A SELF-CONFESSED “wild one” in his youth, breakaway Steve Stanton has put his headstrong past behind him to cap off the Forster Tuncurry Dolphins’ premiership-winning winter with back-to-back success in the rugby union club’s best-and-fairest competition.
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Now 32 years of age, the buzzsaw won a three-way battle for the honour of the Bruce Greensill Medal from fellow flanker Tom Bolton and first-season captain and five-eighth, Matt Nuku.
In the Dolphins’ night of nights, Stanton emerged with the club’s most prestigious honour at a season-ending presentation ceremony in the grand hall of their major sponsor, the Tuncurry Beach Bowling Club.
Stanton’s emergence as a player of fierce resolve and perpetual motion has coincided with his decision to turn his life around for the sake of his young family and with coach Ron McCarthy’s decision last year to move him from wing to breakaway.
No five-eighth was ever safe when the Dolphins’ tough-tackling trio of Stanton, Bolton and No. 8 Sean Hassett was on the hunt, proving as effective as any of the club’s back row combinations since rugby union was regenerated in the Mid North Coast Zone in 2004.
The man essentially responsible for the formation of the club was the late Bruce Greensill, an inexhaustible New Zealand-born breakaway and legendary figure of Sydney’s Eastwood club, who never appeared in anything but first grade in more than a hundred games.
Stanton is similar to Greensill in many respects, without ever having been recognised by Mid North Coast selectors for an Axeman’s role in a Country Week carnival.
The club’s second president, local member for the Myall Lakes, Stephen Bromhead, the driving force in the Dolphins’ clubhouse construction at Peter Barclay Field at Tuncurry, was unable to attend the presentation night. But the contributor of every strip of steel in the club, Stephen Moy, of Dorvik Steel, was there with wife Annette.
Troy Haines, so vigorous and versatile as flanker-cum-hooker, again enjoyed a fine season, winning two awards, as did Tom Bolton, the outstanding flanker named “the best forward” and claiming the Ruckers’ Mug.
Utility back Kurt Forester and backrower Sean Hassett were former juniors who returned productively to reinforce the club’s ranks, Forester winning the Darren Rosskelly Memorial Award as “best team player.”
Without a junior system in place, player numbers are rugby’s constant concern, but with the Dolphins blooding no less than 10 new first graders, the immediate future seems bright.
The 17-year-old wingers, Jack Nicholson and Justin Hassett, were an electrifying pair and Liam Brady a splendid partner for the most creative player in the competition in five-eighth Matt Nuku. Other newcomers in Jesse Logan and Dylan Barrett appear fine prospects.
The Trojans of the club, centre Tom Harris and prop Ben Manning, each celebrated his 150th game in the 20-10 grand final win over the Manning River Ratz, both indicating a wish to play on next winter.
Nothing can be taken for granted. The demise of the Old Bar Clams in 2013 and the club’s only partially successful return this season were warning lights to all. Next year, a new club, the Wauchope Thunder, will enter the Lower MNC competition, a pleasing development.
The Dolphins’ major award-winners were: most improved player, Liam Brady; best new player, Justin Hassett; hard man award and coach’s award, Troy Haines; best team player, Kurt Forester; most exciting player, Matt Nuku; highest try-scorer (13), Jack Nicholson; highest point-scorer, Lee Crozier (121); best back, Matt Nuku; best forward and ruckers’ mug, Tom Bolton; best travel man, Mark Hagarty; and the Bruce Greensill Medal for best-and-fairest player went to Steve Stanton.
Phil Wilkins
