Duane was the man, says Fraser-Tech stalwart
26th March 2010 02:30PM
By EVAN PEGDEN - Waikato Times
Harry Kino has seen players come and go for over 60 years at Fraser-Tech but he still rates Duane Monkley the player from the club he rated most highly.
A life member of the Tech club, having first played there as an 18-year-old in 1968, Kino is still managing the club's senior reserve or second division. He celebrates his 60th birthday in May.
"The player I always looked up to was Duane Monkley and we've had some great players at the club," Kino said.
Kino admits his first club on leaving Hamilton Technical College as a "chubby" prop at the age of 17 was Hamilton Old Boys.
"I should have gone to Tech but I went to Old Boys for my first year. Me and my mate. I don't know how we got there but of course some of the guys I went to school with gave me hell," Kino said. "When we played against them they picked on us so we went back to Fraser-Tech the year after."
He played at under-19, under-21 and senior reserve (senior B equivalent of the time) level, although did manage one senior A match.
After finishing serious rugby in 1978 he ran marathons for four or five years but came back to the playing field after that, playing and becoming the leader of the club's President's grade side, the Rams, for half a dozen seasons.
Since then he has managed Tech teams, including under-19, senior A and B and now senior reserves.
He joined Andy Wallace in a management team for senior coach Bruce Keeys for three years, was with Todd Bavastro and Kane Horrack as managers for Chris Ellis when they won the Waikato title in 2000 and then rejoined Keeys for two years before returning to the lower grades. "I'm still involved. I enjoy it. The club has been good to me and I've made a lot of friends."
CLUB PROFILE
Name Of Club: Fraser-Tech
Year founded: 1923
Playing colours: Blue and white
Teams entered this season: 5 senior teams (premier A and B, second division, under-21, president's grade) plus juniors.
Playing numbers (approx): About 175 senior players and 350 juniors.
Best on-field achievement of club: winning Waikato Breweries Shield 10 times – 1971, 1975, 1976, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2008.
Most notable players: All Blacks Murray Taylor, Kevin Greene, Hud Rickit, Richard Loe, Jasin Goldsmith, John Mitchell, Mark Cooksley.
Key club contacts: Manager John Carrington 847-9009 027-439-4649, president Colin Mitchell 027-593-0668, junior president Russell Gibson 027-666-0006.
