Northland Rugby Union are pleased to announce that Graham Dewes will be extending his

contract as NPC Semco Taniwha Assistant Coach for 2023. This will be Graham’s fourth

consecutive year as Assistant Coach for the Northland NPC team and follows on from a

successful 2022 season with the Semco Taniwha making the quarter finals. Graham will be

working with newly appointed Head Coach, Marty Veale, to progress the team’s skills and

training.

Graham is a well-known rugby figure in Northland, having coached Waipu’s premiershipwinning

team from 2016 - 2019. Graham has also been heavily involved with coaching at

Northland for the past six years, working at the community level as a skills coach and

development team head coach, as well as holding the position of Assistant Coach for our NPC

team for three consecutive years. During this time Graham worked with George Konia and

the Semco Taniwha to progress the team to the Championship final in 2020 and reach the

Quarterfinals in 2022. Graham has also done coaching stints with the Blues U20s, Fiji U20s

and the Fiji National Team, with whom he also represented Fiji as a player in the 2007 Rugby

World Cup.

Graham is a seasoned coach and puts focus on building relationships, player development

and defense strategy. His methodical approach to coaching combined with his enthusiasm

and passion for the team and region makes him well-placed to build on successes from 2022.

‘There was no doubt in our minds that Graham was the right person to support our Semco

Taniwha into 2023. He has shown unrivalled dedication and skill over the years and has great

relationships with our players. With Graham’s flair for defence strategy and skills building, we

are confident that our NPC Taniwha are well positioned to achieve great things in 2023.

Northland Rugby are proud to welcome Graham back as Assistant Coach’ says Cam Bell,

Northland Rugby CEO.

With two well-known coaches supporting the team for 2023 and some great players returning

for another season, it is an exciting time for Northland Rugby Union.

Article added: Friday 09 December 2022