East Coast team game key to grand final

Nick Olson would rather let actions speak louder than words.

The 25-year-old utility back might be regarded by most pundits as the danger man for East Coast leading into their Wairarapa-Bush Tui Cup premier division grand final rugby match with Greytown at Memorial Park on Saturday but he isn't about to blow his own trumpet.

"I'd rather not say too much, we'll just see what happens," Olson said yesterday. "It's a team game and that's how we play it. It doesn't matter who scores the points, as long as they keep coming."

It is little wonder, however, that Olson's contribution to the East Coast effort is being painted as crucial to their prospects of winning their second-ever premier division title, the first coming in 2008 when Olson was a member of a side coached by now Greytown coach Ritchie Robertson and John Pereira.

Statistics can often be twisted to suit a particular purpose but in Olson's case, they clearly spell out his importance to the East Coast cause.

Already this season, he has racked up 160 points for them, a figure made up of 12 tries, 20 penalties and 20 conversions.

In both the last two games played by East Coast, Olson has scored a hat-trick of tries and finished with personal tallies of 26 points and 21 points.

Able to perform with distinction in any backline position from halfback to fullback, the pacy and elusive Olson has lately been at centre and he is quick to pass on any credit for his try-scoring feats to the service provided him by those in the No 9 to 12 jerseys, especially his Wairarapa-Bush teammate Jesse McGilvary at second-five.

"I just run off Jesse, he does the hard work and I get the credit," Olson said. "It's easy when you've got players like that setting you up. They create the space and you finish it off."

Olson is also keen to push the case of the East Coast forwards, saying they are an underrated lot who give as good as they received week after week.

"Us backs can't do anything without the ball. The forwards deserve every bit as much praise as we do, probably more," he said.

As to Saturday's grand final, Olson is anticipating a battle royal against a Greytown side who he sees as being a well-balanced unit.

And typically he prefers to sit on the fence when asked to predict a winner.

"It's a grand final, it all comes down to who plays best on the day. I think we can win but whether we will ... we'll do our best and hope it goes our way."

The draw for grand finals day at Memorial Park was confirmed yesterday, with the main talking point being the decision to play the senior second division final as the curtain-raiser to the Tui Cup final on the No 1 ground rather than the higher-graded premier division plate final.

The draw is: Premier division, East Coast v Greytown, No 1 ground at 3pm; Hodder Steffert Cup premier division plate, Pioneer v Carterton, No 2 ground at 12.45pm; Shannahan Cup senior seconds, Rams v Puketoi, No 1 ground at 1pm; Ryan Cup senior reserves, Bush Sports v Carterton, No 1 ground at 11am; President's Cup senior reserve plate, Eketahuna v Rams, No 3 ground at 1.15pm.