Rangiaho wins league award

Press, 14 October 1989, Page 96

Rangiaho wins league award

By

JOHN COFFEY

Moko Rangiaho, the powerful Linwood front-row forward, was last evening named as the 1989 Canterbury rugby league “sportsman of the year.” The award is judged on sportsmanship, playing ability and dress throughout the two rounds of the premiership, with three players from either side earning points from three judges. Though he is required to spend much of his match time embroiled in the hurly-burly of the tight forward exchanges, Rangiaho was a prolific points-scorer and a decisive winner of the D.V. Syme Rosebowl. He was the twentieth recipient since the award was introduced in 1970, and the first from the Linwood club.

Rangiaho is the latest in a sizeable line of props to carry off the sportsmanship prize. Mita Mohi was first in 1972, followed by Terry Gillman (1977), Dick Ngataki (1982), Adrian Shelford (1984) and Esene Faimalo (1988). Aged 27, Rangiaho has been an irregular member of the Canterbury A team for the last two seasons. After playing for the provincial Emerging Players side, he made his first-class debut against West Coast in. the last game of 1988, and made four appearances this year.

But it was for his consistently impressive performances at club level that Rangiaho was recognised last evening. Papanui in particular felt the force of his 112 kg physique, for Rangiaho

claimed three tries in both premiership matches against the Tigers. It was a tribute to Rangiaho’s effectiveness that he stood out in a greatly revamped Linwood lineup. With a total of 36 points, Rangiaho finished well ahead of the runner-up, Gary Leek (Mar-ist-Westem Suburbs, 26). In third place was Linwood’s former Junior Kiwis utility back, Carl Hall (23).

The others to reach the final six were Barry Goldsmith (Papanui, 19), Mike Dorreen (Addington, 19) and Lamen Hohaia (Addington, 16). Both Leek and Dorreen had been finalists in 1988.

Although it had no individual finalists, Halswell won the teams’ sportsmanship award with an aggregate of 101 points. Linwood (97) was second, and the championship grand finalists, Addington and Marist-Western, equal third on 95.

The Canterbury junior “sportsman of the year” prize went to Justin Nixon, from Hornby, a scrum-half with an outstanding record in age-grade football. Three former recipients of the junior award — Brent Todd, Faimalo and Shelford — are currently on tour with the Kiwis in Britain.

The Steve Gunby Trophy, for promotion and fostering of rugby league at club or provincial levels, went to Jeff Munro, the chairman of the Canterbury supporters’ club which has done much to assist the provincial representative sides of recent seasons.