Black armbands will be worn by Napier City Rovers players throughout 2023 as a mark of respect to those who tragically lost their lives in Cyclone Gabrielle - and as a sign of support for their beloved region as Hawke’s Bay continues the massive clean-up after the deadly storm.

The cyclone tragically claimed 11 lives when it hit in mid-February, with the majority of the loss of life in Hawke’s Bay.

Napier City Rovers adopted the black armbands in last Saturday’s 3-1 Central League win over Stop Out in Wellington; signs of respect that captain Jim Hoyle said would continue in this Saturday’s second-round clash against Petone and throughout the remainder of 2023.

“It was a tough time for the region and sadly people lost their lives,” Hoyle said.

“And as a tribute to those people, and the region, we will wear black armbands for every game, so we are representing something other than ourselves.

“The black armbands are a little touch to try and represent the region to remember those who were sadly lost through the cyclone.”

When the cyclone arrived in Hawke’s Bay on the night of February 13, Napier City Rovers were in their pre-season build-up for the Central League, with the firm goal of improving on last year’s fourth-place finish.

But the damage inflicted on the region - including the destruction felt through numerous communities in rural areas - saw football very much taking a back seat.

Thousands of homes were impacted by raging flood waters and left covered in silt, and, for a time, Hawke’s Bay was isolated from the rest of the country by road, due to damage to State Highway 2 and SH5.

Among those who volunteered to help residents who lost homes and livelihoods in the cyclone were the Napier City Rovers’ first team; a move that Hoyle said was an easy one for him and his teammates to make.

“[Getting involved] was an important message from the club and the players,” the captain said.

“We know there are so many people who care about this club and we want to represent this club properly. So, as players, we decided it was right to take those two weeks off [from training] and do what we could to help.

“The idea was, as players in our group chat, to do what we could and give it that push to help as we could with the clean-up, and slowly things would change with people coming into the region to help.

“We were just trying to do our bit. We wanted to help people as we could and represent this club in the right way.”

The disruptions caused by Cyclone Gabrielle also led to the cancellation of some pre-season matches, including one against fellow Central League side the Wellington Phoenix reserves.

But despite the fractured build-up, Napier City Rovers got their 2023 Central League off to a strong start by beating the newly-promoted Stop Out 3-1 last weekend.

This Saturday, they return to Wellington to play Petone, who started their season with a 3-2 away win over Whanganui Athletic.

Napier City Rovers will again employ a tactic that worked well last weekend - travelling on the eve of the match and staying in a hotel, so they can be fresh on Saturday.

Previously they have faced bus trips of up to six hours to Wellington on gameday, leaving their clubrooms by 7am.

Coach Bill Robertson has made no secret of his desire to improve the team’s form on the road, with Hoyle saying that being able to leave on the Friday had helped negate the travel factor.

“Waking up down there on Saturday was perfect prep for the game,” he said. “You got to have a bit more of a lie-in, the hotel was good and we got looked after.

“We were able to have breakfast and then just relax, rather than having to eat on the way there and just showing up straight to the game [when you arrive in Wellington].”

Hoyle said he was proud of the team’s all-around strong effort last weekend; adding that midfielders Ta Eh Do and the returning Kenny Willox were “great” and new English recruit Deri Corfe also looked “sharp as”.

“Him and Jonny [McNamara] look like they will be linking well, so they will be two players to look out for for us this year.”

The most pleasing aspect for Hoyle one round into the new season was the fact the team had formed a “real close bond” so early on as a squad.

He believed that was a by-product of both the commitment and the tightness created during the pre-season, and also the fact they had stayed together as a squad on the season’s first road trip.

“It just builds a good team environment,” Hoyle said.

“It was a massive start to the season away from home.

“And it was a big day for the lads as we had a night out afterwards,” Hoyle smiled. “It was three points for us, perfect, and the lads all deserved their beers, meat and chips afterwards... it was a great start to the season.”