LEAGUE - Big crowd expected to farewell the Storm

Northland league fans are expected to turn up in numbers at Okara Park this weekend to watch the club semifinal between Moerewa and Takahiwai, before bidding a nostalgic farewell to the Northern Storm in their final Bartercard Cup match against Auckland Lions.
The Storm have provided a real focus for Northland league fans over the past two years while New Zealand Rugby League was keen on expanding the game in the provinces.
The two main backers of the Northland franchise were the late Anthony Murray and Harry Clyde, who decided to put up the money to enter a Northland team in the national competition.
Clyde said that they wanted to have a team that would keep elite players in Northland until they could make the transition to NRL competition.
"I think you'll see quite a few players going down to Auckland next year because the new competition is Auckland-orientated," he said.
The Bartercard Card Cup was canned by NZRL in July. There were several highlights during the competition that Clyde considered priceless. ``The first win of the competition _ against Wellington _ after Anthony Murray had passed away, that was one out of the blue,' Clyde said. He said the improvement shown by the team this year, by climbing to eighth on the table _ winning more games and getting closer to the top franchises _ was also satisfying. ``Plus we got those guys like Brendon Hikaka and Mason Pure into the Junior Kiwis and since then they've gone on to play in Australia,' he said. Although the Storm has cost him plenty, Clyde said he would miss the competition. ``I've really enjoyed organising it and being a major sponsor, I've learned a lot through the franchise and we've really been progressing along and then all of a sudden it's gone,' he said. ``Mind you it'll save me a lot of money. I think I'd have stuck in about $60,000 over the last two years. Clyde was also annoyed by NZRL's decision to pull the plug on the under-18 national competition this season. ``I was really gutted with that and I let New Zealand Rugby League know my feelings.
The Storm will be close to full strength for their final match. Coach Phil Marsh said they would offer strong opposition to the top team in the league but they would stay true to their aim of showcasing young players. ``We're playing young Jarom Wihongi on Saturday because he needs to be seen to have a shot of making the Junior Kiwi under-18s,' he said.
The Storm's match kicks off at 5.30pm, with the Takahiwai-Moerewa match starting at 3pm.