Blog

27.07.2025

Contents usually include: Old Boys Marist Senior & Junior rugby reports – weekly competition & draw winners – NZ Marist – affiliates Cricket, Netball, Football and Softball seasonal reports – Club Social events  +  News & Views etc etc.

Views and comments often expressed in this publication are not necessarily
those of the executive or policy of the club

“Team up with a Winning Club in 2025”.

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“ASK NOT WHAT YOUR CLUB CAN DO FOR YOU
–  ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR CLUB.”
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Why would you play for Old Boys Marist ?
We have a simple philosophy at Napier Old Boys Marist  –  that we are a well organised rugby club both on and off the field, we are fit, disciplined, well coached and our players are very loyal.  Our teams are always well presented.
At Napier Old Boys Marist we promote a strong work ethic, we play with a special passion and honesty which is fun to be part of, but we also expect our players to carry that honesty through to their work and personal lives.
In summary we as a club will create a positive environment so that players can expect to progress in their rugby careers.  To excel players must also take responsibility for their rugby and life in general.

 

 

Napier Old Boys Marist Club Sponsors

Major
BJ Mahony Shearing  –  Benson Property Limited    –  Cape Physio  –  Devine Plumbing
–  Green Club  –  HBI Properties Ltd   –  ICIB Broker Webb Insurance & Risk Advisory –     
       Motordrome Tyre & Auto Service   –   MRD Web  –  Napier Collision Repair Centre   –
Napier Collision Repair Centre   –  Onekawa Liquorland  –   Proton Electrical  –  PWL Builders Ltd  –
Red Steel   –   Richard Kepka Builders   –  Shape Life & Financial Services   –  Sideline Bar  –
– Tremain Real Estate
General
 BWR    –  DB Breweries   –    Eastern & Central Community Trust  –   Four Winds Foundation  –
Firetech Services Ltd   –  Grassroots Trust –  Lion Foundation 
–    Napier Sandblasting   –  New Zealand Community Trust  –  Pub Charity  –
  Scott Applegate Electrical  –  The Southern Trust  –  Thinkwater Hawkes Bay

Members Support our valued Sponsors as they generously Support us

 

club noticeboard

MISSION statement

“To provide a sporting and recreational club for both men and women which encourages both individuals and teams to reach their maximum potential in their chosen sporting club endeavours.
In doing this it would always be our aim to maintain a fun club spirit, which treats every person equally and which ensures that the club runs on a profitable basis”

Napier Old Boys Marist Rugby Football Club

>  OBM Brothers in ARMS  <

2025

ANNUAL DINNER & PRESENTATION OF TROPHIES

Player of the Day Points
(3, 2, 1’s

PREMIER

11 – Will Tremain

PREMIER RESERVE

8 – Migao Lauano

THIRDS

11 – Martin Bernard

COLTS

10 – Brock McGrath

Team Awards

COLTS

Most Promising: Brock McGrath

Best Team Man: Perry Gross-Motu

Best Forward: Tebs Moutu

Best Back: Connor Hawkins

THIRDS

Most Improved: Martin Barnard

Best Team Man: Adam de Lautour

Best Forward: Jordan James and James Little

Best Back: Samuel Wattie

RESERVES

Most Improved: Manasa Kubuabola

Best Team Man: Migao Lauano

Best Forward: Siaosi Faumuina

Best Back: George Moleli

 

PREMIER

Most Improved: Conor Cashman

Team Man: Patrick Teddy

Best Forward: Will Tremain

Best Back: Sunia Ragede

 

Club Awards

Ellery Wilson 7s Cup:  Michael Beech

Ian McRae Club Spirited Player:  Lee Moleli

Blair Furlong Cup Best Club Member:  Frank Ene

Peter Harris Cup Supporter of the Year:  Brent Cements

KR Tremain Cup Sportsman of the Year:  Kere Penitito

2025 Sportsman of the Year Kere Penetito with Mrs Pam Tremain

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Team Management Personnel 2025 Season

Premier –  Ellery Wilson  – 027 964 9060   :  Matthew Wyatt – 022 616 4250
Manager –  Mitch Gardiner  –  0274 892 120 :   Assist. –  Peter Bainbridge – 027 245 8729   :  Anthony Easson – 0275 347 800

Premier Reserves –  Sami Lauano – 027 312 1938   :   Pouvi Fatialofa – 022 695 3573
Manager – Frank Eneliko – 022 600 6547

Thirds –  Tom Grant – 021 220 5910  :  Mike Boyd – 021 438 873

Colts – Steve Smithers  – 022 498 5367  :  Sam Birch –  027 355 8379
 Manager  – Jason Evans: 021 191 3248
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New Players Welcome in 2026
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A fine lineup of St Johns College Old Boys….

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New Players in all teams will be Welcome in 2026
>  Bring along a mate  <
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NAPIER OLD BOYS MARIST JUNIOR RUGBY

2025 NOBM Junior Rugby Committee
For further Junior Rugby Info please contact >

Executive:
Glenn Fulcher (Chairman)  021 676 174
Glenn Fulcher (Secretary)  021 676 174  –   Bevan Condin (Treasurer)  021 160 5118  
Ben Guild  (Convenor),
Committee:
Emma Chambers,  Grant Frommherz,  Therese Rodger,
Georgie Smithers,  Rochelle Williams,  Annalise Wyatt.    

Any queries, email: nobmjuniorrugby@gmail.com

“New Players Welcome to Team up with
Napier Old Boys Marist Junior Rugby in 2026”

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DON’T WAIT.  THE TIME WILL NEVER BE JUST RIGHT
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  ·

  CALLING ALL LIGHTWEIGHTS!  

Napier Old Boys Marist is pumped to put out the call to muster an U85kg team for the 2025 Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union competition!

If you’re under 85kgs and keen to play competitive, fast-paced 15-aside footy — this is your chance to rep the green & white and show what you’re made of!
You can be YEAR 12 or older at High School, and we really want to target those that have left school and want to play club footy. No max age limit !!!

Season starts: 8th August

Runs for: 5 weeks

Games:  Mostly mid-week under the lights (Fridays) + the odd Saturday

Weigh-in required before kick-off

This is your time to shine in a comp built for speed, skill, and solid team rugby without the size mismatch.

REGISTER NOW

Contact  –  Kurt Chambers

021 751 681

chamkur@hotmail.com

  Whether you’re looking to get back on the field or try something new — join us and be part of something exciting this season.

 

 

DID  YOU  KNOW   

ABBREVIATED  RUGBY   THAT  Does the average premier player and supporter have the feeling that the innards have been stripped out of our Hawkes Bay club premier competition over recent years.   From what kicked off in the opening of the Nash Cup with nine games in the round to the Maddison Trophy with only five teams to play against in the round robin play.  Plus the semi and final.   It appears that some players will need to be ‘free’ for pre-competition representative games  –  resulting in the remaining majority missing out on several more rounds of competition games due to the shorter season.

This never seemed to be a problem in the earlier years.  Hats off to the players selected for rep honours.  But what about a fair go for the remainder of the premier players ?  This may put a bit more pressure on the clubs supplying several players for the rep side, but it also provides clubs with opportunity to promote their men to step up and fill the gaps.

Many club rugby supporters I’ve spoken to consider that the club season now days is too short and it hasn’t enhanced the competitiveness of Hawkes Bay Premier rugby.  Worth a thought ?

 

    THAT  Congratulations Guys as participating club members of Napier Old Boys Marist and those of you who received awards for your contributions to the 2025 playing season.  Well done on your efforts over the past season in our Clubs colours and we look forward to seeing you back in action again in 2026.

    THAT we extend to all affiliated Marist Clubs throughout the country our best wishes at the sharp end of the 2025 season.  

  

 THAT  Pass the Word around our ‘lightweight’ players  –  Get onboard and get into our U85 team for several rounds of ‘end of season’ club rugby kicking off on the  8^th August    Any Info required re practice etc  contact –  Kurt Chambers  –  021 751 681

 

“May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future”

REMINDER to Players & Members –  Not receiving our weekly TeamTalk newsletters  ?  –  Forward your email address to –  eddiewilson@xtra.co.nz

 

HERE and THERE . . .

Celebrating 30 years of News, Views, Opinion and Stats from the man in the stand . . .    .  

TREVOR . . . Brennan’s rugby-playing career ended abruptly in 2007, when he was banned for life after assaulting an Ulster fan during a match.   After he was baited about the standard of a bar he owned, Trevor Brennan jumped into the crowd and struck a male supporter.   Although his life ban was later reduced to five years following an appeal, he retired from the sport before the results of the disciplinary process were known.

He represented Leinster between 1996 and 2001 and made almost 50 appearances for the province.   During this time, he was also capped by Ireland on 13 occasions, including at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

Despite this, Trevor Brennan spent most of his domestic career in France, where he immediately fell out of favour with Ireland’s selectors.   Between 2002 and 2007, he made 126 appearances for Stade Toulousain and won the Heineken Champions Cup twice.

Since his retirement from the game, Trevor Brennan and his family have remained in Toulouse, where they continue to own a bar.

His two sons both play in the French top 14 competition. Daniel for Toulouse and Joshua for Toulon, younger brother Joshua was a recent visitor to these shores as a member of Les Bleus playing against the All Blacks.

 

A SHOUT . . . out to three of my grandies this past week for their sporting efforts.   Locally, Beauden picked up a try and Player of the Day being a big metre eater for his Texan team.

Not to be out done Jacob in Palmy was also named Player of the Day in goal for his Russell Street school hockey side.

Meanwhile over in Perth Huddy scored four tries for his Palmyra side and later in the week also won his Ardross School’s Year One cross country race.

FORMER . . . All Blacks fullback and coach Laurie Mains was very forthright with his views about the state of rugby recently when interviewed on The Platform radio show.

“What people are sick of in rugby is seeing 16, 18, 20 ruck after ruck of forwards picking up the ball and bashing into the opposition.   That is not what rugby is about.   It that’s the best teams can do in rugby to score tries – then there’s something wrong in the game.   If we took one rule from league we’d fix this problem.   Coaches would have to come up with more innovative areas.   If after five rucks or tackle situations, you lost the ball – there would be a scrum or free kick to the opposition.   Rugby needs to come up with something to stop this constant bashing away – as it’s too boring to watch.”

CONGRATULATIONS . . . the Green Machine’s Pat Hedley and former Green Machine first-five Jonty Stewart who were both named in the King Country Heartland squad this week.

Also named in the Hawke’s Bay Magpies Development squad of 28 were Green Machine forwards Otto Katoa and Patrick Teddy along with backs TK Thompson and Sunia Ragede.

NEXT WEEK . . . What defines being a rookie?

Cheers McGoo
mcgooz@outlook.com

THAT  Congrats to  Hamilton Marist who yesterday took our the Waikato premier rugby title for 2025 in beating Hautapu 22 -13.

     THAT  Do you know someone missing these newsletters ?   If you know someone that would like to receive our Napier Old Boys Marist weekly newsletters,  please forward this email on to them  –  to forward their address to   –   eddiewilson@xtra.co.nz          We know there are supporters out there who will have changed their address.

THAT  As usual we apologise for any errors or mistakes you may find in this edition.     Ed.

 

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         Richard McGrath

THAT  Are you and your family finding it hard to pay the rates bill with rises of 28.85% over the last two years ?   

Do you want a change in direction and priorities and a back to basics approach?   I’m the only councillor that voted against these increases and the poorly prioritised projects.

As an experienced councillor and chair of the People and Places committee and the City Services portfolio holder I know what our priorities should be.

Water, roads and rubbish need to be sorted first while other projects need to be put on hold, lets prioritise local contactors where practical ahead of those based out of the region.

I will continue to turn up (highest attendance rate of current councillors) and represent you and keep rates affordable.   It’s time for a reset that gets our rates risers back under control.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

richardmcgrathnapier@gmail.com

021 067 3448

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THAT  For those of you weren’t aware, Richard McGrath (above) was a former player for our club and has his son Brock currently playing in our NOBM Colts team.

 

“Team up with the  ‘GREEN MACHINE’ again in 2026 –  New Players are always WELCOME

 

THEY SAID IT  

“People meet people, and one thing we know about young people – and I know this better about males than females – is that they need to have role models outside of their parents. And having coaches and club people and more senior players in their club who they can look to as role models, is really important.”
David Kirk – Chairman of the NZ Rugby Board.

“It is a team game, and it is a team game that has a whole load of different skill requirements according to what position you play,” he says.   It is a team game that requires you to be a team member. Your team will not perform unless you perform, and you perform in your particular place.    It requires you to make sacrifices for the team … to make tackles and to build confidence and courage. Because there are so many moving parts to it, you can make a genuine contribution.”
David Kirk……..