Kaeo mourning the one that got away

Kaeo discovered there's a fine line between pleasure and pain in their 15-14 loss to Kerikeri.
But when referee George Goodhew blew full-time neither team were sure of the derby-win celebration or a bleak Saturday night consoled by tear-diluted beer.
After a bizarre and nervous quiet with nobody keen to raise elated arms until the official word, controversy broke out.
When Kerikeri got the nod - the correct call - Goodhew was immediately surrounded by a group of Kaeo players politely asking for a recount.
Odds-on there are no MIT graduates among the Swampies, but the confusion may have been born 30 minutes earlier in a swirling, gusty breeze.
Kerikeri were awarded a penalty and it was stroked down the line of the right-hand post, 20 metres higher than the tip. One flag waved it away and the other bent an uncertain 45 degrees - some 350 spectator heads holding a similar tilt.
Goodhew shouldered the responsibility, signalled it good and back to the middle for the restart.
But half an hour on, with players' bodies and minds battle-worn and not in tune with Year 2 maths, the memory that the kick had missed may have been probing. It certainly nagged away at quite a few fans.
"Some of the boys had been told they were ahead. It doesn't matter, I'm gutted. We let it slip in the last 20," said Kaeo coach Alf Hikuwai.
For three-quarters of the match Kaeo dominated up front. Joe Parkinson at No8 was ever present, while Ryan Wikaira, Keith Williams, Philip Morgan and Jamie Bramley were never far from the ball.
But with Morgan and then Williams sidelined with injury when up 14-3, the tide turned and as Hikuwai said "the intensity dropped".
Kaeo had scored through Parkinson after 15 minutes. Quin Butler's (10) penalty pushed well wide, but Kerikeri were caught trying to return the ball from inside their 22. First-five Mike Cook's pressured kick went straight up, bounced in open spaces and into Butler's hands, who released the backs and soon found Parkinson looking for work and unstoppable, 5-0.
Despite some quality runs and probing kicks by Cook, the battle of the first-fives went to Butler who hardly put a foot wrong - elusive often - in steering his side. His pin-point accuracy into and against the wind had the Kerikeri forwards on their haunches.
He kicked his side to an 8-0 lead at half-time then added another just after the break.
Kerikeri got one back to make it 11-3, but Kaeo's forward pack were too bold, stealing ball and with more numbers to the breakdown to give Butler another chance, 14-3.
"We were winning the forward battle and they didn't look interested. Much happier to spin it to their backs," said Hikuwai, talking about a Kerikeri eight that wasn't allowed to fire.
But when Williams and Morgan departed, the oranges rev-up to "harden up" from Kerikeri coach Chubb Komene kicked in.
Kerikeri got a roll on, buoyed by a large travelling cheer squad, and when Kaeo were caught with hands in the ruck Kerikeri went blind from a scrum, and flicked the ball back inside to Teioikau Edwards to score, 14-8.
Then a moment of sheer brilliance from Trevor Ikinepule sealed the deal.
His forwards snaffled some rare turnover ball and the backs gave Ikinepule room to move. He beat one, chipped 30 metres ahead and the pill reared on its point, over flailing hands and arms, and back to the charging Ikinepule to score.
The extras were added and Kerikeri hung on to the one-point win, 15-14.