Massetti Cup

Big scorelines were the order of the day in Round 2 of the Canterbury Rugby League Men’s Premiership, with all four games decided by margins of 20-plus points. Surprise packets Eastern join perennial heavyweights Linwood and Hornby as the only unbeaten teams at the end of the Massetti Cup’s opening fortnight. Hornby Panthers celebrated their…

The Riccarton Knights were Massetti Cup finals staples not all that long ago, but the club enters 2019 as reigning wooden spooners – a standing incoming coach Jamie Lester is eager to rectify. Lester, who played in Riccarton’s 2002 and ’04 grand final-winning teams, returns to the club after a lengthy stint in Canada that…

It’s official: after 13 seasons as Aranui, the club will be known as the Eastern Eagles – and coach Eddie Timo-Latu is hoping his side can build on the rich history cultivated by Eastern Suburbs between 1968 and 2005. “For some it’s new, for some they’ve heard of it before and for some they’ve come…

Halswell Hornets were one of the big improvers of the 2018 Massetti Cup, putting back-to-back wooden spoons firmly in the rearview mirror by finishing in the top four for the first time since 2014. But a comprehensive 50-6 minor semi-final exit at the hands of Hornby was a stark reminder of how far the Hornets…

The Northern Bulldogs enjoyed a watershed season as a club in 2018. The premiers made a long-awaited return to the finals with a second-place finish in the Massetti Cup, before making a gallant preliminary final exit against Hornby. The premier reserves then heralded a huge party out Kaiapoi way by taking out the Canterbury Cup…

Last season always shaped as a challenging one for Papanui Tigers, faced with massive player turnover and a barely recognisable roster. The club’s difficult task was compounded by a shocking injury toll that tested its already tenuous depth. Chalking up three wins to stave off the wooden spoon was a notable achievement under the circumstances.…

Celebration Lions coach Steve Fenika was proud of his young, new-look team’s resolve in 2018, finishing sixth with four wins and a draw. But he knows a top-four finish was within their grasp – and admits anything less than a finals appearance this season will be a disappointment. The Lions lost four games by six…

With the most grand final wins in Canterbury Rugby League history – and an incredible nine appearances in the big one since 2005 – the Hornby Panthers’ perennial heavyweight status is assured and well-deserved. But an unavoidable storyline hovers over the club’s 2019 Massetti Cup campaign: Hornby is coming into the season on the back…

The Linwood Keas have unequivocally established themselves as one of the most dominant club sides of Canterbury Rugby League’s modern era with three straight grand final wins for the first time since Eastern Suburbs’ (1979-81) trio of triumphs. But they can join the annals of the greatest teams in CRL history this year, with the…