Omahu Huia and Bridge Pa in rugby league sports park showdown

Omahu Huia celebrate a try against Bridge Pa two years ago. Last year the clubs met in the final, won by Bridge Pa. They meet again in this year's final on Saturday. Photo / NZME

The longest-surviving Hawke’s Bay rugby league club Omahu Huia is well placed to dominate the provincial finals in Hastings on Saturday, with teams in three of the four matches.

The finals in Hawke’s Bay’s unique spring-season competition will be played at the Mitre 10 Regional Sports Park’s William Nelson Athletics Precinct oval, starting with an Under 16 showdown between Te Aute College and Wairoa club Tapuae, starting at 11am.

Omahu Huia teams then play in the wahine final against Hastings club Tamatea, kicking off at 12.15pm, the Reserve grade final against Manu Pacifica at 1.30pm and the Premier final against Bridge Pa, at 3pm.

The games culminated a senior season that started on August 12 and dominated by Omahu, which will be trying to wrest the Premier title back from Bridge Pa, who won the final last year.

Omahu coach Tairea Ioane expects to line up his best 13, including such players as Liam Udy-Johns and Falealii (Gibson) Popoalii, who going for a unique double, having been in the Napier Tech Old Boys team that won Hawke’s Bay’s Premier rugby union final in August.

A strong squad is also expected to be fielded by Bridge Pa coach Colin Hokianga, whose side was beaten 52-20 by Omahu during the earlier round of the competition this year.

In the semi-finals last weekend, Omahu beat Tamatea and Bridge Pa beat Maraenui Phoenix.

Omahu won the final in 2021 but had not otherwise won the Premier title in the two decades since Hawke’s Bay switched to a spring-season rugby league format in 2000.