Taieri hero Hayden Parker has a new nickname. The ace goal kicker is now called "Quasi the Clutch" Parker after kicking his winning penalty on Saturday.
He has always been known as "Quasi" but the extra description was added by Taieri captain Charlie O'Connell after the dramatic 24-22 win against Dunedin.
"Hayden's had a tough couple of years sitting on the bench because of injuries.
"He's been great for us and it's his time now."
Parker is a member of the Otago squad and was confident of kicking the penalty to win the championship.
Parker and other kickers in the Otago squad practise their goal kicking at the stadium each Friday and he is used to the conditions.
"A lot of my training kicks have been from that exact position," he said.
"It was a good spot for me."
Parker has a cool temperament and kicked five goals from his seven attempts to score 14 of Taieri's points.
He also made the decisive break early in the second spell to bring Taieri back into the game when he burst 30m into the Dunedin 22m and the try was scored by winger Kieran Moffat.
Parker had plenty of support in the crowd because his family had travelled to Dunedin from the family's sheep, beef and dairy farm in Kurow. This included parents Dave and Gert, grandparents John and Joan Parker, and sister Jane and her husband, David Gard.
It was an emotional moment for Parker's captain, O'Connell, when the touch judges flags were raised.
"I will never get that feeling again.
"I will cherish it for the rest of my life," he said.
Taieri club captain Keith Kippenberger said:
"It was a like a fairytale to win back-to-back finals after only being back in premier ranks for four years.
"Quasi is our hero".
There was a large contingent of Taieri supporters in the 4000-strong crowd at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
"We brought our fans to the ground in four full buses," Kippenberger said.
"We have amazing support from the people on the Taieri.
"We have turned ourselves back into a community rugby club."
