Auckland takes the triple crown
The National Provincial Championships were played in Wellington at Martin Luckie Park on Saturday the 29th and 30th of September. Auckland were successful in taking out the title for the third time in succession.
Unlike the AFL grand final debacle in Melbourne, every one of the six games played on the weekend, was in the balance at some stage. The big improvers were Waikato and although yet to find their first NPC victory, they gained the respect of all competitors.
The Wellington League put on a great event played in fantastic spirit and without a single serious injury.
Umpires converged from across the country to provide great support and were not required to deal with a single report for the weekend.
An initial squad was chosen for the New Zealand Falcons 2008 International Cup campaign to be held in Melbourne in September 2008. The squad includes 24 players that have previously represented New Zealand.
Some outstanding teenage debutants on show for their provinces. Matt Duffy from Auckland, Cameron Heka and Isaac O’Connor from Wellington, showed great potential and were rewarded with their inclusion in the squad..
The tournament also saw four New Zealanders return home from Australia to compete in the tournament. Moss Doran (Sth Warnambool), Scott McNally (Prahran), Matt Callaghan ( Thornlie) and Paul Gunning (Warnbro) were all selected in the initial squad.
Canterbury vs Auckland Coach Ben Nolan and Best Player Geoff Thomas
Experienced campaigners Byron Roff, Mike Sevrinson, Josh Hemma (Wellington) and Geoff Thomas (Canterbury) were also included in an athletic squad that will undergo an extensive build up to the Cup in pursuit of follow up to New Zealand’s success in 2005.
The 2007 NPC Genesis Energy Umpires
SATURDAY 29th SEPTEMBER
GAME 1
Auckland 3 2 3 2 3 3 5 6 36
Wellington 2 1 3 4 3 4 4 5 29
Goals:
Auckland M Hacket, J Burns, M Duffy, D Rattenbury, P Gunning
Wellington I O’Connor 2, L Reeves 2
GAME 2
Canterbury 1 1 3 2 6 3 8 6 54
Waikato 3 4 3 5 4 8 5 9 39
Goals:
Canterbury J Bowden 2, S Allison 2, R Bradley 2, Cheeseman, Court
Waikato M Doran 2, M Moran, D Shearing, J Quinn-Casey
GAME 3
Wellington 2 4 4 7 4 7 6 13 49
Canterbury 0 2 0 2 3 3 4 4 28
Goals:
Wellington J Hema 2, J Kerse, L Reeves, S Smith, J Trenbeth
Canterbury D De Cuevas 3, J Hopkins
GAME 4
Auckland 2 2 5 5 5 6 8 7 55
Waikato 0 3 0 3 2 3 3 4 22
Goals:
Auckland M Hacket 2, J Burns 2, P Gunning, B Wade, M Dunlop, A Rattenbury
Waikato P Mouritz, D Mouritz, M Patterson
SUNDAY 30th SEPTEMBER
GAME 5
Wellington 2 3 3 4 4 7 4 9 33
Waikato 0 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 28
Goals:
Wellington B Roff 2, I O’Connor, J West
Waikato P Mouritz 2, D Shearing, M Moran
GAME 6
Auckland 1 4 2 7 3 8 4 9 33
Canterbury 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 3 9
Goals:
Auckland B Horne 2, M Hackett, J Burns
Canterbury R Bradley
LADDER
Team W L PTS For Ag %
Auckland 3 0 12 124 60 206
Wellington 2 1 8 111 92 121
Canterbury 1 2 4 91 121 75
Waikato 0 3 0 89 142 63
TOURNAMENT WINNERS: AUCKLAND
NPC BEST AND FAIREST: Phil Mouritz Waikato
LEADING GOAL KICKER: Joel Burns and Matthew Hacket Auckland
TEAM BEST PLAYER AWARDS:
Canterbury: Geoff Thomas
Auckland: Marcus Jones
Wellington: Mike Sevrinson
Waikato: Mitch Mace