Tasman Mako squad named for Farah Palmer Cup
BY PETER JONES [Marlborough App]
Nine of the champion Moutere club sidehave been named in the 2018 Tasman Mako women’s squad, to play in the FarahPalmer Cup [FPC] competition.
Moutere went through the seasonunbeaten, winning a thrilling grand final 22-14 over Waimea Old Boys at LansdownePark to repeat their title win from 2017.
Pippa Andrews, Leti Fotumoala, HayleyHutana, Aieisha Tepuia, Kelly Couper, Kelly Stanford, Alexa Fraser, AshleighNathan and Niska Scott are the Moutere Magpies chosen in the squad - Andrews,Fotumoala, Couper, Stanford, Scott and Nathan having been involved last year.
Waimea OB contribute six players to the26-strong Mako mix, Marist six, Motueka High School four with a guest playerfrom Bay of Plenty rounding out the squad. Three more players are still to be named.
Twelve teams will contest the 2018FPC. They will be split across two divisions;premiership andchampionship with 16 matches being broadcast live.
Canterburyhold the provincial silverware after claiming a maiden Farah Palmer Cup titleand and the JJ Stewart Trophy last year.
They will be joined in the premiership division by last year's championshipwinners Bay of Plenty, along with Counties Manukau, Waikato, Auckland andManawatu.
Wellington, Otago, North Harbour, Tasman, Hawke's Bay and Taranaki make up thechampionship.
Teams play each opposition in their own division and one cross-over matchthroughout the six-week round-robin.
Tasman made their FPC debut last season,winning just once (their final match against Hawke's Bay) during a testingseason.
They kick off their 2018 championship division campaign on September 1 with amatch against Taranaki at Motueka, then meet Auckland (away on Sept 7),Wellington (at Trafalgar Park on Sept 23), Hawke’s Bay (away on Sept 30) andOtago, at Lansdowne Park on October 6.
The FPC semis are on October 20, thefinal on October 27.
The 2018 Mako women: Pippa Andrews, Leti Fotumoala,Hayley Hutana, Aieisha Tepuia, Kelly Couper, Kelly Stanford, Alexa Fraser,Ashleigh Nathan, Niska Scott (Moutere); Tessa Silcock, Katie Silcock, DanaWilson, Staci Kohe, Michelle Curry, Tamara Silcock (Marist); Demi Salton, AnnaBradley, Stephani Mitchell, Louise Nalder, Juanita Thompson, JessFoster-Lawrence (Waimea Old Boys; Peri Beech, Hannah Kelly, Erica Saunders,Rheanna Wood (Motueka HS); Crystal Hayes (Bay of Plenty). Three to be added.Coaches Marty O’Cain, Mark Kelly. Manager Koren Grason.
