Page 8 - Ed2 League Lens Draft 3

NEW-LOOK SHARMAN ALL SET

New structure, new teams,
same goal.

That’s the story of the 2018
Crown Lift Trucks Sharman Cup
competition, which has a new
structure this year, designed to
give teams every chance to put
their best foot forward in the
quest to secure promotion to
the SAS Fox Memorial
Premiership.

While teams last year were
graded through the opening
few rounds, and split into top
and bottom groups before the
season proper began, this year
the competition’s 15 sides will
play a full round, each playing Initial signs point to a strong following a brief absence from
each other once, before year for the region’s most Premiership football, while the
moving into top and bottom southern team, with Franklin East Coast Bays and Glenfield
tiers. competing well in a pre-season clubs have merged to form a
hit out against Otahuhu, combined side.
before marching all the way to
That signals good news for the Plate final at the Sportsafe
teams who were slow to start ARL Nines on the Hibiscus After a year up in the first
but strong to finish last season, Coast. division, the Te Atatu Roosters
while a handful of teams will return to the Sharman under a
be new to the grade this rookie Premiership coach in
season. Henry said his men won’t be Lawrence Tagaloa, and with a
content with simply making up host of new players in their
the numbers. squad.

“I would love to see
Franklin win the “I would love to see Franklin The Ponsonby Ponies will have
competition.” win the competition,” Henry plenty to prove after falling
said. short in the semi-finals last
year at the hands of eventual
champions Otahuhu.
There’s the Franklin Storm, a “I wouldn’t put a team in just
side made up of players from to make the top eight… we’ve
the Tuakau, Pukekohe and got a lot of work to do before The central Auckland club have
Waiuku clubs, who come that happens, but I truly huge ambition, and backed by
together under experienced believe with the talent we an experienced roster, are
coach Jody Henry for a crack have we could definitely win expected to be among the
at the Auckland second this.” front-runners once again.
division.

The Mount Wellington Warriors
also return to the competition