Decision to move finals day is the right call

Photo/File

I can understand the Marist and Pirates rugby clubs not wanting to have a "bar" of it, but the decision to move next Saturday's Tasman Tanning Premier and Senior finals to Cooks Gardens was the right call by the Wanganui Rugby Football Union.

I remember standing with WRFU chairman Jeff Phillips on the Spriggens Park sidelines back in March for an early-season game and noting the tell-tale yellow tinge and bare patches of dirt all around the field.

The notorious African black beetle, the bane of Wanganui sport, had decided the cricket ground at Victoria Park should not be their only base of operations and so made camp on the town's main club footy ground, managed by the district council.

By May WRFU development officer Paul Kenny and other staff were walking around inspecting the turf with shaking heads, already concerned it would not stand up to hosting two to three games a day, as was planned for the second round of Premier with three double-header weekends at the park.

Hard rain during the week made several occasions where Pirates had to move their Thursday night practice, the ground closed by council.

"There's not a lot of grass on [Spriggens] and my concern is if it does rain during a game, that's going to be a problem," said coach Phillip Morris.

"It's sand based. A couple of big [forward] packs, we're going to do some damage."

By then Cooks Gardens was already getting a grass manicure as an alternative finals day venue.

Really the floods on June 20-21 sealed the deal, as the lake on the park took so long to dissipate, leaving the ground unplayable for several rounds.

I remember standing in dressing rooms like Taihape's and shrugging when telling them the WRFU was planning to get play back on the park "this week", only to be met by shaking heads as sides resigned themselves to another match on the racecourse grounds.

On Thursday, myself and a photographer went down to Cooks Gardens for a photo shoot with the young Maori players who represented Te Tini A Maui last weekend.

Borrowing some footy balls from the union offices, I was mucking around with drop kicks and chips into the in-goal while the snaps were being taken.

My lack of success with the droppies, as I'm no James Forsythe, had nothing to do with the ground - it really was in very tidy order.

JB Phillips acknowledged in his midweek column on Wednesday that Marist and Pirates are against the swap - one of the first since club playoffs were introduced in 1989.

It is fair enough given if Marist Premiers can make the consolation final and Pirates get through to defend their Premier championship, then there is good money to be made across the clubroom bars from their respective memberships.

However, bigger picture here, using Wanganui's pre-eminent ground for the final club games of the season will make for a grand showcase, and barring a windy day, should guarantee better quality matches.

And it's not like there isn't an opportunity for Pirates and Marist to do a little money spinning with the games only nine minutes walk from home.

Both Taranaki and Manawatu play their club finals in their main stadiums - Yarrows and Arena Manawatu.

Before big games in the Naki, town bars run deals where a few bucks will get you the entry ticket, transport to and from the ground via shuttle, and a couple of drinks when you return.

I've got no doubt the savvy blokes in the town clubs could sort out a similar arrangement with the local transport companies to get some vans or buses going back and forth from the clubrooms.

Chuck in a few beers and I can't see a much better way to spend an afternoon.