Round ends with virtual final
Club rugby fans will essentially be treated to a final tomorrow.
Round one wraps up and the competition is tight at the top.
The defending champions Green Island (27 points) lead the standings, but they have a bye.
So that means whoever wins the heavyweight clash between Taieri (26 points) and Dunedin (25 points) at Peter Johnstone Park will move into pole position and claim the Speight's Jug as the first-round winner.
Harbour (24 points) play University (17 points) at the University Oval in another important fixture.
University are outside the top six and they will not want to slip further behind.
They are still missing Ricky Jackson, Steve Salelea, Jeremiah Asi, Mac Harris and Mika Muliaina, who are on duty for New Zealand Universities.
That is a talented chunk of players.
The other two games could be one-way traffic.
Kaikorai (20 points) will head to Montecillo Park to play Zingari-Richmond (seven points), who have been labouring this season.
Their only win was against the winless Alhambra-Union (one point) in the opening game of the season.
AU play Southern (23 points) at Bathgate Park. The Magpies are fresh from an impressive 31-15 win against Kaikorai.
They should have too much strength up front for the visitors. They demolished Kaikorai at scrum time last weekend.
After the round, the teams will be ranked into two pools.
The teams which placed 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 will play crossover games against the teams which placed 2, 4, 6 and 8.
As all teams in the odds pool receive an extra bye, additional points will be added at the end of the regular season based on their finishing position in the pool.
Points will be allocated as follows: the highest ranked team will get five points, the second-ranked team gets four points and so on. The last-placed team gets one point.
Hopefully, that is as clear as home brew.
When you have an odd number of teams playing an odd number of fixtures, it all gets a bit murky.
adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Shadows over netball's place in the sun
Netball has long had a special place for New Zealanders. It has been the number one women's team sport in both interest and participation. Its stars, outside of Olympic Games heroes, often represented the pinnacle of sporting achievement for female sport. Netball legends, including Dunedin's former New Zealand representative and revered coach Lois Muir, have long been admired and celebrated. Showdowns against Australia were eagerly anticipated. A broad cross-section of sporting fans recognised the team and its players. Viewership during the heyday of World Championship and Commonwealth Games finals was immense. Yet, much has and is changing, at least at the elite level. The domestic netball competition once commanded high fees for broadcast rights. These were sold to Sky, both a blessing and a curse. The money enabled the players to be paid salaries and boosted professionalism but, because the games were on a subscription service, much of the population was excluded. Children had fewer opportunities to see potential heroes in action. Netball faded a little from the limelight. Netball's appeal to broadcasters has waned, and in recent months it has struggled to secure a broadcast partner. While TVNZ 1 will now show games live and on demand, reports suggest Netball New Zealand had to pay for the privilege. This year, the domestic competition was shortened to reduce costs. Its format for next season remains uncertain. Meanwhile, top players are heading overseas in search of better financial rewards. Superstar Grace Nweke left for Australia this year, initially sacrificing her eligibility to represent New Zealand. Unable to offer competitive salaries, Netball NZ has backtracked, allowing certain players, including Nweke, to depart while retaining Silver Fern eligibility. The criteria for this dispensation remain undisclosed. Several players are heading overseas, including Southern Steel co-captain Kate Heffernan. Who can blame them, when top players might earn $120,000 in Australia compared to just $60,000 in New Zealand? Even that figure is uncertain, with pay cuts expected next year, and many players earning significantly less. Next year, the televised league will also lack the draw of its 10 or so most recognised netballers, weakening its appeal. On the other hand, the presence of many of them in the Australian league could offer a new platform for New Zealand fans to follow the sport Netball might go the way of basketball, football and rugby league, with one or two New Zealand teams competing in Australia. That would be a long way from the days when the two countries shared a competition with the same number of teams. Premier netball is shifting from professional to semi-professional, and perhaps even amateur. Unlike rugby or cricket, it lacks a male counterpart to help underpin professional structures. Unlike football, it lacks international clout and the revenue generated by World Cups. And unlike basketball, it is not a global sport offering pathways such as US college scholarships. Viewers now have compelling alternatives in women's rugby, rugby league, football, and cricket, most of which carry greater overall clout. These sports are also drawing athletic talent that once gravitated toward netball. As a result, netball's standards are likely to decline, and New Zealand may struggle to consistently reclaim a top-two global ranking. Netball also faces intensified competition for commercial interest and sponsorship. The good news is the enduring strength at the community level. It continues to benefit from dedicated volunteers and, particularly in the South, capable development officers. Southland, of course, remains the standout region for netball support. Netball New Zealand's registered player numbers rose from about 120,000 in 2024 to about 145,000 last year. However, there may have been a decline in secondary school participation. Basketball and volleyball have grown in popularity. Indoor team sports have growing costs and organisational advantages over those based on fields. Volleyball demonstrates that a high profile is not necessary to thrive. Netball's deep roots in New Zealand society will serve it well in the challenging times ahead.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Royals score five in convincing win
The Dunedin City Royals put five goals past Universities of Canterbury to notch an impressive win on Saturday. Building from last week's draw with high-flyers Christchurch United, the Royals beat UC 5-0 in the men's Southern League at Logan Park on Saturday. The Royals took a seventh-minute lead when they smartly passed the ball around the UC defence allowing Will Turner to score. Midway through the first half Brady Jacobs jinked into the penalty box and struck his shot against the post. The Royals were enjoying a host of possession and keeper Alex Boomer had little to do. As halftime approached Max Davidson was denied a goal when his powerful header was spectacularly saved by Matthew Aitchison. It was 2-0 soon after the restart when Charlie Fawcett scored in the 47th minute. Turner made it 3-0 just before the hour mark. Coach Blair Scoullar was happy to have a strong bench. He introduced Cato Williams and Lewis Wall — both of whom got on the scoresheet in the 70th and 77th minutes to round out a well-deserved victory. The top of the table clash between Cashmere Tech and Christchurch United finished 2-2, meaning if Coastal Spirit can win Sunday's clash over Ferrymead Bays, Spirit will go top of the table. Selwyn remain rooted to the bottom of the table after losing 6-2 to Nomads. Wānaka did not play as their game over Nelson Suburbs was postponed, as Suburbs were in the Chatham Cup cup semifinal where they lost 3-0 to Auckland United. In the women's South Island league Roslyn Wakari was the only southern team in action. They took a lead through Morgan McCormick in the 22nd minute against Coastal Spirit at Logan Park. However, Margi Dias and Samantha Whyte both bagged doubles to give Coastal a 4-1 win. In the ODT Men's Southern Premiership, Northern continued on its quest for a 100% season with an emphatic 7-0 victory on the road against Northern Hearts. Sam Cosgrove opened the scoring after five minutes, before Rory Hibbert scored a 16-minute hat-trick to lead 4-0 after 40 minutes. While doing so, he took his personal tally to 21 goals for the season. Toby Orchiston made it 5-0 midway through the second half and Cosgrove bagged two late goals to get his first hat-trick of the season. Mosgiel retained second spot beating the Dunedin City Royals 4-0, Queens Park claimed local bragging rights in the Invercargill derby beating Old Boys 4-0, while Roslyn Wakari overcame Green Island 2-1 at Sunnyvale thanks to a double from Ben Williams-Davies. In the Women's Southern Premiership, Green Island moved clear at the top of the table beating Northern 2-0 with Hannah Post and Jonna Barth's goals. University and the Dunedin City Royals played out a 0-0 draw to leave them both three points behind Green Island — however both teams have games in hand. Queens Park came from behind to beat Roslyn with Tyler Andrews scoring her second goal in the 87th minute, before Megan Waters injury time goal secured a 3-1 win for the Invercargill team. — Neville Watson
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Clubs battling DCC charge increases
Higher ground and facility user charges could force a community football club to shut up shop, a Dunedin-based sports administrator says. Southern Football chief executive Dougal McGowan told the Otago Daily Times that Dunedin City Council charges have risen sharply since 2018 and the organisation is bracing itself for another price hike. Southern Football shelled out $42,202 to use the city's venues and grounds in 2018. But those costs have swollen considerably. This year, despite using six fewer fields, Southern Football was charged $98,119 and it expects the bill to climb to more than $100,000 in 2026. "You can't put the fees up to be able to cover all of that," Mr McGowan said. "It's just not possible because people can't afford to play the game otherwise." "We try to keep our game as cheap as we possibly can because ... we want to make it as accessible to everybody as we can. "But these price rises are making it really, really difficult." For one small community club in the region, who Mr McGowan declined to name, it could spell the end. "The amount we have to pay for the ground that they use ... is more than what we get from them in fees. "Next year this cost to the council will go up again for the ground usage and then lights and changing room costs on top. "So, we're going to have to have a conversation with them about maybe they might have to close. "That's a really sad indictment on what we're doing in our communities." Community sport is beset by other rising costs, and competition for funding has increased as the city's sinking lid policy on class-4 gambling starts to bite. The proposed Online Casino Gambling Bill could strip further funds from the community. But McGowan said every small increase was felt, and it was forcing administrators into making some tough decisions. "Even though we've got more people playing the game, we've had to cut the number of grounds we can use because we just can't afford it." Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Richard Kinley said the main codes had met to discuss how they could work together to address the impact increased ground charges will have on clubs and "ultimately participants". "Most of our clubs actually operate really well, but they operate on a really fine margin," Mr Kinley said. "However, these potential impacts of fees going up and the Online Casino Gambling Bill just have more of an impact, and we know that class-4 gaming is dropping slightly anyway across the country." DCC group manager of parks and recreation Heath Ellis said staff were in contact with sports codes across the city and were always available to meet. "Councillors asked for a review of fees and charges for sports fields to ensure equity between different codes," Mr Ellis said. "Previously, some codes were paying up to 4.9% of total costs for sports field use, while others were paying as low as 3.2%. "Staff presented councillors with a table detailing the potential costs to the different codes — recovering 4% of costs from all sports field users, or alternatively 5%. "Councillors decided to consult the public on the 5% option, and later voted to confirm this amount. "Just two submissions were received raising concerns about potential increases in sports field fees." Sport Otago chief executive James Nation felt the savings to the ratepayers were minimal. "When you look at the actual money that the council's saving by going from a 4% to 5%, it's negligible in the grand scheme of things," Mr Nation said. "But the impact on an individual sports person is massive."
