RUGBY - Mid Western finish second division unbeaten

By this time next year Steve Carter and his comparatively unknown band of Mid Western rugby warriors hope to have ditched the relative anonymity of second division sport and be shaking it with the big boys.
The proud Maungakaramea club hasn't been part of any premier rugby championship for more than 20 years, a fact that still rubs those hardened country folk up the wrong way.
But for a while now the Mid Western rugby club has enjoyed a purple patch, a run of good fortune that, to be frank, revolves around a very profitable bar turnover but is producing some very impressive returns on the paddock. Now the Mid Western rugby club is poised for a return to the premier ranks.
On Saturday Mid Western won the Southern Districts second division title, completing the championship series unbeaten when they downed Whangarei Old Boys 31-11.
The result has stoked the imagination of the entire club, primarily the senior squad members, who Carter reckon are about to realise a dream by marching into the premier competition.
His squad seems set to remain intact, there is a reserve grade team at the club already that currently plays third division, and an under-18 team playing under the Mid Western banner as well. But it is the senior side that is winning all the plaudits.
"This is a very tight group that has worked very hard all year. These boys started fitness work very early on and have stuck to it right through with the aim of making it back into the first division," Carter said.
"We have been building, I suppose, toward this for the last couple of years and now we have the chance to get there."
At least on Saturday this Mid Western team looked formidable enough. Anchored by young prop Tim Windlebourn at scrum time, given a plethora of lineout possession by lock Chris Newson, and provided with all manner of attacking options out wide where Simon Cauty and Brooke Gilmore were the playmakers, Saturday's result was never in doubt.
When it came to fitness, Mid Western were streets ahead of Whangarei Old Boys who, it must be noted, are the next-best team in the second division competition.
They weren't shy of imagination either, using short lineouts to bamboozle the opposition for most of the game before producing a 14-man lineout to score the last try of the match.
But while able to dominate their opposition on Saturday there are some sobering aspects for Mid Western to ponder, the most obvious being that Whangarei Old Boys were almost in an identical situation last season, and finished their year with a 90-odd point loss to a first division club. The gap between first and second division club rugby is a big one.
"I think we have reasonable depth in most positions and a good attitude from players. We might need back up in five or six spots, more players to add some depth, but I think we could be competitive," Carter said.
At least Mid Western will get an opportunity to test the waters this season, with a post-season play-off series with Whangarei Old Boys and Marist, the bottom-ranked premier club team, to come.
And even if they trip up there, Mid Western might end up promoted anyway with a total revamp of club rugby pending.
"We want to prove ourselves by winning the promotion series to prove to everybody we are worthy," Carter said.
If it was up to the Mid Western faithful it would be a no-brainer. According to them these boys are the business.