After sharing the 2022 Heartland Player of the Year award with the departed Semi Vodosese, now in Hawke’s Bay, Vakarorogo went back-to-back as the sole winner in 2023.
Having had an outstanding campaign, especially after his move from winger to centre, the position from which he also won the Premier Club Player of the Year prize, Vakarorogo had stepped up as not only Whanganui’s leading strike weapon, but a hard-working defender, distributer and possession-retainer at breakdowns.
Vakarorogo is soft-spoken and quietly thanked his family, but coach Jason Hamlin was able to provide further words of praise.
“He has all the respect of his teammates and everyone he plays against. He’s a real talent.”
For the Team Member of the Year award, we render unto Caesar the things that are his – ‘Caesar’ being just one of the nicknames bestowed upon Whanganui’s loveable larrikin Peceli Malanicagi.
“He’s the joker, he’s the laugher, but he makes us all happy, and that’s what gets us there in the end,” said Hamlin.
After he was named a recipient of the Emerging Referee award last year, Scott Dowman took the mantle of Referee of the Year after a memorable season in which he extended his officiating to other regions, went ‘viral’ for a hilarious exchange with a mouthy player in a national under-85-kilogram game, and took the whistle in the Tasman Tanning Premier grand final for the first time.
“To be able to give back to the sport in a different capacity than what you were thinking is something else.”
Also giving back has been Todd Cowan, who received the Men’s Coach of the Year after winning the Premier title in his debut season as head coach for Waverley Harvesting Border, before carrying on as assistant to both the Summit Electrical Whanganui and Heartland Hurricanes’ under-20 sides.
“As a coach, referee, manager, physio or whatever, we are all volunteers.
“We like supporting our club – grassroots rugby’s at a turning point. It’s up to us to pick it up in the next couple of years.”
In the women’s categories, Junior Nepia lifted the Coach of the Year prize after guiding Marist to the inaugural championship.
Kaierau’s fantastic loose forward Hayley Gabriel, who went on to play for both the Taranaki Whio in the Farah Palmer Cup and Chester Plumbing & Bathroom Whanganui in the North Island Heartland Series, was named Women’s Club Player of the Year.
At representative level, another dynamic loose forward in Anahera Hamahona was Whanganui Women’s Player of the Year, to go along with being a co-recipient of the Allan E Jennings Achievement Award for Outstanding School Leaver, shared with Collegiate’s Tali Ioasa.
Kaierau’s Kyall Green was named Volunteer of the Year.
Rugby Awards trophies 2023
Allan E Jennings Outstanding School Leavers 2023: Anahera Hamahona and Tali Ioasa.
Representative
Whanganui U-14 Boys —Team Member of Year: Christian Alio; Player of Year: Blake Greenham.
Whanganui U-16 Girls – Team Member of Year: Elizabeth Adrole; Player of Year: Tamzyn Newland.
Whanganui U-16 Boys – Team Member of Year: Trevaan Marino; Player of Year: Marika Tukuwasa Delai.
Whanganui U-18 Girls – Team Member of Year: Humaarie Hika; Player of Year: Cienna Newland.
Whanganui U-18 Boys – Team Member of Year: Harry Rowe; Player of Year: Monty Sherriff.
Whanganui U-20 – Team Member of Year: Jacob Sciascia; Player of Year: Mitai Hemi.
Whanganui Development XV – Team Member of Year: Ngapuke Patea; Player of Year: Emmanuelle Wineera.
Whanganui Women – Team Member of Year: Waimanaua Potaka-Osborne Whanarere; Player of Year: Anahera Hamahona.
Whanganui Heartland – Team Member of Year: Peceli Malanicagi; Player of Year: Alekesio Vakarorogo.
Referees
Emerging Referee 2023: Connor Mear; Referee of Year: Scott Dowman.
Club
Senior Forward: Sam Sherriff (Utiku Old Boys); Senior Back: Wiremu Morgan (Marist Celtic).
Senior Player of the Year: Wiremu Morgan (Marist Celtic).
Premier Forward: Doug Horrocks (Kaierau); Premier Back: Alekesio Vakarorogo (Border).
Premier Player of the Year: Alekesio Vakarorogo (Border).
Women’s Forward: Hayley Gabriel (Kaierau); Women’s Back: Paris Munro (Marist).
Women’s Club Player of the Year: Hayley Gabriel (Kaierau).
Men’s Club Coach of the Year: Todd Cowan (Border).
Women’s Club Coach of the Year: Junior Nepia (Marist).
Volunteers
Volunteer of the Year: Kyall Green (Kaierau).
Volunteer certificates: Junior Nepia (Marist Celtic), Kyall Green (Kaierau), Kelli-Ann Tyson (Marist Celtic), Lowie Harrison (Marton).
Happenings
NZ Under-18 Māori: There was success last Friday for the NZ Under-18 Ngā Māreikura Girls team and their three Whanganui players, beating NZ Barbarians 31-7 in Pukekohe. Waimare Rauhina and Hayley Gabriel started the game at prop and openside flanker respectively, with Rauhina leading the haka, while Anahera Hamahona came off the bench to score an important try after the Barbarians appeared to be mounting a comeback at 19-7.
Talawadua: The Manusina (Samoa) squad, with their Whanganui front-rower Sosoli Talawadua, will enter this weekend’s WXV2 tournament in Cape Town with confidence after a 17-17 draw with hosts South Africa in a warm-up game on Sunday (NZ time). Talawadua, with eight previous tests for the Black Ferns, started the match at prop. Manusina will play the US in their tournament opener on Saturday (local time).
