Mid Western have made club history by winning back-to-back Southern Districts premier club rugby titles for the first time after beating minor premiers Wellsford 33-11 at Toll Stadium.
The victory is a high point for the Maungakaramea club, but skipper Adam Clarke said they always knew they could achieve their goal despite what others said.
''We're very pleased with the win because most people around here had written us off last week [against Mid Northern] and this week as well, but we had a few things hidden up our sleeve and I think we showed that out there today,'' Clarke said.
Mid Western never allowed the minor premiers to get into their stride by scoring early in both halves. They matched a very good Wellsford pack head on while containing their backs by getting up quickly in defence and making their tackles, eventually denying Wellsford danger men Rene Ranger and Matt Wright the opportunity to make a difference.
The country club played the final at pace, sending the ball from the ruck to the flanks at speed while getting their loose forwards to the ruck quickly to disrupt Wellsford ball. Ben Berridge, Brent Murray and Hale T-Pole shaded their opposites picking up several vital turnovers by winning the race to the breakdown.
The only advantage Wellsford had over their opposition was in the scrums, but even that backfired for them with halfback Clarke and No 8 T-Pole managing damage control to perfection.
The first Mid Western try came from the first scrum of the match that was marched backwards, with Clarke eventually scrambling the ball to first five-eighth Ash Moeke, who broke on the blind side to open up the Wellsford defence with winger Ben Mathers finishing in the corner.
Moeke converted to make it 7-3 and then added another two penalties before Matt Wright closed out the spell with a second penalty to make it 13-6 at the break.
Once again Wellsford were denied the chance to settle into their work with Karaitiana Vette Walsh scoring a try.
It was the best try of the match with Moeke providing the spark by hitting a hole. He found ever-present Berridge on his shoulder who drew the cover and offloaded to give his inside centre an untouched run to the line.
Wellsford had to respond and they did. After camping out in Mid Western's 22 for 10 minutes, Mitch Fleming pounced on a ball that squirted out the side of the scrum and powered over to close the gap to 11-20.
But it wasn't Wellsford's day. Wright missed the conversion and then Ranger was penalised for a ruck infringement moments later allowing Moeke to make it 23-11.
More ill discipline crept into Wellsford's game and the Northland first-five added another penalty to make it 26-11 .
Ranger was relegated to a spectators' role for much of the game but with the clock running down his captain Scott Brady took a chance with a quick tap inside his own 22m to set the powerful back away on a 50m run but the Mid Western cover never panicked and the All Black's offload went to ground, ending the move.
