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Both the Waipu Premiers and Wellsford Reserves were denied rugby titles by Kamo teams last month, after making the finals of their respective competitions.
Waipu were downed 35-10 at Toll Stadium in Whangarei on July 21, while Wellsford lost 32-15 in the curtain raiser to the premier match.
Waipu Premiers head coach Graham Dewes says even though the wheels came off in the final, he is not disappointed with the season result.
“Coming second is a great achievement in this competition, so even though we would have liked the title it’s still been a successful year for us,” he says.
His side was in the final at half time, down 11-10, but was put on the back foot by a yellow card in the second half.
“We started slow and pulled back into the game. A debatable yellow card, for what was deemed a shoulder charge, really cost us though, and we couldn’t get back into the match after that.”
Prior to the play-offs, Waipu finished second in the Joe Morgan Memorial competition, collecting 13 wins in 18 matches.
Dewes says their form was a result of a good all round squad with a particularly strong forward pack.
“The forwards dominated at set-piece time and allowed our backs to attack with front foot ball during the season.”
The team’s only setback was a lack of staff to manage the backs, something Dewes would like to correct next season.
“I’m not sure of my future with the club at this stage, but if I return as head coach I would like someone in that role to give us a good chance at the title.”
Wellsford Reserves coach Kirk Sullivan was also pleased with his team’s performance.
“We struggled a lot with injuries this season and the team had to dig deep most games to get a win, so we did well to make the final,” Sullivan says.
He puts his team’s success down to a strong back line and a good balance of young and experienced players.
“Unfortunately, Kamo had a huge forward pack and their dominance in the scrum meant they had more possession and front foot ball to attack, which won them the final.”
