LEAGUE - Tigers' passion is strong

The passion of being a Moerewa Tiger made us dig deep when we needed to and also the crowd helped us by cheering us on for the whole
80 minutes_ Bernie ProctorMoerewa TigersA stunning 30m run by veteran Moerewa standoff David Porky Norman proved to be the decisive moment against the Hikurangi Stags in a breathtaking Whangarei and Districts League grand final at Jubilee Park on Saturday.
The Hikurangi defence paid the price of hanging off the standoff, expecting him to link up with a runner, but he straightened and cantered to the line six minutes from the end of the seesaw match, sending the Moerewa Tigers supporters into noisy celebrations.
"It's hard enough to run 30 metres at the start of the game let alone right at the end," a delighted but clearly exhausted Norman said after the game.
The try brought about a momentum swing and the fifth lead change of the game and Moerewa pressed home their advantage two minutes from time with a Sam George try to take a 38-32 victory. After an early period of nerves, it was a superb grand final that captivated the 500-strong crowd throughout.
Both sides enjoyed periods of domination but neither side were able to establish a significant lead.
The biggest lead in the game was an eight-point spread to Hikurangi midway through the first spell; an amazing statistic considering the match produced 13 tries.
The clash of two different footballing philosophies was tied up at 16-all at halftime but Moerewa had the final word.
The Tigers played the more expansive game, throwing a lot more passes than their opponents and catching them short on numbers on the flanks to score their best tries. They made more line-breaks and offloads and were willing to run laterally to find the gaps.
Hikurangi were more careful with the ball. They preferred to go straight up the middle early in the tackle count before spreading the ball wide or cutting back into the forwards to look for gaps in the Moerewa defence.
Tigers captain Bernie Proctor said passion for the team got his team home.
"The passion of being a Moerewa Tiger made us dig deep when we needed to and also the crowd helped us by cheering us on for the whole 80 minutes and that gave us a lot of heart," he said.
"The boys knew we could pull it out when we needed to and now we can head off and celebrate."
Hikurangi player-coach Joe Rau was critical of referee Len Phillips but said it was indicative of their season.
"We've had a hard time with the refs this year, I don't mean to be rude to anyone but I believe the refs have played a big part in some of our losses this season.
"Today Moerewa brought a good effort but if the 50-50 calls don't go your way then you're never going to get the result if two teams are so evenly matched," he said.
Like Norman for Moerewa, Rau was selected as the Hikurangi player of the day but even his outstanding talent wasn't enough to carry the day.
To be fair to Phillips the penalty count favoured neither side, with 11 penalties apiece.
Both sides had their gripes with some of his decisions but that sort of reaction is only to be expected in the pressure cooker atmosphere generated by one of the closest grand finals in years.
* SCORING SUMMARY
10th minute: Hikurangi handling error leads to period of Tigers pressure that sees Hohepa Riwhi break early deadlock to score in the corner; 4-0.
12th min: Ken Palmer run has the Tigers on the back foot allowing Joe Rau to jink over for his first try. Rau converts to take the lead; 4-6.
20th min: Bevan Hati capitalises on poor ball security by Tigers inside their red zone, scoops up loose ball to score in corner. Rau converts; 4-12.
22nd minute: Bernie Proctor picks up spilled Hikurangi ball and supplies perfect pass to Rikki Mackey to run 20 metres to score. Mackey converts; 10-12.
30th min: Tigers' Kiel Davies goes over in well-worked try on right flank. Mackey misses conversion but referee gives him another chance in front, awarding penalty against Hikurangi defender for dangerous tackle on Davis while scoring try; 16-12.
39th minute: Hikurangi, with Rau off in blood bin, score one of their best with Shannon Neho finishing off great set by scoring in the corner; 16-16.
46th minute: David Norman offloads for Tawio Davis to score after another Tigers raid down the flank; Mackey converts; 22-16.
49th minute: Two powerful Wiki Record runs put Tigers on back foot. Stags captain Johneen Fagavao hits a gap. Rau converts; 22-22.
58th minute: Rau leaves Tigers in disarray with another mesmerising run to score. He converts; 22-28.
63rd minute: Rikki Mackey bomb not controlled by Stags, Kere George touches down. Mackey converts; 28-28.
65th minute: Record sinbinned for professional foul. Mackey kicks penalty; 30-28.
68th minute: Fagavao scores on the back of two penalties; 30-32.
73rd minute: Norman stuns Stags with 30m run; 34-32
78th minute: Sam George scores; 38-32.