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President's latest musings

From the pen of Marist St Pats President, John Spillane...

What a fantastic way to kick off the new season, even if a couple of the results didn’t quite go the way we wanted.

It was great to see the Colts and the Reserves getting their seasons off to a winning start – long may that continue for both teams – and for the others it was good to see that every team competed strongly, and I really felt that once everyone settles into their new patterns and processes, we will start to record more wins across all the grades.

It is timely to remember that we have a lot of new faces around the Club in 2025 (coaches, managers and players alike) and that things will take a wee while to fully jell – but I for one am excited to see how we progress over the coming weeks.

Photo right: Thanks to Andy McArthur.

There’s no denying that we have a strong core of talented players across all the grades, and it was evident that our coaches have developed solid plans that, while still in the early stages of bedding in, will undoubtedly lead us to great things later in the season – which is where it counts.

Now, even though we are a “rugby” club the highlight of the opening weekend for me was back at the Clubrooms after the games.

It was incredible to see such a large and lively crowd gathered to share a meal, enjoy each other’s company, and celebrate the start of the season.

It was fantastic to see players and supporters from all of the MSP teams (apart from the Presidents who played at Stokes Valley) present and enjoying each other’s company and the great Club atmosphere.

The brilliant weather made the occasion even better – with the deck being the place to be in the early part of the evening, and although the Super Rugby game may not have gone our way either it didn’t dampen the spirits of the masses in the Clubrooms.

I was delighted at the support that our Premier Men’s and Women’s team players received when they were given their Club ties to celebrate this milestone and (call me old fashioned) but seeing the Premier men’s players circulating selling raffle tickets, for a good old fashioned meat pack to fundraise for their team was fantastic to see.

For me, having the clubrooms packed with MSP people – both old and new – is what “we” are all about and it tells me we are doing something right and supplying something that our players want and possibly even need.

It’s clear from Saturday that our Club is in great heart, and I have no doubt we can build on this as the season progresses.

While there’s certainly more work to do on the rugby side, all the signs are pointing to a club that will be ready across all the grades to deliver strongly later in the first round and be hitting our straps as we head into the all-important second round. Remember, no one wins a championship in the first week of the season.

It just feels to me like we are laying the foundation for success, and I’m confident that we’ll continue to build and improve as the weeks go on.

Let’s keep the momentum going, stay focused, and enjoy the journey ahead. Here’s to a great season!

See you at the match against Upper Hutt on Saturday down at Evans Bay Park and up at the Clubrooms afterwards!

Connect with Marist St Pats in 2025:

President's latest musings

From the pen of Marist St Pats President, John Spillane...

What a fantastic way to kick off the new season, even if a couple of the results didn’t quite go the way we wanted.

It was great to see the Colts and the Reserves getting their seasons off to a winning start – long may that continue for both teams – and for the others it was good to see that every team competed strongly, and I really felt that once everyone settles into their new patterns and processes, we will start to record more wins across all the grades.

It is timely to remember that we have a lot of new faces around the Club in 2025 (coaches, managers and players alike) and that things will take a wee while to fully jell – but I for one am excited to see how we progress over the coming weeks.

Photo right: Thanks to Andy McArthur.

There’s no denying that we have a strong core of talented players across all the grades, and it was evident that our coaches have developed solid plans that, while still in the early stages of bedding in, will undoubtedly lead us to great things later in the season – which is where it counts.

Now, even though we are a “rugby” club the highlight of the opening weekend for me was back at the Clubrooms after the games.

It was incredible to see such a large and lively crowd gathered to share a meal, enjoy each other’s company, and celebrate the start of the season.

It was fantastic to see players and supporters from all of the MSP teams (apart from the Presidents who played at Stokes Valley) present and enjoying each other’s company and the great Club atmosphere.

The brilliant weather made the occasion even better – with the deck being the place to be in the early part of the evening, and although the Super Rugby game may not have gone our way either it didn’t dampen the spirits of the masses in the Clubrooms.

I was delighted at the support that our Premier Men’s and Women’s team players received when they were given their Club ties to celebrate this milestone and (call me old fashioned) but seeing the Premier men’s players circulating selling raffle tickets, for a good old fashioned meat pack to fundraise for their team was fantastic to see.

For me, having the clubrooms packed with MSP people – both old and new – is what “we” are all about and it tells me we are doing something right and supplying something that our players want and possibly even need.

It’s clear from Saturday that our Club is in great heart, and I have no doubt we can build on this as the season progresses.

While there’s certainly more work to do on the rugby side, all the signs are pointing to a club that will be ready across all the grades to deliver strongly later in the first round and be hitting our straps as we head into the all-important second round. Remember, no one wins a championship in the first week of the season.

It just feels to me like we are laying the foundation for success, and I’m confident that we’ll continue to build and improve as the weeks go on.

Let’s keep the momentum going, stay focused, and enjoy the journey ahead. Here’s to a great season!

See you at the match against Upper Hutt on Saturday down at Evans Bay Park and up at the Clubrooms afterwards!

Connect with Marist St Pats in 2025:

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