Results-wise Waikato are pretty much where they have been for the past 9 years - positions 6-8. So there has been no qualitative shift on that front. Same old, and not too much to get excited about, apart perhaps from a ropey draw with Waitakere.
I'm not sure we have quite got the recipe right on the playing front, but we should perhaps treat this as a transition year... (though the question remains, transition to what?)
The redeeming features of the Edge era was a handful of players transitioned through to pro ranks, though Declan copped fearful stick for his zealous development approach. I didn't see a lot this summer that offered quite the same leavening features, though Jack McNab made progress, and it was good to have Aaron Scott back.
The biggest advantage this summer, as I have said before, is that the cost of national league is now socialised across the wider game in the region, which is good.
In theory that should reduce pressure on other fronts within the franchise operation.
With a number of paid federation personnel doing jobs once done by volunteers, an improvement in operations was to be expected, though we will still need to await the opening of the books to truly judge the relationship between achievement and cost.
But even beyond that, I think the host Cambridge club - with its volunteer base - has excelled.
It seems Cambridge ran most things very well and deserve hearty congratulations. However if we examine the history of national league in the Waikato we see that making things work in the first year is often the easiest, repeating in subsequent years has proved problematic.
Still, we live to fight another year. Thanks to all who made it work at Cambridge, particularly Josh Easby.