The J8 Maroons (the Lions) are full of great kids who ripped into their first year of rugby at the club. Lockdowns, torrential rain at most games and early morning starts didn’t dent their enthusiasm and the team really grew throughout the season.

Rippa rugby is brilliant for kids this age – so simple and fun – get the ball and run (normally in the right direction), and when the other team have it, rip their tags (normally the one with the ball). All but one of the team had never played before so we started slowly, kept it simple, kept smiling and had a lot of fun.

The team developed so well and I’m thrilled with their progress and their attitude. I had many reports of parents unable to get their kids out of their Cote hoodies and other kit – a sign that they loved the game, being part of a team, a club and a community.

I hope to see all the kids back playing next year, hopefully, we’ll be back to normal and back together at the Cote in 2021. Keep practising over the summer kids, get down the park with your mates, work on your moves and have fun.

The players in the Mighty J8 Lions were:
Jack Bell
Summer Molloy
Seth Cleverdon
Enrique Payne
Mason Coltman-Notter
Ari Samarasekera
Adam Drotini
Max Schofield
Liam Joyce
Mac Stanton
Ruby Marks

Without support from a great group of parents and the wider whanau, the kids wouldn’t have thrived so much. Special thanks to Willis Joyce for some coaching assistance, and Lily Bell for managing the team.

Ant Marks (Coach)