottom 8 quarterfinals: GBHS 0 Hastings BHS 1.

Semifinals 21st to 24th: GBHS 3 Onehunga High 1.

Playoff for 21st/22nd: GBHS 4 Rotorua BHS 2.

Maurice Hulme Tournament (involving Gisborne Girls’ High and Lytton High) in  Rotorua — Pool play: Gisborne Girls High 1 Lynfield College 3; GGHS 3 Feilding High 0; GGHS 3 ACG Strathallan 1; GGHS 1 Whakatane High 0; GGHS 0 Rotorua Girls’ High 1.

Quarterfinals 9th to 16th: GGHS 2 Rutherford College 3.

Semifinals 13th to 16th: GGHS 1 Green Bay High 3.

Playoff for 15th/16th: GGHS 2 Kapiti College 1.

Pool play: LHS 0 Hamilton Girls’ High 5; LHS 0 Green Bay High 1; LHS  0 Pakuranga College 8; Lytton 7 John Paul College 7; LHS 0 Havelock North High 3.

Quarterfinals 17th to 24th: LHS 0 St Dominics 1.

Semifinals 21st to 24th: LHS 0 Feilding High 2.

Playoff for 23rd/24th: LHS 2 ACG Strathallan 3.