Harmony Cup 8 – Men’s Team Of The Tournament

Natives United were too classy in what was an amazing Harmony Cup, defending their title against a revitalised Hawaiki Roa, and surviving a couple of scares from some gallant Fijian sides.

From Bushrangers to Tonga, teams competed for their heritage and pride in their jersey and the community. It was a great display of rugby league ability and out of the 1400 players across the weekend, we have come up with 18 players. 9 men and 9 women to feature in the sides of the tournament.

And although there were many players who could be picked in both sides from all the men’s teams, the votes and opinions have been tallied and would like to present the NRL WA Harmony Cup 8 Men’s team of the tournament. It is the 5th edition of this selection and there are some amazing players on this list.

The Men’s side, is obviously only a few peoples opinions, and while there could be 50 names on this list, there had to be some people left out, but without further ado, see the below –

1. Ben Barba – Indigenous United – Indigenous
   I don’t think anyone is surprised. A classy player, who seemed to have time stop for him, to say he had it all his own way would be unfair to the players around him, and he certainly felt the brunt of some serious defence over the weekend. But his touch and ability to mold the game as he saw it was never more on display then his clutch 40/20 with the game in the balance against Western Fijians Blue in the semi-final.
   
2. Delane Edwards – Hawaiki Roa – Maori – 4th Selection – Captain
   Delane’s decimation of Tonga’s right hand side defence in their semi final set the tone for a mouth watering final against the Indigenous United, and showed that even as he gets older, Edwards is still frightening to deal with. With fast feet and hands, he continues to lay the foundation for Roa with his body on the line in every game.
   
3. Craig McShane – England Community Lions – Great Britain
   The unassuming Englishman doesn’t look like your typical brash fullback. Quiet and non-descript off the field, when he gets the ball in his hands on the field, teams have to watch out. Fast, strong and possessing one of the best fends in the business, he is almost impossible to handle one on one. He can smell a try from a mile away, and is also a capable last line of defence. 
   
4. Kainoa Gudgeon – Indigenous United – Indigenous – 3rd Selection
   The player of the grand final produced one of the great moments of magic, right when it mattered against a talented Roa side, and set the tone for the Indigenous victory in the Grand Final. With his class showing through all weekend, Gudgeon possesses great acceleration, awareness and balance, with a playmaking streak that is unrivalled by all but the best in our game. Special mention to Jaylen Grey and Brent Crisp who were narrowly beaten to spots in this side.
   
5. Tevyn Anitelea – Papeliane ‘O Tonga – Tonga
   A massive revival for the Togan community saw their team reach the semi finals for the first time in years and while they ran into a hot Hawaiki Roa side, they saw off a fantastic Taranaki team in the quarter finals to get there. Anitelea was a standout, with his decision making, running game and last ditch defence a lightning rod for the Tongan team. A fantastic tournament from Tevyn, he is one to watch. Keeping captain Nela Vi out of the side, Tevyn deserves his spot. 
   
6. Mataiasi Turagava – Western Fijians Blue – Fiji
   Erractic. Unpredictable. Elusive. Powerful. Just a few words used to describe Mataiasi during the weekends games. A full blown force of nature in true limited numbers rugby league, Turagava showed why the Fijians are a dangerous proposition in any format that requires one on one confrontations. A beautiful mover, with equal parts grace and power, Mataiasi led a Fijian revival at this years tournament.
   
7. Lewis Samuels – Ngati Kahungunu – Maori
   Mr Samuels has been around the Harmony Cup a while now, and is a great exponent of the short numbered format of the game. While many joke he has been collecting a few jerseys in his time, Samuels was one of the brightest spots of the tournaments for the men wearing white and purple. A smart operator, Samuels brings all his experience in understanding what his opponents is going to do in particular situations, while continuing to be unpredictable when he has the ball.
   
8. Joell Irvine – Taranaki – New Zealand
   While not a 3rd time lucky for the huge New Zealand community, Irvine was a menace for the Taranaki faithful. Strong and fast, the proud Waitara Bears junior made life extremely difficult for opposing teams all weekend. An ex centre/winger who has found a home in the middle of the field, his late footwork and ability to beat players with speed makes the big man a tough proposition.
   
9. Hayze Nepia – Hawaiki Roa – Maori
   Lucky last in the squad goes to the fiery Nepia, who terrorized edge defenders all weekend for the 9 tailed orange and white. Big and physical, he was so much quicker than he looked and was a handful for defenders all 3 days. An intimidating mark, his combination with the Hignetts along with the unheralded Grooby was really something to watch.
   

Coach – Moji Waqa – Western Fijians – Fiji
Gutsy enough to play both teams in the Men’s division and not have either slide down to the Socials, the flying fijians put on a show they can be proud of. Led by the ever present Moji Waqa, and with help from stalwart Kameli Naisiroki, they played their amazing brand of free flowing limited numbers rugby league that they are famous for on the world stage. With both teams getting within a whisker of beating the Indigenous United side, they can hold their heads high. Waqa therefore gets the nod as coach here, leading a great class of coaches, with Brian Burns and Paasi Fine other candidates.

Congratulations to all the above, but again this list could have had 200 players on it. Well done to all players over the weekend, and we hope to see you back in Harmony Cup 9.