Takahiwai's Marley Mackay (with ball) busts through the Otangarei Knights defence in his side's convincing 34-10 win on Saturday. Photo / Ngareka Bensemann
Takahiwai's Marley Mackay (with ball) busts through the Otangarei Knights defence in his side's convincing 34-10 win on Saturday. Photo / Ngareka Bensemann
There is an unstoppable force barrelling towards Northland's premier rugby league finals, and its name is Takahiwai.
Recording nothing but wins from their nine games in 2019, the Takahiwai Warriors punctuated their dominance in the competition with a 34-10 win over last year's champion Otangarei Knights on Saturday at Fishbone Park.
With the hosts leading 10-6 at halftime, the Warriors put on a clinic in the second half, scoring 28 unanswered points in a rain-affected end to the game.
Otangarei's Sua Sosopo (left) waits for Takahiwai's Mike Hauraki (with ball) to make impact as another Knights defender tries to put the attacker on the deck. Photo / Ngareka Bensemann
Knights coach Des Nordstrand said after a fantastic first half, his side fell apart in slippery conditions.
"We just made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of dropped ball, which cost us," he said.
"[Takahiwai] put their foot down and we were our own worst enemies in the second half."
Nordstrand said a few controversial calls from the referee in the second half didn't help his side, who conceded too much ball to the visitors in the game's final stages. He credited Takahiwai's young talent which had flourished at the premier level.
"They've had all of their team for a few years now with a few young guys who have stood up and they've got a really good team."
Otangarei's Vern Wilson (with ball) has his eyes forward as two Takahiwai defenders track his run. Photo / Ngareka Bensemann
With three games to go before the semifinals, Nordstrand said the players' time on the field would be vital if they were to topple Takahiwai.
"We just have to improve our defence on the inside and stick to our game plan, I think we were in a position to beat [Takahiwai] at halftime but it didn't go our way.
"We just have to tidy up, cut down on our mistakes and we should be able to match them."
It was a more one-sided affair in the round's other game with the Portland Panthers running riot on a short-staffed Horahora Broncos outfit, 62-8.
With fewer than a dozen players to choose from, the Broncos struggled against a full complement in the Panthers squad at Portland on Saturday, which was a nice change of pace for Panthers coach Robert Nathan.
"Normally we struggle to put out a full side on Saturday but it shows that when our players turn up, we can actually play some good football," he said.
Nathan was pleased to see 18-year-old recruit Kiarni Ranui perform well on the wing after just three games at senior level.
Looking ahead to the finals, Nathan said the priority was fielding a team each week and ensuring the club's future.
"Everyone's struggling for now and it's just about surviving week to week, for us it's keeping the club alive and wins are secondary to that.
"The competition is struggling as a whole and for us, winning games is a big goal but fronting up each week is paramount."
