One of the better performing players over a reasonable length of time has been the now Bays hooker – Roger Dustow.

Filling the shoes of Slade McFarland was never going to be an easy task, but Dustow did it in style producing consistent performances in regular fashion, proving he was well up to the job at hand. He was quite similar to McFarland in his style, but he had that natural rugged expression that endeared him to the Harbour supporters.

It appears through recent correspondence that Dustow and Pivac didn’t see eye-to-eye but in fairness to both parties that is hardly a surprise in any sporting code. Maybe now is the right time for such a loyal servant to look elsewhere and enjoy the rest of his career.

I think he was originally at Marist but it was the move to Massey where he caught the eye of the club-savvy public. He was one of the few “pale-faces” at Moire Park and proved to be a real asset in his specialist position at hooker. Roger moved last year to ECB, which is a questionable move in anyone’s books.

It’s a bit like trading in the Mustang for a Toyota Yaris, but nevertheless he proved an inspiration at Mairangi Bay and helped revive the club’s fortunes in the early rounds before Bays drifted off at the tail-end of the 2007 campaign.

Dustow has done a fair bit in his time at Harbour, played for the Blues, member of the Harbour Ranfurly Shield side in 2006 and helped Massey to titles in 2004 and 2005.

In summary he was a fine player who will be fondly remembered by us fans who bother to get to the ground for a sneaky peek.

We at harbourrugby.com salute you kind sir and wish you all the best for your promising future.