New Zealand Hawks players were involved in a combined South Pacific Nations team that scored a handy win over the AFL Flying Boomerangs, to round out the South Pacific Cup.
The South Pacific side, selected after the round robin tournament, included some of the leading Under 16 players from around the region.
Their opposition, the AFL Flying Boomerangs, are made up of the best young indigenous players from Australia, and have previously toured New Zealand.
The final score in the match was a 5.3:33 – 3.2:20 win to the South Pacific. Included in that score were goals kicked by New Zealanders Te Kopa Tipene-Thomas and Utusa’itoa Ah Kuoi.
AFL South Pacific Development Officer Ben Drew also recognised the talents of Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Christian Blackie and Kalib Lewis when naming the standout players from the South Pacific team.
A South Pacific Development team was also selected, and played against the combined All Nations Invitational team. In this 2nd match, All Nations took victory in an exciting and enjoyable match.
New Zealand players again shone in this match, with Te Rei Clark and Viance Vano kicking goals for the South Pacific. The final score was 8.7:55 – 5.4:34 to All Nations.
Among the best players recognised from this match were Connor McGeough and Nathan Lenihan of New Zealand.
