Clash of captains promises action

Two rival captains, both back in the Auckland region after successful stints in the South Island, Massey's Steve Jackson and Takapuna's Billy Fulton, will be trying to cap their careers when the North Harbour premier club title is decided today.

Jackson moved to Harbour this year after six seasons and 73 matches playing, often as captain, for Southland. As the locking cornerstone of a solid pack, he has helped to make Massey a force in the club contest.

Fulton, having played at NPC level for Canterbury and in the Super 12 with the Crusaders and the Highlanders, has returned to the club in which he started his senior career nearly a decade ago and with which he has already won three Harbour titles between 1997 and 1999.

He also had a handy club record in Canterbury, having won a number of Ellesmere sub-union titles with Hornby.

Jackson, by contrast, has not tasted a club honour since 1995, when he was in the Ponsonby side that beat Marist in Auckland's Gallaher Shield final.

He has every reason, given Massey's recent top form, to be confident of adding to that lone success in today's final, though he emphasises his respect for Takapuna, particularly their record of eight Harbour titles over the past 10 years.


Despite Takapuna's winning culture, Fulton concedes that Massey will start as favourites. "They've got some very flash backs and we'll have to be very careful against them."

Giving the talented Massey set even more potency recently has been the return of promising wing Hosea Gear after tours with New Zealand Maori and the New Zealand Colts.

* Ponsonby, who play Grammar Carlton in the final of the Auckland premier club championship at Eden Park today, have been the dominant side in Gallaher shield history, winning 24 times, the last in 2002.

Grammar have won it eight times, but not since 1972. The nearest they have come to repeating that success was in 1982, when they lost the final to Otahuhu 15-9.

While Ponsonby's lead-up to this year's final has been spectacular, for Grammar progress has been steady.

Ponsonby whipped the 2003 champion side, Waitemata, 48-12 in the semifinal. Grammar had to score a last-second try and a conversion from the touchline to beat University, the only side to beat Ponsonby this season, 19-18.

The final will be preceded by the under-21 championship final between Marist Red and Ponsonby.