Twenty-one years and my team is still
Trying to climb that great big ladder of hope
To a Premiership title
I realised quickly that I’d always be loyal
That a few losses wouldn’t spoil my faith, uh huh
For the team called the Warriors
So I cry sometimes
And curl up in a ball
Just to calm myself down
When I can’t take it all
And I, I’m feeling a little frustrated
And when our line speed is slow
And we concede easy tries
I bow my head and look up to the sky
Then I, scream at the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, No, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, I said hey, when will they learn?
And I try, oh boy, how I try
To keep on smiling
And clap the team from the field
And I always defend them, oh boy, how I defend them
To my friends and family, uh huh
Always keeping the faith
So I cry sometimes
And curl up in a ball
Just to calm myself down
When I can’t take it all
And I, I’m feeling a little frustrated
When I wake in the morning and I check my phone
And see more off-field drama in the headlines
And I, sigh and start to groan
Then I, scream at the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, No, no, no, no
No, no, no, no, I said hey, when will they learn?
Twenty-one years and my team is still
Trying to climb that great big ladder of hope
To a Premiership title
Excuse the musical interlude, but I’ve read singing helps to regulate your breathing and promote relaxation — something we could all use in our current state of woe.
Right now, it’s almost impossible to believe that less than two weeks ago Warrior Nation was celebrating a win against a playoff contender. The Bulldogs victory wasn’t perfect by any means, but there were real signs that positive things could happen if the men from Mt Smart were able to find some consistency. They were fluent on attack and showed enough scramble and fight on defence to take the two points. It was three wins from four and the Top 8 was within reach.
Fast forward to today and you find a club that looks, from the outside at least, in full-on crisis mode. A 42–0 thrashing on Anzac Day was followed by six players breaking team protocol and, after a barrage of criticism across all media and a poorly-timed re-tweet, the Warriors find themselves going into Sunday afternoon’s match against the Dragons with an inexperienced lineup and large sections of the fan base at near breaking point.
[Side note: very poor timing for the six players to go out, and unacceptable for them not to adhere to team protocols— I’m as disappointed as anyone, especially if ends up being the final straw for Konrad Hurrell at the club— but do they really deserve the level of criticism they’ve received? They’ve let themselves, their team and the fans down by their actions given this weekend is such a crucial game, but there’s been no reports of any trouble or bad behaviour apart from staying out a little late on a school night and being late for a team meeting. I agree with the punishment — the players did something silly, have been reprimanded for it and now it is up to them to pick their socks up and demand re-selection. But the calls for across the board sackings seem a little ridiculous to me — would you get fired if you were late to a meeting at your workplace?]
It’s almost impossible to predict how the playing group will respond. On the plus side, we’ll get to see youngsters like Shaun Lane and Toafofoa Sipley eager to impress in their first outing for the club at the NRL level. Others, such as Matt Allwood, Jazz Tevaga and James Gavet, will want to prove they are more than just fill-ins. Lane, in particular, may have the most to gain after his in-season transfer from the Bulldogs. His departure from Belmore was curious given the praise he received in his debut season, and he’s without a contract for 2017 — a strong performance on Sunday could help cement his place in the top grade.
But how far can that enthusiasm take these young men from Mt Smart? When you throw in the recent injuries to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Tui Lolohea and Simon Mannering, the Warriors are without more than half their full-strength side on paper — can a team with that many changes really compete? And that’s not even mentioning their awful record against the Dragons (only 4 wins from 23 games).
This match is just filled with storylines. Will the Warriors come out firing? Or will they lay down and die? Can Andrew McFadden survive another loss? What about the return of Russell Packer, Siliva Havili and, to a lesser extent, Leeson Ah Mau? Could there be a late inclusion for Benji? And don’t forget, the Dragons are in turmoil too — Paul McGregor was arrested earlier this week!
Whatever your expectations for Sunday, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in. Get down to Mt Smart (or flick on your TV) early, as both the U20s and the NSW Cup side (filled with the naughty boys) are also on show.
MATCH DETAILS
NZ Warriors vs St George Illawarra Dragons, Mt Smart Stadium, Sunday 1 May
Gates Open: 9:30am
NYC Kick-off: 9:45am
NSW Cup Kick-off: 11:45am
NRL Kick-off: 2pm
FLASHBACK
Had to go way back in the archives and only found a snippet of enjoyment — there’s not many good memories against the Dragons!
TEAMS
Warriors (best guess as starting lineup has yet to be named)
1 David Fusitu’a
2 Jonathan Wright
3 Blake Ayshford
4 Solomone Kata
5 Matt Allwood
6 Thomas Leuluai
7 Shaun Johnson
8 Jacob Lillyman
9 Jazz Tevaga
10 James Gavet
11 Shaun Lane
12 Ryan Hoffman (C)
13 Charlie Gubb
Interchange
14 Issac Luke
15 Sione Lousi
16 John Palavi
17 Toafofoa Sipley
Dragons
1 Josh Dugan
2 Kalifa Faifai Loa
3 Euan Aitken (under fitness cloud)
4 Timoteo Lafai
5 Jason Nightingale
6 Gareth Widdop
7 Josh McCrone
8 Leeson Ah Mau
9 Mitch Rein (must pass concussion test)
10 Mike Cooper
11 Tyson Frizell
12 Joel Thompson (although he has been suspended so will be replaced)
13 Jack de Belin
Interchange
14 Russell Packer
15 Will Matthews
16 Dunamis Lui
17 Siliva Havili
18 Taane Milne
? Benji Marshall?
