Onerahi Natives at the 2026 Navy Tournament

The annual Royal New Zealand Navy Softball Tournament at Rosedale Park is always a highlight on our calendar, bringing together our juniors and seniors for quality softball, valuable experience and plenty of Natives spirit.

Our Young Guns Answered the Call

With three of our tāne competing at the NZ Evergreens Tournament, we called upon our Young Guns to help make up the numbers. They did much more than simply fill the gaps—they stepped onto the diamond with confidence and showcased the raw talent we have here in the North.

Our young players held their own in the batter’s box, fielded with confidence, stole bases and produced some impressive slides. Our young pitchers brought the heat, while remaining calm and composed against experienced senior players.

In our opening game against the Drury Mavericks, Jadakis took the mound with Simon behind the plate. It was a close and fast-paced contest, with several three-up, three-down innings. The Mavericks narrowly took the game 2–1.

Our second game against the Mangere Outlaws featured the young pitcher-catcher combination of Whana and Markus. Whana started on the mound with Markus behind the plate before the pair swapped positions halfway through the game. Both collected multiple strikeouts and made sure every team knew their names by the end of the match. We could not have been prouder of the cuzzbands! 🤭

Our final game was against the Glenfield Melons, with husband-and-wife duo Pegz and James jumping in for a jam. It was another tight battle, but the Natives held strong and came away with a well-earned 2–1 victory.

The results were only one part of the day. The real success was the exposure, confidence and experience gained by our Young Guns. We are incredibly proud of how they represented our club, and we cannot wait to see them tear it up on the diamond next season.

Our Natives tāne may need to watch their backs—the Young Guns could be coming for their spots at next year’s Navy Tournament! 👀

Our Wahine Top Their Pool

Our Onerahi Natives wahine also had an outstanding tournament, finishing first in their pool.

Although the men’s and women’s pool games were scheduled at similar times, limiting the opportunity for everyone to watch and support each other, the pride across the club was still strong.

A very special ngā mihi goes to Monz, Tender and Lyrik for stepping up and leading our wahine—not only at the Navy Tournament, but throughout the entire season. Their commitment, guidance and support have been greatly appreciated.

The Navy Tournament once again provided our players with an excellent opportunity to compete against teams from outside our local competition, strengthen connections and create more great memories together.

We are proud of every player, coach, manager and supporter who represented Onerahi Natives.

Natives—we on! 🥎💙💛