Led by their motto “whanau first, mahi second and footy third” the Whalers Tauranga Rugby League Team, will head to Hastings this weekend to participate in a tournament hosted by the Rugby League Hawke’s Bay.

“Our team has seeked individual sponsorship and done a last minute fundraising to make our trip a reality," says team manager and player Aimee Murray.

"Now we have marae accommodation and transport sorted, our management team in the background has prepared an itinerary, menu and organized all the small details to get our team of 23, plus our whānau and kids to our destination."

The tournament will host four teams –Omahu Huia RLC, Tamatea Arikinui R&S Club, MAC (Maori Agricultural Club) and of course the Whalers. The teams will play four rounds this coming Saturday October 7, at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park.

“Our team is formed of 23 ladies between 18 and 40 years old who have been training so hard from June to get to this tournament. But it’s not just training, we also have to think in numbers which has always been one our biggest difficulties. Fortunately, for this contest we raised funds together as a team and we got the sponsorship of 24/7 Fitness Gym,” says Shardae McLeod- Taite manager and player.

“During this season we have managed to play through many obstacles such as teams pulling out and last minute changes of venues to name a few, all while most of us who are mums were juggling home life and work life to make a good balance and still commit wholeheartedly to our team,” says Aimee. We also have to thank John Henry Nooroa our coach, who has been the backbone of our team. We really appreciate his leadership and all his great mahi.”

The Whalers first match will be against Tamatea Arikinui on Saturday, October 7. Tauranga’s team will play three games in a row which means 120 minutes of league within a four hour period! The tournament starts at 10am at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park’s Oval Stadium.