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Wellington Football Club on the rise in 2012

Ed Chaney Cup Prem Reserve 1 | 19 June 2012 | Steven White

Wellington Football Club on the rise in 2012

Above: Wellington's top side celebrating with the first round Senior 2 National Mutual Cup after beating the Wests Roosters in the last round at Ian Galloway Park.

They're dusting out the trophy cabinet at Hataitai Park.

After many seasons in the doldrums, the Wellington Football Club could be about to have not one but two WRFU trophies in its clubrooms.

Having already won the Senior 2 first round National Mutual Cup, Wellington's U21 side just needs to win this weekend against the Petone Blues and they'll win the first round Paris Memorial Trophy as well.

A fortnight ago their top team captured the National Mutual Cup and won promotion to the Senior 1 Ed Chaney Cup for the rest of the season. In doing so they won all 11 matches, nine with four-try bonus points, and they compiled a points for and against record of 536 and 136.

Last week they started their second round Senior 1 campaign with a 20-13 win over the Hutt Old Boys Marist second XV who finished mid-table in the first round Harper Lock Shield and were a Hardham Cup side last year.

Heading into the last round of the Paris Memorial Trophy, Wellington's Colts side hold a two-point lead at the top of the standings to OBU Green and will return a second title to Hataitai Park in 2012 if they defeat fifth placed Petone away at 1.15 pm.

Wellington FC Director of Rugby, forwards coach of the Senior 1s and technical advisor to the U21s, Murray Mexted said that the current consistent performances of the top two teams reflect? a deliberate path they took to remodel the club with an emphasis on superior coaching and off field expertise.

Mexted said that the powerhouse club of the 1980s that he was part of that won or shared four Jubilee Cups was on the brink when he got involved just three years ago.

"The club was about to close a few years ago," he explained, "so [former Axeman and All Blacks lock] Murray Pierce and I held a PR evening, inviting all the first XV leavers from around Wellington. But only about half a dozen turned up which was all very sad."

He determined there was one way to go about rebuilding the club. "We decided that the only way to build a club was to start at the bottom and to provide something that other clubs weren't providing. If we could provide a higher level of coaching expertise it would be better for young people for their rugby futures and we could start attracting players."

The club designed a budget so they could bring in prominent, specialist coaches. "I utilised a lot of the coaches that we use at IRANZ and we had guys like Christian Cullen, [then] Wellington Lions coaches Jamie Joseph and Andre Bell, [current Tawa coach] Dion Waller , [former 100-game Wellington and All Blacks prop] Scott Crichton and [former Wellington Lions and 1980s Wellington FC senior coach] Alan Muir."

"The reality is that if you use specialists that are well known then they are going to have some impact on your players," he said. "I think that it is impossible to rebuild a club any other way - and it's also a very hard job."

From inauspicious beginnings at the start of 2010 when they started the U21 second division with 13 players they quickly improved and won that grade at the end of that season's first round. With an average age of 18, the U21s were promoted to the first division and finished fifth in that first year.

"Last year they got beaten in the semi-finals by a very good MSP side and this year we are winning the competition."

The progress of the club's first XV side is also encouraging, said Mexted.

"In the middle of last year after the Senior team had lost three in a row I moved my two U21s assistant coaches Evan Hopkin and Richard Deck and several U21 players up to the Senior 2 side - and from that point they only lost one more match."

However they were unable to be promoted and they had to stay in Senior 2nds for the first part of this year.

"This was obviously frustrating, so I resolved that this year we had to get up or otherwise it was all over - and that we have managed to do that and we are unbeaten is really pleasing."

"Our academy started very early this year and bringing in specialist coaches lifted the players' skill levels immeasurably. That is why they were able to compete at the Senior 2nd level and after the weekend's win against HOBM I think we are mature and skilled enough to compete at the Senior 1st level."

With its current renaissance, Mexted said the club's legacy as the oldest continuous club in New Zealand and its relatively recent history of Jubilee Cup and Swindale Shield is important.

"Evan Hopkin and Richard Deck, guys that I coached the U21s with for the first year and a half before they went up to the Senior 2nds, were former players and I wanted to rally around former players.

"Adding a bit of heart and a bit of history means that people who have now joined our club understand that they are members of a grand old club that is on the move back up."

The re-establishment of the club's fortunes are a team effort, supported by the on going commitment of the current coaching staff of both teams, administrators and supporters.

Joe Tawhara (Head Coach), Mexted (forwards) and Hopkin (backs) are the current Senior 1 coaches.

Tawhara formerly played for Wellington when they were still a Premier side and was first five-eighth and goal kicker for the Ories Premiers under the coaching of former Axeman Dunn Kaiwai, before coaching the Johnsonville Premiers and the Wellington Maori side.?

Chris Kennedy is the Head Coach of the U21s, Steve Mann is the backs coach and Ross Curd is the forwards coach.?

Starting 30 years ago, Wellington won or shared the Jubilee Cup in 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1987 and also won the Swindale Shield in 1982, 1984 and 1985.

But from the late 1980s the club dropped away and after last winning the Hardham Cup in 1990 were relegated from Premier rugby 10 years ago with Hutt Old Boys Marist taking their place. The Eagles then won the Jubilee Cup in 2007 and a fortnight ago were crowned 2012 Swindale Shield champions.

Mexted said that a return to the glory days at Hataitai Park is attainable, but he reiterated that the foundations must be laid first.

"To put a team together at U21 level is not the same as in my era because there's plenty of other options in life. You have got to provide them with an environment of I have been part of this team, I like this spirit and I like working together with all these other guys from different backgrounds.

"Then after the second year they start to get a feel for the club and then after three years all of a sudden they become Axemen."

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