Bay of Plenty came into this game as hot favourites over a Whanganui team only recently returning to nationals level competition. They showed just why they were the favourites when almost immediately from the tap off they scored through Jason Puddle. The Bay were at the forefront with all the early running but it was Whanganui who replied with the next touchdown to Sam Nemani following a long ball play they had been trying a couple of times already.
At this stage of the contest, it was already clear that Puddle was the stand out player on the park and he replied for the Bay with an individual effort on the five. Stepping and diving underneath defenders in the middle of the Whanganui defence. Despite appearing to be on the back foot for the entire of this match so far, Whanganui again pulled level as Cornell Mason scored through the link area where the Bay savers were too slow on shut down. Whanganui showed great spirit under pressure and their reward for weathering the many attacking storms was to take an unlikely halftime lead as Jonathan Muir once again exposed some sloppy work on the fringes of the Bay defence. Halftime score 3-2 Whanganui.
Puddle was at it again in the second half for the Bay as he assisted Dahli Tui-Taylor for an equaliser. Ed Maui scored on their next possession to take the lead back from the boys from the river town. But Whanganui would not lie down and were especially potent on the five where Rangi Muir followed his brother's lead and pulled it back level. Incredibly, Nemani showed some deceptive gas from around 30 metres and Mark Oliver dotted down in the corner to take the lead back from a Bay side who thought they were cruising. Puddle was the Bay's key playmaker and it was odd that he was spending so much time on the bench at such a crucial point of the match. On his reintroduction he completed his hat-trick and assisted another to level the scores at 6 a piece. The Muir brothers conspired for one final comeback but agonisingly, with the savers beaten, the long ball fell just short of the winger. This appeared as a final chance for a tiring, but brave Whanganui side. Henare Tahuri scored off Puddle's third assist to win the entertaining match 7-6 and claim the Mens Over 35 Title. Final score: 7-6 to Bay of Plenty
Last Modified on 28/02/2012 14:21
