Well... it wasn't Waiuku's 1st team... and it wasn't Taupo's either... and it wasn't a win... but well worth the trip down nonetheless!!

Saturday Feb 16th saw the first trip a Waiuku team has taken down to Taupo in more than 10 years. While it was really about blowing out the summer cobwebs, we'd like to think a good time was had by all - despite the 7 hours driving in one day!

The score line was 3-0 to Taupo, but if it had not been for a couple of lapses of concentration on tired (and injured) legs in the last 8 minutes, the fulltime score would have read a much tidier and creditible 1-0.

In the end, despite early planning, we were only able to get 10 players to take the trip down... but in the spirit of a friendly run out, Taupo were more than happy to loan us an eleventh. Also in the true spirit of a "friendly" run out... the game was not without its share of intense encounters... but the rough and sharp nature of the match was definitely left on the field.

Coach Jim Evans was very pleased with what he saw... although in fairness he went for a 2 minute walk to fetch a ball and didn't actually notice that two goals were conceded in that time. It was a great opportunity for some young guys to get out for their first taste of football at that level. 17 year old Joe Wearing looked sharp and competitive in the centre mid, but the light weight pairing of he and Phil Donovan was not quite enough to counter the brutal 3 man centre of Taupo. Young Jessie Smythe-Kirk battled hard on the left wing - and showed a taste of what his blistering 100m sprint times can offer on the field.

The first half offered a number of good chances to Cody Ralph and Danny Baldwin up front and the early stages looked very promising indeed. However by late in the 2nd spell, good possession up front was getting a bit hard to come by. With both Dale Oliver and Joe nursing strained thighs it was not surprising that the last 25 mins was a bit of a battle.

Heads were held high though! And it's great to think we are even able to put a team on the field at this early stage of the season... let alone 260km away from home!

Things appear to be shaping up nicely... and all are looking forward to the next encounter at Matamata on March 1st!