Semi Finalists decided for Fox Memorial Premiership

The Semi Finalists for the 2022 Auckland Fox Memorial Premiership have been decided following Saturday’s Quarter Finals.

FOX MEMORIAL PREMIERSHIP
Glenora 26 – 12 Te Atatu
An absolutely thrilling day of finals footy at Harold Moody Park, starting with the Premier Reserve match between the Bears and the Roosters. Te Atatu snuck past the home team in overtime to give them a good start to the day. Glenora didn’t let the club carry the momentum into the Premier game as Esom Ioka scored in the first minute with a regather of position from a dedicated kick chase. Momentum continued as the Bears got out to a 16-nil lead and looked to be running away with it, but Roydon Gillett made sure Te Atatu had some points on the board going into the half. A tightly contested second half saw the Roosters be their own worst enemy, making crucial mistakes as they were trying to get themselves back into the game. The other Ioka brother finished what Esom started as Kadiyae dotted over to put the game out of reach. James Taumata scored a double for the Bears in the contest.

Pt Chevalier 40 – 22 Mt Albert
It was always going to be a challenge for the Lions to take down the undefeated Pirates, but they looked in with a chance after the first forty. Heading into the break at 18-all, Mt Albert were in with a chance to take down the rolling Pt Chevalier but it was one way traffic as the Pirates took control of the game. A double to Ollie Tuimavave and a solid performance from Harley Maynard saw Pt Chevalier win the second forty by a score of 22-4 to secure their place in the semi-finals.

Howick 44 – 6 Bay Roskill
A flip of the script from their regular season match up that saw the Vikings come away with a two point win. The Hornets knew that their season was on the line and they came to play, leaving no doubts in the result at full time. Energised by a home crowd and a week off, Howick put on an offensive and defensive display, resulting in the one sided score line. The Hornets will need to carry this momentum into their tough match up against Pt Chevalier next week.

Otahuhu 20 – 12 Richmond
Otahuhu continue to roll, this time getting past a evenly matched Richmond side hungry to keep their finals hopes alive. A low scoring contest that saw the sides trading punches was ultimately decided in the first half. Heading into the break, Otahuhu had a narrow two point lead which was certainly needed in a second half that was largely scoreless. Phoenix Hunt ended up scoring towards fulltime for the home side to put the nail in the coffin as the home side took the contest four tries to two.

FOX MEMORIAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Hibiscus Coast 34 – 10 Manurewa
A long commute from the far North of Auckland to the deep South didn’t bother the Raiders as they took the field at Mountfort Park. A close start to the game as Manurewa scored first after a scoreless first twenty minutes in the game. From there, momentum switched to the visitors that ran in four straight tries to grab a hold of the game. The Marlins eventually struck back but the damage was done as the Raiders ran over for another two tries. Hibiscus Coast’s Kavana Te Kiri-Ryan and Liam Ackland both had doubles as they helped their side progress to the semi-finals.

Ponsonby 60 – 16 Papatoetoe
Ponsonby made sure they weren’t going to lose two in a row as they faced the Panthers at Victoria Park. Putting on an absolute clinic that saw their outside back reap the rewards with hat-tricks to Taani Fangupo and Levi Helleur-atiga, and a double for Timor Reese Williams, as they attacked the edge. Papatoetoe ran in three tries of their own but weren’t able to hold out the home side as they ran in eleven tries for the game.