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Mahurangi Rugby’s 12-7 win against Silverdale last month was a record breaking 250th game for Warkworth’s Haden Kose.
The occasion was made all the sweeter for Kose, being the first win for Mahurangi’s premier team in three years, since they beat Marist North Harbour in 2016.
The first try of the game came when Mahurangi’s under 21s player Kade Banks made a break through a gap and passed to Carlin Dunn, who scored under the post.
Mahurangi held on to a 7-nil lead until Silverdale scored right on half time.
The tension among a packed-out crowd at the Warkworth Showgrounds could be felt as both teams continued scoring and the lead alternated between the two teams, Premier’s manager Bruce Stubbs says.
“When the full-time whistle blew and we had won it, everyone in the crowd just jumped in the air.”
After the game, the club presented Kose with his double-centennial black jacket with a new silver lining to mark 250 matches and an engraved silver tankard, as well as a commemorative plaque from North Harbour Rugby, presented by head of operations Denis Henderson.
Kose has played for Mahurangi Rugby for 21 years. He joined the club at age 18 in 1997 under coach Greg Courtney.
“There were some guys like Scotty Fabricius playing in the Silverdale game whose fathers I used to play with, and now even Scotty has his 40-game blazer,” Kose says.
The club has two other players who have earned their 200 game jackets – Howard Cooper and
Brett Innes.
“We rely on club loyalty among locals more than anything because it is difficult to entice players from elsewhere due to our geographical position,” Kose says.
“It has been great to see local players moving up the ranks from juniors to seniors and then committing to playing for the club, even if they have to travel.”
Kose says last year was a rebuilding phase for the team and matches against teams in a similar position such as Silverdale and Massey would be the real test of the club’s progress.
