The Hornets have swarmed into the AFLNZ Premiership for 2019.  Seven Hornets have been included in three teams list adding to the two already retained players.

The Hornets were hot property and were snapped up quickly in the draft on Wednesday night. Number 1 draft pick went to the Northern Suns - the only team that does not have a Hornet. The Suns were after height so chose to pass on the AAFL & Howick Hornets Best and Fairest winner Jay Green. The Suns picked up AAFL Premiership winning Universtiy Ruckman Patrick Lamby 

Pick 2  was Southern Saints; securing Travis Walker into their side. Travis is a strong player and can fit in any position from midfield up to the full forward. Travis was picked to be another attacking option for the Saints as they struggled last year. Teaming up with Manurewa's Alex Fakatoumafi in the forward line will keep the opposing defenders busy. . Pick 3 went to another Hornet with the the Western Crows counting their stars and not believing their luck that Auckland AFL & Howick Hornets Best and Fairest winner was not picked up in the first two picks. Jay will bolster the Crows already impressive midfield 

After the first round of 4 picks half of the pick had been Hornets. Very strong showing.

Round 2 of picks was for AFLNZ Acadamy Graduates. Luke Williams of Howick was eligible for picking within this round and draft pick 5 (round 2 pick 1) for the Crows saw them swoop in and pick up Luke within their line up. Luke will add speed and agility out on the wing for the crows. Fresh off captaining the youth side Luke looks to continue growing within the sport.

Round 3 was for Auckland based players again and had another strong showing of Hornets. Hornets Rookie of the Year Harley Jenkins was nabbed early by the Southern Saints . Harley is a versatile player and can easily slot into the forward or back line. It will be interesting to see where the Saint play him. Pick 11 (round 3 pick 3) saw Steph Tabaillou traded from the Western Crows where he has played the last two years to the Central Giants linking up with retained player Elliott Bennetts. Steph works well around the middle of the field and provides the team with maximum disposals.

Round 10 Saw our veteran player and commanding backmen Wade Eatts picked up in the Central Giants. Wade is an experienced campaigner and works well in any back line. Wade provides a level head and big voice in the backline to tighten up any defence.

Lastly in round 11 Tyson Schmidt was also picked up in the Central Giants. Tyson relatively new to the AAFL scene went under the radar through the draft. The Giants got an absolute steal picking up Tyson this late. Tyson fresh out of Australia is a skillful player who loves to run the footy.

A strong year from the Hornets saw their worth skyrocket in the 2019 Draft. The NZAFL draft review has seen most of the Hornets mentioned as key signings. Jay Green was noted as best pick up for the Western Crows and the same for Travis Walker at the Southern Saints. Harley Jenkins was noted as the one to watch for the Southern Saints.

Up the Hornets!!

2019 AFLNZ Preimership Hornets 

Central Giants: Elliott Bennetts, Steph Tabaillou, Tyson Schmidt, Wade Eatts

Northern Suns: Nil

Southern Saints: Harley Jenkins, Travis Walker

Western Crows: Jay Green, Luke Williams, Ryan White

The Hornets celebrated their 2018 season with the Best and Fairest awards on Saturday night. The night was a success and a great opportunity to shine some light on some deserving people. The awards were won by the below;

Howick Hornets Netball
Leadership Award - Tayla Jury
Most Improved - Sophie Jury
Sportsmanship - Kezia Jaffar
Best & Fairest - Kezia Jaffar

Howick Hornets AFL
Rookie of the Year - Harley Jenkins
Young Gun Award - Dan McCarthy
Most Improved - Kieran Bevan
Andrew Azzopardi Golden Boot Award - Dan Bushett
Most Determined Award - Jono Pearce
Ryan White Clubman of the Year- Paul 'Taco' Millar
Players Choice Best and Fairest Runner Up - Fraser Kessling
Players Choice Best and Fairest - Jay Green
Best and Fairest Runner Up - Fraser Kessling
Best and Fairest - Jay Green

We also celebrated the huge achievement for two players who achieved their 50th games this season. We already had Captain Logan Kinnear reach 50 early in this season and joining him and Tim Elsley on 50 games were Ken Rowe and Ryan White. 

Once again a big thank you to all our sponsors this year; Livefirm Construction, Konnect Fastners, BMC Construction & Tower Scaffolding without your help we woudl not have been able to create such a successful club. 

The Hornets season has finished up on Saturday with the reserves final and the Best & Fairest awards. 

First up the Howick Hornets reserves took on the Mt Roskill Saints reserves in the Reserve Final playing for the McKay-Rogers Shield. In less than ideal weather conditions the Hornets and saints battled it out in the first half. The wet weather meant the ball was hard to control and to take marks. The Hornets managed to kick the first goal into the wind however a skillful and hungry Mt Roskill pounced back and pushed into the lead kicking a double. Finishing the half the scores were locked in at 3 all. 

After a bit of composure from the halftime break the Hornets then came back fighting. Wanting the football more and playing hard defense across the field they managed to turn the ball over into their favour. The scores kept tight in the first ten minutes as neither team could cement one hand on the shield. In the final ten minutes against a tiring Saints defense the Hornets stung; good clearances from the back pushed the football into the the Hornets forwards. The goals started to stream in for the Hornets with multiple goal kickers spreading the cheer. The Hornets were eventual winners beating the Saints 11-5.

The Howick Hornets AFL and Netball teams will be celebrating their seasons this Saturday the 24th November. The awards will be hosted in the Paparoa Park clubrooms from 7pm. 

Door sales are $10 and includes a drink on entry and nibbles through the night. Dress code is smart. 

We welcome all to attend to help celebrate our teams. 

For any more information please email hornetsafl@gmail.com

The Hornets have a had another successful year on and off the field. The season may not have been as long as we had hoped but there were plenty of positives to take out of it. 

Starting with last night at the Auckland AFL Best & Fairest awards the Hornets had a great showing. The first award of the night was the Best First Year player which Hornets Kevin Crowe won last year. The trophy will be kept in the Hornets cabinet for another year with Harley Jenkins taking out the award against some stiff competition. Harley has been a influential player on the field being able to be played both up the field in the forwards and floating down the back in defence. He has picked up the game incredibly quickly and will look to further develop his skills over the off season to take his game to the next level in 2019.

The next award last night was to the Volunteer of the Year award. Last year the Hornets narrowly missed out on this award but with the superhuman effort put in the by the one and only Paul "Taco" Millar the award was locked away. Paul is the most deserving of this award for all his time and effort he has put into the club over the last few seasons. This year Paul was involved with every single event organised by the Hornets from the Golf day through to preseason camp to the themed parties and would turn up to every training and run waters at each game travelling all the way from Bombay. Well done Paul.

The golden boot award and coaches award were picked up by Mt Roskill and were deserving for the season they have had this year compared to last year.

The biggest award of the night was the Best and Fairest as voted by the Umpires from each match over the ten rounds.  The Hornets showed up strong in the votes with 11 different people receiving votes over the season.  After the 10 rounds and beating a Mt Roskill player by 1 point our very own Jay Green was named Best and Fairest for the Auckland AFL. This is a monumental achievement and well deserving for Jay who has been very consistent for the Hornets this year. Jay managed to win the award missing the last round through injury which shows how well he played throughout the season. Well done Jay for this awesome achievement.

The AAFL awards were polished off with 3 Hornets named in the All Auckland team, Jay Green, Fraser Kessling and Kevin Crowe all named in the squad. Well done!

The season finished with round 10 against Manurewa. A victory against them and if North Shore lost to Waitakere then the Hornets would be playing finals in only their second year! The Hornets did what they could and won the game against Manurewa but unfortunately North Shore beat Waitakere and the Hornets missed out on playing finals by 2 points.  The Hornets improved on last years performance with another 2 points on the board and although they did not kick as many points this year their defence locked down the opposition and had less goals kicked against them and their overall points differential was less. This is a positive step for the Hornets as we look to 2019.

The reserves have managed to slip into the finals with one win against North Shore will see them playing finals at QBE stadium next week. Good luck to the reserves tomorrow.

Finally, the Howick Hornets B&F awards are next Saturday (24th) at the Paparoa Park. It would be great if we could have our supporters there to celebrate the achievements of our club this season. Details will be posted on the website this week. 

Up the Hornets!

The end of 2018 is jam packed with events with the Hornets. Lock these into your calendar.

2nd November 2018 - Hornets themed party "Hallowhinnies 3" 

11th November 2018 - Last home game of the year & Hornets Sponsors day

16th November 2018 - Auckland AFL Best & Fairest Awards - Location and Time TBC
 
24th November 2018 - Howick Hornets Best & Fairest Awards at Paparoa Park

Howick Hornets Supporters page will be updated with events to keep the information up to date.

The Hornets club had a massive day on Saturday. The club was taking on the defending premiers for the first time in 2018 and was also the clubs Mary Jury day in support of Mary Jury.

Pregame the Hornets held a champagne brunch for the supporters, raising money for Mary Jury. The supporters wined and dined in the club rooms whilst the developments prepared for their match.

The development side took on North Shore's reserve side in a closely fought match. Both sides had experienced line ups which made for a great game of football. The Hornets started strongly; quick centre clearances moved to quick forward 50 entries which converted into goals. The Hornets quick starts saw them lead on the score board at the end of the first half. North Shore looked to their experienced players in the second half and quickly took control of the game. North Shore controlled the ball and with straight hard running  were able to find the gaps in the Hornets defence and kicking goals. Eventually North Shore won the game 6 - 4 against a valiant Hornets.

The Premiers were then to face the defending premiers. The Hornets fired up from the purpose of the day and the eager to play in front of the largest home crowd. The premiers ran out in their special edition pink jersey in commemoration of the day. The Hornets were a bit slow to start and a composed North Shore outfit were able to control the middle of the ground. North Shore were able to have repeat entries into the forward line but a spirited defence from the Hornets kept the Tigers within reach. The Hornets were inaccurate in front of goal to begin with converting points on the scoreboards rather than goals. 

The second quarter saw the Hornets fire up. Their accuracy in front of goal improved in the second quarter which saw the Hornets close the gap on North Shore. Pressure from the Hornets forward line kept the football up in an attacking position which the allowed Howick to kick some much needed goals. The first half finished with only a few goals difference which left the Hornets with a chance of an upset over the defending premiers.

Regathered after half time Howick looked to stake their claim on the game. Knowing the importance of the third quarter, the win was their for the taking. Unfortunately the Hornets fell off the pace of the North Shore middle and weakened their forward defensive pressure which allowed North Shore to get back on top of the game. The Hornets were clinging on and welcomed the end of the quarter rest.

With the game still in the balance the Hornets gave everything in the last quarter. Running their tanks down to empty they were able tighten up the defence and clear the ball out of their danger zone. They were able to play the ball up the park and into the attacking 50 which they converted into goals. The Hornets always finish strong in the final quarter and it was unfortunate they could not have played their best footy for all four quarters. Had they not fell off during the 3rd quarter they final score may have been different. 

Final Score: Howick Hornets 12.9 (81) to North Shore Tigers 15.9 (96)
Goals : Andrew Azzopardi (4), Daniel Bushett (4), Tim Elsley (2), Steph Tabaillou(1), Elliot Bennetts (1)

Post match the Mary Jury day festivities continued. The supporters were treated to a comedian and a musician as the players got ready. After the post match formalities, the main event was the jersey auction. Each of the players jerseys were auctioned off, some players left without a jersey as other players, supporters and even North Shore Tigers all out bid each other. The day was able to raise over $10,000 for Mary Jury which will go towards her alternative treatment.

The day was a great success and is a credit to all those who were involved in organising the day. The Howick Hornets AFL club have always been about family and were privileged to get around the cause that is so close to one of our own. 

Thank you to the North Shore Tigers who also supported the day by chartering a bus as transport to and from The Nest, so they were able to join in the festivities. North Shore also purchased a jersey and donated a bottle of spirits which was raffled off with the proceeds going towards the cause.  Full credit to North Shore for participating in the day and helping Howick build the sport and club to something more than just a game. 

Up the Hornets!!

The Howick Hornets battled last Sunday against the University Blues at Paparoa Park. University came off a huge win against Manurewa and their spirits were high. Howick after coming off a draw with Waitakere also had high spirits but knew it would be tough against a skilled outfit like University.

The Hornets development team kicked off first against a University team stacked with senior players. The development side put in a valiant effort but were unable to quash the University's run and carry. University ended up running away with it in the end putting a big score on the Hornets Development. Some players of note was Dan McCarthy continuing his form from last week and playing well in the forward line and big James Mackinder in his first game back for the club in the ruck.

The Hornets Premier team faced an uphill battle heading into their game. University had shown their hand during the development game and the Hornets knew their game plan. The first quarter was a good battle, the Hornets were able to get into the contest and spoil and clean ball for University. It was during the second quarter where University ran away with it. The Hornets fell off the pace and University ran rampant through the middle of the field to create the overlaps in their forward line. A huge defensive effort by all six back men limited the amount of goals but University kept coming. Right into the second half it was much of the same with University carving through the middle of the field and being in a better position around the ball than the Hornets. The Hornets were unable to get clean entry into the forward 50 and when we did we were unable to translate those opportunities into goals. With the flow of points heading towards the wrong end the Hornets held tough but were unable to reverse their fortunes.

The Hornets lost 1.5 (11) to University 10.15 (75)

The day was a hard defeat but there was a lot to take of it and we will improve from this. 

The Hornets hosted Waitakere in a round 1 thriller last Sunday. The weather was grim with a howling wind and periodic rain. This meant the games were going to  be played off the ground in a tight contest.

The Hornets Gold kicked the day off at 1pm against the Waitakere Magpies. The Hornets started a little slow with a few new players adjusting to the game. The wet weather made it incredibly difficult to get ball to hand and a lot of the game was played off the ground where the Hornets flourish. Unfortunately the Hornets were down at half time, trailing three goals to two. A big defensive effort from Jono Pearce dried up the magpies goals in the second half. Dan McCarthy enjoyed the opened spaces and used his pace to beat his man and kick a few goals. The Hornets Gold team turned the game on its head with superior fitness and ran away with it in the end winning the game 6-3. Well done on the first up win for the Hornets.

Following the Gold team, the Hornets Blue took to the field. The club had been preparing all preseason for this opening match. The wet weather made it very hard to take clean marks meaning the game play would suit our smaller players. The Hornets played fiercely in the first quarter keeping up with Waitakere. The Hornets worked very well together and rallied around each other when their team mate went off injured in the first quarter. New recruit Steph Tabaillou opened up the Hornets scoring kicking his first goal as a Hornet. 

The second quarter the Hornets regathered and played a lot better, playing into the wind. A lot of focused running through broken play opened up the field to the Hornets to keep within one goal of Waitakere. A big defensive effort from Pete Jones on the Magpies key forward meant they were not as dangerous up front as they usually were. Finishing the first half the Hornets were down 2-3 (15) to 3-3 (21).

The second half started with Waitakere coming out of the blocks fast quickly getting on top of Hornets. A strategic positional change, moving Dan Bushett into the centre half forward position paid dividends with Dan kicking a goal with his first touch. 

 Jay Green provided solidarity in the backline where he had the most possessions for the Hornets. The final quarter saw debutant Jason Roach pick up a few grabs which he was unlucky not to convert into goals. A last minute snap by Elliott Bennetts helped the Hornets secure the draw against the 2017 runners up. 

"It was a great first hit out for the team and this has set the platform for our season. We know we can go toe to toe with the 2017 finalists and it is very exciting for what this season could hold" - Coach Ryan White.

The Hornets will take on University Blues next Sunday at Paparoa Park. This will be a huge match with Steph Tabillou playing against his old club.

Up the Hornets!!

 

Congratulations to Logan Kinnear being named as Captain of the Howick Hornets this year. Logan is an exceptional leader who can lead by example on and off the field. Logan's commitment to the team when playing is second to none and throws everything at it. All players will have the benefit of Logan leading them by example.

Helping Logan in the leadership for 2018 will be Brodyn Bevan & Elliot Bennetts. Brodyn is an experienced player who is a dependable back-men, with a large voice which benefits the players around him. Elliot has gone from strength to strength in the last couple of years and with the experience of playing in the AFLNZ premiership this year he will also lead by example in the forward line. Both these players act with professionalism and are a great addition to the leadership team.

Congratulations to these three players.

Up the Hornets!