Otamatea Hawks retained their place in the Southern Districts premier grade for 2013 but there could be some bad blood with neighbours Waipu after their 15-0 win was overshadowed by second half fisticuffs.
The Hawks have kept the region's top teams at Bay this season so it was no surprisethat they dominated proceedings in the first spell with their forwards sharing a try after several pick and goes finally got them over the line.
The second Hawk's try, scored by fullback Foon Marurai, was just as important and in the wet, difficult conditions the 15-0 half-time scoreline was always going to be hard to chase down for the second division champions at Maungaturoto.
"The second half was pretty ugly, it was scrappy and tight but for us it was a disappointing end to a pretty good season, because we allowed ourselves to be sucked into the niggle," Hawks co-coach Tommy King said.
Both sides began taunting each other, he said, after frustration boiled over and it turned into a malicious second spell. The Hawks were punished for their ill-discipline with four yellow cards - and a red - to Waipu's single yellow card.
"In the end even though we were down to 13 players at one stage we weren't really threatened, which was just as well because we would have been devastated if that had cost us premier grade status," King said.
Although the Hawks were the clear wooden spooners in the premier grade in 2012, their league standing didn't tell the whole story. They pushed the other teams hard for points this year and their thumpings from their first year in the premier grade seem to be a thing of the past.
The team has been a lot more consistent this season and has recruited a few new players like Northland lock David Morgan, who have been responsible for improving the overall quality of play at the club. Retaining those players and recruiting a few more, as well as maintaining the high level of commitment shown at the club, is the key to further improvement next season, King said.
