Wyndham sponsor Brad Shaw said on the morning of May 18 that plans were in place for his club of 20 years to mark its 200th match – against old rivals Edendale – as wife Dana went into labor with their third child.
Fortunately, there were still a few hours to go before he would run out to the music of son Jack, 8, who was playing the bagpipes, but Mr Shaw still gave the midwife a rush, he said.
“We had been asleep for about two hours when the contractions started, so we went to Southland Hospital and got Dana comfy.
“I told our midwife she had until lunchtime to get the baby out as we were all going to the rugby at that time.”
Marlee was born at 8:49 a.m., allowing the family to spend some time together before heading to the field for the second celebration of the day.
Ms Shaw said that despite being tempted to sneak in for the special competition, she stayed warm with Marlee.
“I'd had my other two [children, Quinn, 7, and Jack] early too, so it was more or less expected that Marlee would come by early.
“But when I started having contractions on Friday night, it was a case of 'here we go'.”
She said she was “beyond happy” that her family could attend the big match for her husband.
“We are all extremely proud of his dedication to the club he loves,” Ms Shaw said.
“He started there in 2004 at the age of 18 and has embraced every part of Wyndham RFC.
“He has been away at Eastern Hawks a few times and played abroad in the Netherlands and Germany, but Wyndham has always been where the heart of our family lies.”
Mr Shaw said it had been a special moment to be sent onto the field by his son.
“Once the delivery went smoothly, I became a little more relaxed about everything.
“To have the little guy play the bagpipes for my 200th game, I can tell you it not only brought a tear to my eye, but to a few players as well. That definitely touched a few of us.
“It was a bit of a relief to hear the whistle and concentrate on the game, and get through it after just a few hours of sleep.”
Mr Shaw said the match was a 20-20 draw, making it a doubles day.