Ngataki sound investment for Eastern Starts

Press, 24 February 1988, Page 32

Ngataki sound investment for Eastern Starts

By

Eastern Suburbs rugby league officials quite rightly consider they made one of the most favourable deals in Canterbury rugby league when they obtained the services of Dick Ngataki for the price of a track suit.

That one payment of $69 completed Ngataki’s transfer from Sydenham in 1979. He had also spent a brief term with Kaiapoi after transferring south from Waikato as a Northern Zone under 19 representative.

Since the “tracksuit transaction” Ngataki’s name has become synonymous with Eastern, in good times and bad, and the durable Maori frontrow forward has pulled on the red-and-white jersey almost 200 times. Eastern’s administrators have dubbed 1988 as Ngataki’s benefit season, his tenth in their colours. While other clubs have staged matches dedicated to individuals, it is the first time a player has been the recipient of a benefit year. Just past his thirty-third birthday, Ngataki will inject experience into what promises to be a new-look premier team under the coaching partnership of Bruce Murphy and Lil Tehuia.

JOHN COFFEY

Ngataki was prominent in Eastern’s most successful era, the club winning three consecutive Canterbury championship grand finals between 1979 and 1981. Eastern’s fortunes have waned in the last few years, and last year Ngataki also shouldered the coaching responsibilities. “Dick would have to be one of the most underrated footballers in Canterbury,” said an Eastern club spokesman. “Even in 1982, when he was the recipient of the Canterbury Sportsman of the Year award, he never attracted the attention of the selectors. “Yet the respect in which he is held by other premier coaches can be seen by the number of defenders allocated to keeping him in check.” Eastern’s contention that Ngataki represented the best “value for money” when he transferred is underlined by the method by which the $69 was paid to his former club for its tracksuit. It actually cost Eastern nothing. Ngataki was so well regarded by the Eastern players of a decade ago that, on learning of his keenness to join them, they paid the fee from their own team fund.