We are the champions!

A simple game plan paid rich dividends for Masterton Red Star in their surprisingly convincing 26-3 win over defending champions East Coast in the grand final of the Wairarapa-Bush premier division rugby competition at Memorial Park, Masterton, on Saturday.
It was no-frills stuff with almost the entire focus being on playing the game in opposition territory and in first-five Byron Karaitiana Masterton Red Star had a player with the skills to carry it off.
Seldom - if indeed ever - did Masterton Red Star move the ball out into their three-quarters from either set piece or general play situations.
Rather they relied on the boot of Karaitiana to keep their hard-working forwards on the front foot and he responded with a superb individual performance, invariably slicing off huge chunks of ground with his kicks.
It was more than just the metreage he gained which impressed, however.
The placement was also outstanding with the ball often going to land rather than hand and consequently East Coast had little opportunity to get any real momentum into their counter attacks.
Karaitiana's man of the match effort was not only about the length and direction of his tactical kicking though, he also contributed hugely to their points tally with his 16 points coming from a try, three penalties and a conversion.
That took him to 192pts for the club season, moving him ahead of East Coast fullback Nick Olson, who provided his team's only points in the grand final with a penalty goal to finish on 185.
Karaitiana could not, of course, have had such a dominating influence on the game without the Masterton Red Star forwards providing him with a steady stream of quality possession.
They were expected to find the going tough against an always rugged East Coast pack but apart from the scrums, where the Coasters did seem to have the edge for most of the match, they more than held their own.
They were certainly more efficient in the lineouts where Tyrone McTavish, Jordan Sutherland and skipper Jake Bubb ensured they generally obtained their own ball, and also spoiled more than a few East Coast throws for good measure, and they were quick and constructive in the loose, thanks to the diligence of players like Chris Senior and Stu Waipuka.
Their speed to the breakdowns turned over a wealth of ball for their side.
Perhaps though the most telling part of the Masterton Red Star forward play was their ability to constantly attain or steal possession in the mauls where the strength of front rowers Tim Hintz, Nathan Haglund and Owen Riddell was an obvious plus.
As swansongs from premier division play go it couldn't have come much better for Hintz and Haglund, could it?
Halfback Callum Buchanan was perhaps the unsung hero of the grand final for Masterton Red Star.
His snappy clearances meant Karaitiana at first-five was usually given the time and space necessary to get his kicking game into full gear.
For the other Masterton Red Star backs it was pretty much a case of chase or defend and they did well in both respects.
One might have expected the likes of Wairarapa-Bush reps Heemi Tupaea and Jordan Watene to be given more chance to demonstrate their attacking talents but with the kicking game working so well it was understandable why that didn't happen.
Fullback Greg Paku did bring back memories of bygone days though when he produced a centring kick which led to his team's second try, scored by Chris Senior.
Kicks of that nature seemed to have become a lost art in the modern day game.
East Coast were by no means out of contention when they trailed by just 11-3 at halftime but, when it all boils down, they lacked the continuity of possession to get any real flow and rhythm into their game.
And they weren't helped either by the concession of a relatively high number of penalties, especially in the second half
There were still though some solid individual performances within the East Coast camp.
Front rowers Tereina Rimene and Darren Walker each starred in two or three charging runs with ball in hand and anchored an impressive scrum, Joe Feast competed with his usual assertiveness in the lineouts and in the loose and No 8 T.K. Karaitiana was a damaging runner in broken play.
First-five and captain Zeb Aporo was the pick of the East Coast backs. He made a few useful dabs on attack and defended stoutly.
Centre Jess McGilvary looked a likely prospect in a couple of jinking runs and fullback Nick Olson was also alert to any attacking opportunity.
Alas for East Coast, however, they were too limited for him to make anything like his usual big impact on proceedings.
Byron Karaitiana, Chris Senior and Jordan Sutherland scored tries for Masterton Red Star and Karaitiana also kicked three penalties and one conversion. Nick Olson kicked a penalty for East Coast.
Marist reversed the two previous beatings suffered at the hands of Gladstone this season when they met in the premier division plate final, Marist winning by 16-3 in a match in which all the points were scored in the first half.
It was the tightness of their defence which was the main catalyst to the Marist victory as while Gladstone spent large periods of the match in opposition territory they had only a penalty to show for it at the game's end.
Ben Couch, Derek Graham and Bill Cavubati were prominent figures in the Marist pack while the inside combination of Api Matenga and Nathan Couch and fullback Murray Gleeson took the eye in the backs.
Solid games for Gladstone up front came from Andrew McLean and Tim Fleming while half back Charlie Bargh did his best to spark the backline.
Anthony Balks scored a try for Marist and Nathan Couch kicked three penalties and a conversion. Jason Kjestrup kicked one penalty for Gladstone.
The senior reserves final between Carterton and Eketahuna was a close-fought affair with Carterton's Neil Rodger kicking the only points of the second half from a penalty to give his side a 12-10 victory.
A try in the very last minute of play saw Greytown beat East Coast 11-6 in the senior reserves plate final.