Match Reports

Terminated

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Members of Warrior Nation, I write to you today with an important announcement. At the start of business this morning, a decision was made to relieve the plain black cotton underwear formerly known as ‘my lucky underwear’ from gameday duties. This announcement comes with great regret and sadness, but it is a decision that I believe had to be made. I can assure you this is a decision that was not made lightly. Obviously this is not the way any of us had hoped this relationship would end. Despite the turmoil of recent weeks, I would hope that once the dust settles, both parties will be able to look back and remember the good times we shared. On a day like today, it is important to remember and to celebrate the past, in order to put it behind us and move on. Continue reading Terminated →

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Match Reports

I Have A Dream

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Sometimes when I close my eyes, I dream of hoisting the Provan-Summons trophy. I’m out there in the middle of ANZ Stadium, my arms held high, in a state of absolute ecstasy. In the distance I can see people cheering, cameras flashing and flags waving, but in my head there is silence, nothing but a sense of calm that I’ve experienced very few times before. It’s as if I am sitting alone on the side of a snow-covered Himalayan mountain, marvelling at the magnificence of the world both below and around me, or lying flat on my back in the middle of the desert, mesmerised by the brightest and fullest night sky anyone has ever witnessed. A star moves slowly from one side to the other; a painter’s careful brush stroke against the pitch black canvas. A colourful row of prayer flags waves softly in the breeze.

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Match Reports

Too Little, Too Late

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Saturday night was a tight tussle, with all three results in play right until Javid Bowen pounced on a loose ball and went the length of the field with a minute to go. The loss leaves the Warriors’ season in tatters — the hammer poised to smash that final nail into the coffin at any minute. Yet another year is set to pass in Warrior Nation without a taste of the playoffs. Another season that’s failed to meet even the humblest of expectations.

Townsville is a difficult place to go, and the Cowboys are a good side — even without Johnathan Thurston. In other circumstances, this would have been an acceptable loss, if there is such a thing. We’d sit back now and reflect on a game that was evenly fought and could so easily have swung the other way. Both Mason Lino and Kieran Foran looked certain to score — Lino in the first half and Foran in the second — until Gavin Cooper intervened. On another day, we might highlight the positives, might look to build on the good moments. But, unfortunately, Saturday night’s loss means there’s very little to build towards. It leaves us waiting for that hammer to fall, with very few reasons to be optimistic about the six games still remaining in 2017. Continue reading Too Little, Too Late →

Match Reports

This was no way to farewell a great

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You are playing at home, against a team in the same spot on the ladder, with your season on the line. I would have thought that in itself would be enough motivation to leave everything on the paddock.

If that doesn’t get the competitive juices flowing, let’s throw in the fact that last time you played this team, they came back from 28–6 down at halftime to beat you. And then for good measure, let’s rule out their best player, then have their second-best player leave the field with an injury after 27 minutes. Does this sound like an opportunity you want to grab with both hands?

How about if one of the club’s most-loved players of all time was departing the next day, and the entire evening was meant to be a celebration of his achievements, an occasion designed to show him how much he means to you, to the club, to your team, to the fans and to his community. Surely there’s no way anyone could come in and out-enthuse you on a night like this. Of all nights, this is the one when you will give everything for the jersey and for your friend — the one they call The Beast.

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