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CLOSE COMPETITION in club
rugby league bodes well for the
Canterbury Bulls prospects in
2013, said coach Darrell Coad.
Coad has named a squad in
preparation for next months cente-
nary shield game against Welling-
ton, and said the close-fought na-
ture of the Massetti Cup could only
help his side.
A competition like that puts you
in good stead for tough football
with the Bulls, he said.
Coad said it was great to have a
lot of experienced guys willing to
come back and help Canterbury
rugby league get back to where it
should be, and he was also excited
by some of the young talent in this
squad.
Tose players include fullback
Ken Tolau, who played for the
New Zealand under-18s last year,
stando James Wihongi, and cen-
tre/wing Vincent Paul, who has
come through Canterbury age
grade sides.
Coad said it was great to have a
lot of experienced guys willing to
come back, and help Canterbury
rugby league get back to where it
should be.
Te team will have a meeting
next Monday, then will start train-
ing weekly ahead of the May 31
game in Wellington.
Coad expects a tough game from
the North Island opposition.
When they see the squad weve
named, theyll realise that were
coming to win the game, he said.
Te game will be Coads rst in
charge of the Bulls, and he is look-
ing forward to getting underway.
Im excited to be given the job,
and to have such a good calibre of
players running around to select
from, said Coad.
Coad said players not chosen for
this game still had plenty of time to
play themselves into contention for
Bulls duty in the national competi-
tion late this year.
No doors are closed, if they keep
playing well for their clubs, theyre
sure to be looked at, he said.
Eight players from Coads
Halswell Hornets and seven from
Massetti Cup leaders Celebration
Lions make up the bulk of the side.
Tere are also four from Papanui
Tigers, three from Hornby Pan-
thers, and a pair from each of Lin-
wood Keas and Aranui Eagles.
Squad: Erwin Sauni, Kyle Pauro,
Ken Tolau, Jordan Kane, Dan Mo-
evao, Jessie Rodgers, Paul Sauni,
Will Tafua (Halswell Hornets) Ca-
sey Leka, Bruce Havea, John Tafua,
Chris Bamford, Kyle Leka, Alani
Kakoi, Kane Ferris (Celebration
Lions) James Wihongi, Izic Placid,
Jaye Pukepuke, Darren Tonihi (Pa-
panui Tigers) Craig Smith, Johnny
Limmer, James Baxendale (Hornby
Panthers) JJ Smith, Vincent Paul
(Aranui Eagles) Sean McDowell,
Rakatau Rawiri (Linwood Keas).
Upcoming talent excites Bulls coach
!" $%&'() *+(',-%
ANDREW MAY is hoping his
story can help inspire others
in similar situations.
He has been serving as an
ambassador for the Wings
for Life World Run, which is
being held in Auckland this
weekend.
Money raised from the
event goes to Wings for Life, a
non-prot foundation whose
mission is nding a cure for
spinal cord injuries, a cause
May strongly supports.
May suered a spinal cord
injury in a car crash outside
Akaroa in 1993, leaving him
wheelchair-bound, and he
said his life had been an
adventure ever since.
He spent three months in
hospital afer the crash, before
he could even think about
making a recovery.
It was a slow process of
just sitting up, getting in a
wheelchair, and learning how
to get around again, he said.
May had been a sailor all
his life, and it was the rst
thing he went back to afer
the crash.
It was a little piece of
normal in the strange new
world, he said.
May said that afer you
suer an injury like that, you
dont know what you can do
anymore.
He said it was quite moti-
vating to still be able to follow
his dreams.
(When youre wheelchair-
bound) youre lef with a bit
of an empty space that youve
got to ll. For me, sailing has
been a cornerstone of my
recovery, he said.
May sailed in the Paralym-
pics in Atlanta in 1996 and
Sydney in 2000, and contin-
ues to this day.
In his role as a Wings
for Life ambassador, a role
he shares with Dan Carter
amongst others, May said hes
been putting his story out
there, and hoping it will prove
inspiring .
It would be fantastic to
nd a cure or a x for spinal
cord injuries, so people dont
have to go through the same
sort of journey that I have,
said May.
(Te journey has) been in-
teresting, but its been tough,
he said.
May will help start the Sun-
days race, which is being held
simultaneously in over 40
locations around the world.
Aferward, itll be back to
his boat.
Hes part of a team that in-
cludes former Americas cup
sailors David Barnes and Rick
Dodson, and theyre aiming
for a medal at the 2016 Para-
lympics in Rio de Janeiro.
It would be something to
put on the mantlepiece, said
May.
!"#$!%&'!(") '()$*+ ,-.
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help nd a cure for splnal
cord ln[urles, so oLhers won'L
have Lo go Lhrough Lhe same
[ourney as hlm.
WheeIchair no barrier
to chasing adventure
Wildcats
sharpen
up for
top spots
this year
Parker to face real big challenge
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AN IMPROVED Canterbury
Wildcats squad is set to contest
the New Zealand Womens Bas-
ketball Championship, which tips
o at Cowles Stadium on Friday
night.
Coach Phil Burns said the side
is in a better position than they
were the same time last year.
Were a stronger unit, with a
great mixture of experience and
youth, and were looking forward
to an improvement on last years
results, he said.
Te Wildcats came sixth in last
years competition, which was it-
self an improvement on the year
before.
I think our own players have
set some good, realistic goals for
what they want to achieve this
year, said Burns.
Tose goals include a minimum
of a top four nish, but Burns sees
them up against a stacked eld.
He expects Waikato, Welling-
ton, Otago and North Harbour to
be the teams to beat.
Te Wildcats beat Otago in a
friendly in Timaru three weeks
ago, which Burns said was a sign
of good progress, but added the
caveat that neither side was at full
strength.
Te Womens Basketball Cham-
pionship is played over the course
of winter. In Christchurch this
weekend and in Auckland at the
start of June, there is a round rob-
in, then there are nals in Porirua
at the end of July.
Burns said he was excited to
have this years championship
start in Christchurch.
Its great to be able to showcase
our own team on the local stage.
Our fans and sponsors are going
to be rapt to see their team per-
forming on their home court, he
said.
JOSEPH PARKERS next opponent
in the boxing ring is the man who
essentially ended Shane Camerons
career.
Bruising American Brian Minto
will meet Parker in Auckland on July
5 at a yet-to-be-determined venue.
Minto, ranked 12th in the world
by the WBO, beat Cameron by TKO
in December when the Kiwi was un-
able to continue afer the seventh
round due to cuts above his eyes.
Cameron, who was targeted by
Parkers handlers Duco as a potential
opponent for this year, hasnt fought
since he lost to Minto and seems un-
likely to don the gloves again.
Brian Minto is a great challenge
for Joseph Parker, Parkers trainer
Kevin Barry said.
I think we all saw last year in
the Shane Cameron ght just what
Minto brings to the table. We said
we planned on challenging Joseph in
each of his ghts and this is a real big
challenge. Minto is a very durable,
very experienced guy.
Barry trained Minto for his ght
with Cameron but Minto will now
need a new coach.
Mintos WBO Oriental heavy-
weight title will be on the line, while
Parkers interim WBA PABA crown,
which he won afer he beat Marcelo
Luiz Nascimento in Germany at the
weekend, will also be up for grabs.
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