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Terry Tonga

Terry Tonga is a veteran Southland sports scribe who lives for high-stakes drama, from screaming V8s to physical netball clashes in the Steel fortress and basketball battles in the Sharks tank. He covers southern grit with pure, trackside passion

Terry Tonga's Work 57 Articles
Sharks Grind Past Giants in NBL Thriller
Sharks Grind Past Giants in NBL Thriller
News   -   Jul 12, 2026

The Southland Sharks beat the Nelson Giants 83–71 on Saturday night, grinding out a win that required a strong fourth quarter to seal. It wasn't clean. Nelson came out sharp, with Shane Gatling draining two threes in the first quarter off the back of a 56-point team

Halaholo and Barrett Join Stags for 2026
Halaholo and Barrett Join Stags for 2026
Sport + Motorsport   -   Jul 06, 2026

The SBS Bank Southland Stags have added two young Australian forwards to their 2026 NPC squad, signing NSW Waratahs players Clem Halaholo and Jack Barrett ahead of the upcoming season. Halaholo joins as a versatile forward capable of playing lock or loose forward, arriving off the back of a breakout

Sharks Edge Rams in Five-point Thriller
Sharks Edge Rams in Five-point Thriller
Sport + Motorsport   -   Jul 02, 2026

The Southland Sharks beat the Canterbury Rams 103-98 on Saturday, a result that came down to which side could string together the bigger quarters — and it was Southland who answered that question twice. Neither team was at full strength. The Sharks were without Sam Timmins, an MVP candidate, while the

Japanese Duo to Join Southland Stags in 2026
Japanese Duo to Join Southland Stags in 2026
Sport + Motorsport   -   Jul 01, 2026

Two Japanese players from the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights will join the Southland Stags for the 2026 NPC season, extending a sister-city relationship between Invercargill and Kumagaya City that has been running since 1993. Hayata Taniyama and Takaya Saito, both from the Wild Knights, are heading south — adding experience and

Leitch Charges From Last to Podium at Spa
Leitch Charges From Last to Podium at Spa
Sport + Motorsport   -   Jun 30, 2026

Brendon Leitch came back from nowhere — twice — to claim back-to-back Pro-Am podiums at Spa-Francorchamps in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series. The Invercargill driver and American co-driver Don Yount were running the #70 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 for Leipert Motorsport in blistering heat. Qualifying was messy — Leitch narrowly missed

Buchanan Sets Sights on Sachsenring Comeback
Buchanan Sets Sights on Sachsenring Comeback
News   -   Jun 29, 2026

The brutal rollercoaster of world championship motorcycle racing continues for Cormac Buchanan. A tough spell of results has forced the Southland teen to call on every ounce of resilience, including a crash at the latest round of the Moto3 World Championship at Assen in the Netherlands. "I know what

Steel Fall Short in Grand Final Thriller
Steel Fall Short in Grand Final Thriller
News   -   Jun 28, 2026

The GoSweetSpot Mystics are the most successful team in ANZ Premiership history, and it is not particularly close anymore. They beat the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel 56-46 in the Grand Final in Auckland on Saturday, claiming a record fourth title — one more than any other side in the competition&

Steel Ready to Bring It to the Mystics
Steel Ready to Bring It to the Mystics
Sport + Motorsport   -   Jun 25, 2026

The Southern Steel are heading to the ANZ Premiership Grand Final, and head coach Wendy Frew is finally allowed to smile about it. All season the Invercargill-based side has run on a game-by-game mantra, refusing to look further ahead than the next match. That discipline paid off Sunday when they

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