New Zealand Warriors

[Druzik]

Agree.

Isnt Eden Pk a cricket ground though, so it would be terrible anyway as the crowds are too far away and the atmosphere would be lost.

Does Union play any games there?

[kuwaitikev]

Lol you couldn't be much further from the mark there Druz.
Eden Park is going to be the venue of the Rugby Union World Cup Final when it is held here in a few years and was also the venue for the final in 1987.
It's the home ground of the Auckland Blues and also gets plenty of rugby union test matches. The ground does hold cricket games also but is in no way designed for it and is completely the wrong shape.
This is a rugby ground through and through, and also very much the headquarters of Auckland Rugby Union, could they co-exist with the Warriors?

It is currently undergoing major renovations to lift the capacity for the Rugby Union World Cup. So getting the Warriors in would no doubt help pay the bill that is generating.

[Druzik]

Apr 8, 2009 10:34:12 GMT 10 kuwaitikev said:

Lol you couldn't be much further from the mark there Druz.
Eden Park is going to be the venue of the Rugby Union World Cup Final when it is held here in a few years and was also the venue for the final in 1987.
It's the home ground of the Auckland Blues and also gets plenty of rugby union test matches. The ground does hold cricket games also but is in no way designed for it and is completely the wrong shape.
This is a rugby ground through and through, and also very much the headquarters of Auckland Rugby Union, could they co-exist with the Warriors?

It is currently undergoing major renovations to lift the capacity for the Rugby Union World Cup. So getting the Warriors in would no doubt help pay the bill that is generating.

Fair enough... I was told it was a cricket ground, that the crowds were too far away from the action like the SCG.

Still, I'd rather the warriors have their own spiritual home ground... use eden park only for massive events like tests or WCs, something like that.

[kuwaitikev]

yeah comparing it to the SCG would be a huge stretch. In general NZ really doesn't have any true cricket grounds set up with grandstands of any quality. Our top grounds are all multi purpose, cricket in summer, rugby in winter. We are only a little place with freakishly gifted second rowers

[Druzik]

;D

But you poach them all from the Islands... no?

Ahhh yes, hey here is a question, if you are aware, what would be a good NZ maori side from the NZ comps, no NRL or ESL players.

[kuwaitikev]

Haha I know you made the poach from the island quip to get a rise but i'll bite anyway.

There are more Pacific Island people living in Auckland than living in any city in the Pacific islands. New Zealand does not travel to the islands searching for young Rugby or League talent as far as I can tell. The players come to us if they have been identified by their coaches as having the ability to play at the top level.
They are sent to NZ for schooling and rugby training and then choose who they allign themsleves too if they have the talent to play internationally.
Poaching is what all the Aus NRL sides do with their scouts at all the NZ age grade champs etc, you only need look at the make up of the Toyota Cup sides to see the number of players they have poached from these fine shores (which benefits NZ RL at the top end anyway so i'm not complaining).

Picking a squad of 17 Maori eligibale players from the NZ domestic comp would be tricky. Many of them have split allegiences and could play for 2 or 3 of the Pacific Island nations. Of course the pick of the crop have already been 'poached' by the NRL sides and the Warriors/Vulcans as well.

So sorry I couldn't come up with one that I would have any faith in it's accuracy.

[Druzik]

Course!

Mmmm Fair enough.

[Kiwi fan]

Apr 8, 2009 18:29:11 GMT 10 kuwaitikev said:

yeah comparing it to the SCG would be a huge stretch. In general NZ really doesn't have any true cricket grounds set up with grandstands of any quality. Our top grounds are all multi purpose, cricket in summer, rugby in winter. We are only a little place with freakishly gifted second rowers

Yeah, that's the problem with NZ grounds have to be multi purpose and often end up being no good for either cricket or rugby. It's like the Westpac stadium in Wellington, you're too far from the action for rugby and soccer and there isn't any atmosphere and is too big (crowd wise) for cricket.

[Seluman]

Pretty poor season

Oh well... always next year! ;D

[Druzik]

Aug 5, 2009 18:27:19 GMT 10 Seluman said:

Pretty poor season

Oh well... always next year! ;D

could be worse tho...

[sportsmad]

Expect the Warriors to return their eyes to Mother England now that Dean Bell is in charge of player recruitment.

Bringing in top players from England was part of the foundation strategy at the Warriors, with superstars Denis Betts and Andy Platt recruited for the inaugural 1995 season.

Veteran internationals Platt and Betts, both teammates of Bell at Wigan, earned mixed reviews for their efforts in the NRL. Platt, who was 31 and had a dicky knee when he arrived at the club, was generally considered a failure. He played 35 games over two seasons without scoring a try.

Betts did slightly better, scoring 11 tries in 42 games over three seasons, but both were tainted by the Warriors' failure to live up to the considerable expectations and hype that accompanied the club's entry into the NRL.

The consensus was that the club received little bang for the significant amount of bucks invested in players who had established their reputations sweeping all before them with Wigan. And if superstars like Platt and Betts couldn't cut it Down Under, there surely wasn't much point in pursuing more Poms.

So seems to have been the attitude at the club ever since. Coaches and owners have come and gone, but it has been 12 years since a Brit pulled on a Warriors jumper.

That could be about to change.

"There are players over there who could do a job in the NRL," Bell said.

Former Wakefield and Leeds back rower Gareth Ellis, who rattled plenty of teeth getting about for Wests Tigers this season, was a good example.

A regular in the Great Britain side, Ellis is the type of player Bell will be after. New Zealand has enough talent coming through to fill out the club's junior ranks. Bell wants only finished products.

Bradford prop Sam Burgess would certainly fit the bill. Already an established international at just 20, Burgess is rated by many as the best young forward in the game - in either hemisphere. He is contracted to Bradford for another season, but Manly and Souths are already circling.

His manager, Chris Caisley, has said it is just a matter of time until Burgess switches to the NRL, but the sticking point with British players is usually money. The exchange rate means the money on offer in the NRL falls well short of what the best British players can earn in Super League.

Bell, however, doesn't believe it is an insurmountable problem.

"I would like to think that the challenge of trying to foot it in the NRL is something that would inspire them to come over here," he said.

"Not belittling the Super League, but I don't think you can really say that you've made it in the game until you've tried it in the NRL. A guy like Gareth Ellis, I'm sure he didn't come for the money. He would have been well paid at Leeds. That is the sort of player you want."

Bell's search for the next British Warrior will begin next month, when he sounds out potential recruits while in England serving as the Kiwis' football manager during the Four Nations tournament.

[arh21980]

To my friends across the ditch aka as the Eastern Islands of New Zealand. I will hopefully be travelling to see my beloved Sea Eagles take on the Warriors next season at Auckland. Hopefully see you next year.

P.S At this stage I'll be bringing about 30 'friends' coming across as well. As many of you know we might not travel in big number's but we are definitely noisy so if you are watching the game on TV you will hear us.

[Seluman]

Hey matey...

Hope they use Tony T-rex Williams more next year... also I've heard rumour that the new young Kiwi; Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is moving to the chooks... know anything re this?

peace!

[arh21980]

Nov 1, 2009 21:30:07 GMT 10 Seluman said:

Hey matey...

Hope they use Tony T-rex Williams more next year... also I've heard rumour that the new young Kiwi; Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is moving to the chooks... know anything re this?

peace!

Big T-Rex ended up playing for our premiership winning Qld Cup team and played extremely well.
Yeah unfortnately big Jared has moved on to the chooks but that's football. And good luck to him

[arh21980]

Update for this I will be heading over with about 40 - 50 supporters of Manly.

If your a local our drinking spot will most probably be O'Hagens so if you see a few Manly supporter's in there pop in and have a chat it might be me - (my name's Anthony for those who don't know, and quite partial to an ale or two.) ;D

I must warn you though even though we might not travel in great numbers we are quite noisy especially if we win ;D