CarCo the Mako says
Hi Makos FINatics, it was great to be back at Trafalgar Park on Saturday night for the pre-season match against Otago. The weather stayed clear, the temperature wasn’t too cold and and a very good crowd saw our boys get home late in the piece by 31 - 25.
The pre-season continues with a run against Wellington at Lansdowne Park. I’m hoping a big Blenheim crowd will join me after work this Thursday. Gates open at 4.30pm and kick off is at 5.30pm.
Getting back to Saturday night’s game, there were some impressive performances. There’s a new lock from the Queensland Reds who was very impressive. He has a bit of a Brad Thorn look and quality about him. Most impressively he is named Marco (Kotze) so I’m a big fan already.
It was great to see some of the new young Makos get a run, Trael Joass and Alex Nankivell appear to be very good prospects. But it was the tried and true like Shane Christie, Joe Wheeler, Quentin MacDonald and Billy Guyton who got the team back into the match in the second half.
FINAL WHISTLE: Tasman Makos 31 (Shane Christie 2, Pete Samu, Mitchell Scott, Billy Guyton tries, Trent Renata 3 cons) v Otago XV 25 (Tony Ensor, Matt Faddes, Charlie O'Connell tries, Peter Breen 2 pens, con, Fletcher Smith con) Ht 7-13.
It was old school rugby with the Otago visit, with their players being billeted at people’s homes. I had a couple of lads at the Shark Tank and they were good guys. Thanks to all the good folk who looked after them. Keeping costs down in pre-season really helps us provincial Unions.
Also the ticketing team used this pre-season match to trial a new system. There were plenty of hiccups but we have learnt from them. Thank goodness for dress rehearsals; all will be sweet for the ITM Cup. Thank you to you fans who were very understanding and patient.
The best bet as always however is to pre-purchase your tickets before getting to the ground.
Ticketing outlets this season are Floorpride Civic Theatre in Blenheim, Nelson i-Site, Richmond Mall and your nearest NBS branch or you can buy easily online at www.makos.co.nz .
For ITM Cup, even though RWCA Kids 12 Years & Younger are Free they will need to be ticketed with a paying customer (4 kids per adult) so we can keep track of our attendance data and keep everyone safe and accounted for.
It won’t be long now until our first ITM Cup match against Waikato in Hamilton (14 August) and our first home game against Bay of Plenty in Nelson (21 August).
This Thursday the squad heads over to Lansdowne Park in Blenheim to play Wellington at 5.30pm. Gates open at 4.30pm and tickets are just $5 an adult at the gate and Kids 16 years and younger are free.
I’ll see you there at Shark Park on Thursday.
F
ins Up! CarCo the Mako
CarCo the Mako is proudly supported by the The Car Company and will be at community and other sporting events throughout the season as well as at all home matches.
