Portland run on emotion to in Villi Salise Shield match

An emotionally charged Portland side ran onto Memorial Park at Dargaville to contest the Villi Salise Shield against Wairoa Bulls.
Led by Villi's youngest son Alex, Portland exuded mixed feelings as they moved on to the park where Villi Salise, a stalwart at the Portland club, died of a heart attack while playing  against Wairoa Bulls three years ago.
"You could see it was a huge honour for Alex leading the guys on to the park," Portland coach Craig Bird said.
It was Alex's third game for Portland starting on the wing after returning from Australia, where he had been playing age-group league, Bird said.
Alex's brother Michael Salise, 23, lined up in his regular spot at centre and played with huge heart to commemorate the occasion.
There was plenty at stake in this game, not only was the shield up for grabs, but also precious points in the Whangarei City and Districts Rugby League competition.
The Bulls started strongly and ran in the first try to lead briefly, before the pumped Portland side fought back to dominate the match for the remainder of the first half.
Ahead by four at the halfway mark, Portland hung on to their narrow buffer and added another four pointer to win the match 30-22.
While the whole team lifted for the occasion following skipper Charles Lawrence's example, Bird said the three Shelfords - Charles at stand-off, cousin Clifford at prop and Fabien at fullback - were impressive.
Victory was meaningful for the boys - for those who had played alongside Villi, and for those who now play alongside his sons, the coach said.
At Ohaeawai Park, Takahiwai's second round downward spiral continued as Bay Slayers had  their first ever win over the 2008 premiers since Slayers were established two years ago, manager Justin Webster said.
Slayers' skipper led the way, running in a hat-trick and watching as his forwards did the hard yards for 80 minutes.
Up 16-0 at halftime, the Slayers went onto extend their lead and win 26-8.
Takahiwai were their own worst enemy, with too many unforced  errors, Webster said.
Moerewa Tigers hosted City Knights and secured a 58-6 victory over the visitors, with Mickey Tanenui and Reece George earning player of the day status, while Kaikohe Lions travelled to Hikurangi to upset their hosts, 21-20.
With Saturday's games remaining  to determine the four semifinalists for August 1 playoffs, Takahiwai, Moerewa and Portland look likely to occupy the top three spots.
 Hikurangi, Bay Slayers and Kaikohe are chasing the final berth.