Recap
On Saturday, in front of a great end of season crowd, Comag Matamata Swifts came out on the wrong side of a 1-0 scoreline. Their visitors, Otumoetai, struck from a free kick just before the hour mark, in what was, by and large, a tight, physical encounter that never rose to any great heights.
Both sides created a handful of other good opportunities but struggled with the quality needed to take full advantage. In general, the spectacle didn’t quite match the stunning conditions as the Swifts, along with their opponents, played out a result that saw them both nestle into a mid-table Loaded WaiBOP Premiership finish for 2018.
For Matamata, it was a challenging 2018 season. For a while the team was on the fringes of the title race but injuries to key players, including season enders to Dayne Willemsen and Matt Aberhart, plagued the squad throughout. There’s talent and potential within the group, however, so 2019 looks bright.
