Lua Lokotui named MSP's Sportsman of the Year
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| Lua receives his trophy from MSP President Terry Manion. Here's more prizegiving photos. |
Premier lock and No 6 Lua Lokotui was named MSP's Sportsman of the Year at a packed prizegiving at the clubrooms on 30 August.
The end-of-season finale saw the Jubilee Cup-winning premiers and the champion under-85 Blues collect a swag of trophies as the club celebrated a highly successful 2012.
Lua's award recognised his 'outstanding athleticism' and a great season in which he played every game except when he was on international duty for Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup. Lua has also been selected to play for Wellington in the ITM Cup.
The W.M.O'Connor Memorial Cup for Outstanding Club Member went to club captain Neil Murphy who has held the demanding role for several seasons. Neil is the contact person for players, coaches, managers, Board members and the WRFU on anything to do with rugby, and he's got the unenviable job of trying to keep them all happy.
The Cup was presented by Maureen Burns and Sister Josepha O'Connor, daughters of the late Bill O'Connor, after whom the trophy is named.
The evening also saw the presentation of a new trophy, the Fr Geoff Broad Memorial Trophy for Team of the Year. It has been kindly donated by Clem and Patricia Griffiths, good friends of MSP's late club chaplain Fr Geoff Broad who passed away in February this year.
The trophy recognises the team that best demonstrates MSP's 'club spirit'. The criteria are less about results but rather on-field and off-field behaviour, support of the wider club, clubrooms attendance, subs paid and uniform and dress standards. The inaugural winners were the premiers, with captain Arden David-Perrot collecting the trophy on the team's behalf.
Fa'atonu Fili enjoyed a good night, picking up the Premier MVP Award and the St Pats College Old Boys Cup for kicking the most points, 163 points from the boot earning him the award for the fourth time.
Blues hooker Matt Thomas was also a regular up at the podium, as the club's top try scorer with 16 and winner of the P.D. Jacobsen ('Budgie') Cup as the Most Outstanding Under-85 Player. Here's the full list of the club's trophy winners, and here are all the MVP winners.
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