Tia Paasi Memorial Trophy champions
Saturday 17 June will go down as a momentous day in the history of Marist St Pats after our Premier Women won the Tia Paasi Memorial Trophy for the first time.
Marist St Pats came out on top by 36-32 over Petone in a thrilling final played in front of an enthusiastic crowd at NZCIS in Upper Hutt.
The victory caps off a dominant season for the side in which they won 10 of 11 games and collected the triple-crown of all Wellington Women's rugby silverware - the Rebecca Liua'ana Trophy, the Tia Paasi Memorial Trophy and the Challenge Cup.
The game started with a hiss and a roar with Lyric Faleafaga scoring the opening try for Marist St Pats before Petone struck back soon after. Tries to Sydnee Wilkins and Marcelle Parkes saw the side build momentum before the Villagers narrowed the scoreline on halftime to 17-12.
After half time oranges the Marist St Pats side came out strongly with Georgia Daals scoring consecutive tries early in the second half, she would later be named the player of the final. The sides traded tries again which saw MSP put one hand on the trophy at 36-17 - but this Petone side was never going to rollover.
Another Petone try with 10 minutes to go, coupled with a yellow card to MSP, set up a thrilling end to the game with Petone eventually scoring again with one minute on the clock. Marist St Pats kept their cool and forced a turnover and forced themselves into the history books.
The final was a stunning advertisement for the rise of Women's rugby, both at Marist St Pats and around New Zealand. The fast paced, highly skilled style in which the game was played makes for very entertaining rugby.
Congratulations to our players, coaches and managers. You have created history!
MSP Supporters
Shamrock Club
