Early season clash could give pointer

Carterton's clash with Pioneer at Carterton could provide the highlight of action in the Wairarapa-Bush premier division rugby competition tomorrow.
Their 50-0 win over Puketoi last weekend fired speculation that Carterton could become a serious contender for a finals berth as the season progresses, while Pioneer didn't lose any of their admirers either, losing to last year's beaten finalists Gladstone 15-12 after trailing by 15-0 at one stage.
Carterton do, however, deserve to start favourites, if only because they have more ball-winning potential in their forwards and, of course, possession is such a vital commodity in any rugby game.
Pioneer somehow have to devise tactics against the threat posed to them by the spring-heeled Tomasi Kedarubuka at lineout time, and by a Carterton scrum which has the rugged Joe Harwood as its spearhead.
Carterton, on the other hand, will be wary of the speed of the Pioneer loosies, especially Nathan Rolls who, day in and day out, has been one of the most consistent performers in Wairarapa-Bush club rugby for a number of seasons.
It is in broken play situations where Rolls is at his most lethal, but if the Carterton tighties hold sway his influence there will be negated to a large degree.
In the backs the battle in midfield should be a cracker with two rep players in Glen Bunny (Carterton) and Tommy Harmon (Pioneer) likely to go head to head. Both are aggressive players on attack and defence and some big hits are assured.
Greytown-Tuhirangi and Gladstone will play at Greytown and this too should be a titanic struggle.
The combined side will probably fancy their chances of dominating the tight five play where Dylan Higgison and Norm Henricksen are sure to be prominent, but Gladstone will be likewise confident of doing well in the loose where Sam Henderson, Steve Wilkinson and talented newcomer Mike Spence give them three strings to their bow.
Having said that Greytown-Tuhirangi do have Sylvanus Iro in the No.8 jersey, and judging by his powerhouse running in his team's win over Masterton Red Star last weekend, it could take all three of the Gladstone loosies to keep him in check.
Also important for Greytown-Tuhirangi will be the astute tactical skills of inside backs Michael Hollis and Mark Childs. The latter is of course well known for his expertise in that area, but young Hollis is just out of college and looks an extraodinary talent.
The main game at Memorial Park will see Marist make their first appearance of the season, and they will be up against Puketoi. Normally a comfortable Marist win would be predicted, but they took a while to get numbers together this season and are likely to be short of a gallop or two. Therefore Puketoi, which played better against Carterton than the final scoreline would suggest, could get closer than many pundits will be predicting.
Martinborough too will be making their first appearance when they take on East Coast at Whareama, and with the Coasters giving Eketahuna such a good run for their money last weekend you'd have to be in their corner.
The possibility is though that Martinborough have picked up some of the players who were going to play for Featherston and that would undoubtedly help their cause.
The other premier division game happens at Eketahuna tonight with the home team playing Masterton Red Star. The latter lacked nothing on the score of determination against Greytown-Tuhirangi, despite their decisive defeat, but it would take a miracle of sorts for them to upset the defending champions.