Champion adapts to underdog role

New Zealand's greatest modern-day shearer, David Fagan, is going into the national shearing championships as the underdog.

The 21st New Zealand Shearing Championships start at Te Kuiti's Waitomo Events Centre tomorrow and run until Saturday.

The defending champion, Fagan, came second to Stratford's Paul Avery at the Golden Shears in Masterton this month and Napier shearer John Kirkpatrick has also beaten Fagan in major open titles this season.

Te Kuiti-based Fagan, a five times world champion, winner of 15 Golden Shears open titles and 14 shearing championship titles, said being the underdog was an unfamiliar scenario.

Fagan, 43, said he was comfortable with the role - he now had a much more relaxed attitude towards competing.

"I am not as sharp as I used to be. I can live with that, but if they think I am washed up and finished they would be wrong," he said.

Fagan said he had been in the twilight of his career for the past couple of years.

"It has been quite amazing that I have been able to do what I have done in the last two to three years. I am well aware that I am not as dominant as I used to be."

He is adamant he has no plans to retire and he will be back competing next season. "I enjoy it too much - the friendship and the social side of it."

Fagan was one of the shearers who established the New Zealand Shearing Championships at Te Kuiti 21 years ago and said his local competition was special.

"The Golden Shears may have the history and mana, but quite frankly its $2000 to win and for the modern shearer I think they will want to win at Te Kuiti because it's a $16,000 prize pack.

"It's by far the biggest prize in world shearing and that's special for Te Kuiti and the championships," Fagan said.

Championships president John Grainger said about 250 shearers had entered the event, sponsored by FMG, Merial, DB, Heiniger Shearing Equipment, Otorohonda and Honda First.

Thousands are expected to attend the events at Te Kuiti - which markets itself as the Shearing Capital of the World - and other entertainment, including the NZ Shears "sheep run", when a mob of 200 sheep is released down Te Kuiti's main street.

- NZPA