Greerton Marist have ended a 53-year wait for Baywide Premier Men’s rugby glory, defeating Te Puke 37-17 in the championship final at Greerton Park on Saturday.

The historic victory marks the club’s first Premier title since 1973, capping off a memorable afternoon for the men in black, gold and green in front of a vocal home crowd.

Senior club captain Blair Tristan described the win as “very emotional”, saying it was the reward for years of hard work across the club.

“We’ve taken a lot of hard yards to get to where we are,” he said. “It was awesome to see the boys do it, not only for the senior guys but also the younger guys on the team too. It was just a proud day for the club.”

Adding to the occasion, Greerton Marist took the field in replica black-and-yellow “bumblebee” jerseys, paying tribute to the club’s original strip worn between 1961 and 1976.

Past club president Russell Smart said the title had been “10 years in the making” and described the atmosphere as “unbelievable”.

Greerton Marist defeated Te Puke 37-17 to win the Baywide Premier Men's rugby title on Saturday, July 26 at Greerton.

“There was a lot of nervousness before the game, but after halftime, there was a bit of confidence and we thought we had one hand on the trophy with about 20 minutes to go,” he said.

“This has been a long time coming. We’ve had many challenges over the years, including losing the final two years ago, but this is redemption.”

An estimated crowd of around 4000 packed Greerton Park, with spectators standing five and six deep around the sidelines and temporary donated grandstands filled to capacity.

Greerton Marist Rugby Club players Flynn Henderson (from left), Junior Matautia and Sonny Collier.

“We’re just proud,” Smart said. “Embrace G-Town. Greerton is known as the workingman’s club. We’ve got a very diverse base of players and supporters from all nations and we’re proud to represent our community.”

The club was founded in 1961 to serve the rapidly growing communities of Greerton, Ōropi, Pyes Pā, Tauriko and Kaimai.

A packed crowd of supporters filled stands at Greerton on Saturday.

After focusing on junior rugby in its early years, the first Greerton senior team was fielded in 1966 and the club claimed what was known as the Tauranga Rugby Sub-Union championships, winning the Jordan Cup in 1971 and 1973.

Following an amalgamation with the St Mary’s School JMC rugby club, Greerton Marist became affiliated with the New Zealand Marist Federation and has continued to build a strong community presence through rugby and netball.

Saturday’s triumph not only brought the Baywide Premier men’s trophy back to Greerton for the first time in more than five decades but also honoured the generations of players, coaches and supporters who have helped shape the club’s proud history.

The scoreboard after Greerton defeated Te Puke 37-17 to win the Baywide Premier Men's rugby title f0r 2026.

Smart said the club planned to leave the 37-17 score displayed on the scoreboard throughout Sunday’s celebrations.