Hawke's Bay already have a pretty full trophy cabinet after the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup, but could add to it this week at the New Zealand Rugby Awards. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hawke's Bay already have a pretty full trophy cabinet after the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup, but could add to it this week at the New Zealand Rugby Awards. Photo / Paul Taylor
The Hawke's Bay Magpies are set to swoop on this week's New Zealand Rugby Awards with nominations in every category they were eligible for.
In addition to the Ranfurly Shield and Championship titles they secured during the 2020 Mitre 10 Cup season, Hawke's Bay received six nominations for the televised event on Thursday night.
The team themselves are up for Adidas National Team of the Year, along with Super Rugby's Crusaders, Farah Palmer Cup winners Canterbury and Mitre 10 Cup Premiership winners Tasman.
Magpies head coach Mark Ozich is on the shortlist for the ASB National Coach of the Year award, along with Scott Robertson of the Crusaders, James Semple from Waikato's Farah Palmer Cup team and the Tasman pair of Andrew Goodman and Clarke Dermody.
Ozich said all the individual award nominations are a credit to the entire team, particularly in his case as coach.
Magpies head coach Mark Ozich holding court at a training session. Photo / Paul Taylor
Halfback Folau Fakatava could become the first Hawke's Bay player to win the Duane Monkley Medal, which has been given to the Mitre 10 Cup Player of the Year since 2017.
He faces competition from Auckland winger Salesi Rayasi and fullback Kaleb Trask from Bay of Plenty.
Mark Ozich has coached Fakatava since his time at the helm of the Hastings Boys' High School 1st XV, and he said the 20-year-old has come a long way in terms of his maturity on and off the field since then.
"There's a maturity in his decision making and his management of the game, there's a maturity in the way he conducts himself in the team environment," Ozich said, noting how much more serious Fakatava has become in his homework and preparation during the week before a game.
"He's been away with the Highlanders for two seasons now, and that's really the benefits of that."
Magpies captain Ash Dixon is up for the Tom French Memorial Māori Player of the Year award after an outstanding calendar year leading the Māori All Blacks, Hawke's Bay and Highlanders.
The hooker's 15 tries in first-class rugby were the most by any player in 2020, so the Ngāti Tahinga man might just be able to fend off Waikato's Stacey Fluhler (Tuhoe/Te Arawa) and his fellow Highlanders co-captain Aaron Smith (Ngāti Kahungunu).
Ozich said the 32-year-old is an astute leader and the piece that ties his young team together.
From left, Ash Dixon and Neria Fomai could both receive individual awards to cap a brilliant 2020 Magpies campaign. Photo / Ian Cooper
"He's very, very aware of working a room and staying in touch with all the different groups within a team environment," the coach said, noting Dixon is also very diligent in his own game.
"He's always doing extra reps, he's always doing extra throwing, extra conditioning."
Magpies back Neria Fomai's try against Wellington is up for the Sky TV Fans Try of the Year as well, with the initial list of 10 cut down to three after an online vote.
Ozich said while that try was spectacular, his favourite five-pointer of the season was Jason Long's match-winner against Canterbury from a lineout maul after the fulltime hooter had gone.
He said it was special not just in the context of a historic win over Canterbury, but also given Hawke's Bay were wearing special-edition jerseys in support of the region's farmers.
Ozich said tries like Fomai's were certainly very satisfying for him as a coach though.
"When they get the fundamentals right, and they play at a tempo and speed that the opposition struggle to stick with, and the guys are playing and moving the ball freely, they scored some pretty entertaining tries and were doing it consistently," he said.
Fomai would be happy to come second to one of the other nominees; his nephew Bethel Lutele-Malasia is also up for the award for his try for Napier Boys' High School against Palmerston North Boys' High School.
The other finalist also comes from 1st XV rugby in the form of Christ's College prop Jack Jones.
Three awards will be announced on the night – the NZRPA Kirk Award, the Steinlager Salver and the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year.
The ASB Rugby Awards will air on Sky Sport 1 on December 17 at 7.30pm.
Sky TV Fans Try of the Year: Neria Fomai (Hawke's Bay) Jack Jones (Christ's College) Bethel Lutele-Malasia (Napier Boys' High School)
New Zealand Referee of the Year: Mike Fraser (Wellington) Ben O'Keeffe (Horowhenua Kapiti) Paul Williams (Taranaki)
Charles Monro Rugby Volunteer of the Year: Jane Chamberlain (Horowhenua Kapiti) Allen Grainger (Waikato) Scott Kahle (Bay of Plenty)
Duane Monkley Medal (Mitre 10 Cup Player of the Year): Folau Fakatava (Hawke's Bay) Salesi Rayasi (Auckland) Kaleb Trask (Bay of Plenty)
Fiao'o Faamausili Medal (Farah Palmer Cup Player of the Year): Chelsea Alley (Waikato) Kendra Cocksedge (Canterbury) Stacey Fluhler (Waikato)
ASB National Coach of the Year: Andrew Goodman and Clarke Dermody (Tasman) Mark Ozich (Hawke's Bay) Scott Robertson (Crusaders) James Semple (Waikato FPC)
ASB New Zealand Coach of the Year: Allan Bunting and Cory Sweeney (Black Ferns Sevens) Ian Foster (All Blacks) Clark Laidlaw (All Blacks Sevens) Glenn Moore (Black Ferns) Clayton McMillian (Maori All Blacks)
Investec Super Rugby Player of the Year: Jordie Barrett (Taranaki, Hurricanes) Richie Mo'unga (Canterbury, Crusader) Aaron Smith (Manawatu, Highlanders) Patrick Tuipulotu (Auckland, Blues)
Tom French Memorial Maori Player of the Year: Ash Dixon (Ngāti Tahinga, Hawke's Bay) Stacey Fluhler (Tuhoe/Te Arawa, Waikato) Aaron Smith (Ngāti Kahungunu, Manawatu)
Richard Crawshaw Memorial All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year: Scott Curry (Bay of Plenty) Tim Mikkelson (Waikato) Ngarohi McGarvey-Black (North Harbour)
Black Ferns Sevens Player of the Year: Kelly Brazier (Bay of Plenty) Stacey Fluhler (Waikato) Tyla Nathan-Wong (Northland)
Black Ferns Player of the Year: Chelsea Alley (Waikato) Kendra Cocksedge (Canterbury) Kennedy Simon (Waikato)
