Sir Peter Leitch Club at MT SMART STADIUM, HOME of the MIGHTY VODAFONE WARRIORS
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Sir Peter Leitch Club AT MT SMART STADIUM, HOME OF THE MIGHTY VODAFONE WARRIORS 21st February 2018 Newsletter #205 Vodafone Warriors Preseason Against Melbourne Storm I want to share some of the photos I took while I was in Rotorua with the Vodafone Warriors Daryl Halligan goal kicking coach Gerard Beale out in the community Good to see my old mate Charlie Raass (played for the Bulldogs and Kiwis) and meeting some young fans a true Warriors fan & member John Love Head Physiotherapist Good to see the 2 assistant coaches of Great to catch these three musketeers Great to catch up with a couple of Mel- the Vodafone Warriors Andrew McFad- in the Kiwis World Cup Jerseys! Cindy, bourne Storm mates Jason Ryles & ex den & Stacy Jones Jack & Andy from Rotorua All Black Andrew Blowers Great to catch up with Carla and Mark Great to catch up with my old mate, Great to have the membership team here from Kawerau Rick, ex Otahuhu Workermans Club at Rotorua and his granddaughter, Rikki-Lee at the game Karen & Dennis who drove down from Stephen Kearny meeting some young Very proud of how our players interact Hamilton fans before the game with our fans Sir Peter Leitch Club Newsletter Page 2 More photos I took in Rotorua Leivaha Pulu and his Kids Amon-James Lovely to catch up with hard core rugby Naomi, Jayden and Ihaia were stoked Carayanidis & Baby Sarai league people. From the left Memphis, with these packs I gave them. Sharing Cherie manger of the Ngongotaha the Warriors love Chiefs rugby league club & Tekowhi. All enjoyed the nines tournament Now this is dedication. Ricky from the membership team has had this on his Scotty Just brought my book in what a calve since 2015 Raymond Brown & Warena Karaka Peni ride mate for me to sign I still have a few both big fans copies to sell. Email [email protected] if you’re interested Just having lunch with the Harvey Nor- man Community Warriors after a very Zac showing off his not finished Voda- hard morning working with the local Just met Cliff Curtis a NZ movie star fone Warriors tattoo Rotorua Schools legend who is working on the new av- atar movie, flys out tomorrow to Vegas bloody great guy See more photos from Sir Peter. Click the icons to follow him on: Facebook Instagram Twitter Sir Peter Leitch Club Newsletter Page 3 Celebrating John Grant’s Australian Rugby League Commission Chairmanship Australian correspondent Barry Ross with Jim Doyle and Laurie Daily (former play- JIm Doyle and Wayne (Junior) Pearce. Men of League Foundation CEO Frank er and coach of the Kangaroos and the Barrett. For more information NSW Origin team). www.menofleague.com. Todd Greenberg (NRL CEO) and Peter Reon Edwards (NZRL Chairman), Helen The man of the moment John Grant and Bettie ( new NRL Chairman). Grant and Mel Maninga (former player his wife Helen at last nights Function to and now coach of the Australian Rugby honour him in Sydney. League team). Pre-purchased adult tickets to the Vodafone Warriors’ first home game against the Titans on March 17 have been reduced to just $15 with $5 of that to be donated to the NZ Red Cross’ Pacific Disaster Fund for those affected by Cyclone Gita. Tickets go on sale at midday today. To lock in great seats before they sell out, please click on this link and show your support for this worthy cause: http://bit.ly/2ByFWPS Laurie Daily and Dawn Fraser (Austral- ian Olympic swimming legend). Sir Peter Leitch Club Newsletter Page 4 Want-Away Player Gets His Wish By David Kemeys Former Sunday Star-Times Editor, Former Editor-in-Chief Suburban Newspapers, Long Suffering Warriors Fan HAVE HAD plenty to say about the rugby-league We don’t know, only that they exist to manage the Itug of love for outstanding prospect Etene situation of either code becoming aware a player Nanai-Seturo. who is contracted wants to switch, but apparently we are expected to believe that under those protocols the The Vodafone Warriors were hopping mad the Etene Nanai-Seturo situation would be avoided. youngster turned out for the New Zealand Sevens and boss Cameron George made it plain more than George has welcomed the deal, so he presumably sees once the club would not be pushed around, since the merit in it. youngster had a contract with us. He also said, adn I have a suspicion it was through The barny has been settled, and surprise, surprise – gritted teeth, that he looked forward to “continuing rugby wins. to have a productive relationship with New Zealand Rugby”. The Warriors and New Zealand Rugby reached a deal after mediation to resolve the stand-off. Good luck with that. Now I am not going to criticise Etene Nanai-Seturo, So both parties had a chin-wag, rugby got what it he is just a boy. wanted, and we aren’t allowed to know any more about it. But I am not that happy that whatever solution was reached, all the details are confidential. Not good enough. The young fellah has been released from all his obli- So About THis Trial gations to us but all the terms and conditions of the release are to be kept confidential. Yes it was a bunch of people in purple Melbourne jerseys we have never heard, with the real Storm too Apparently New Zealand Rugby and the Warriors busy winning the World Club Championship over had an “amicable” meeting. Leeds. We know this to be true because the club released a So what, it was just a trial? statement saying so. It’s not like we stuck out a star-studded team either. What they did say, was that a new set of protocols had been reached about players code-hopping. You can’t really take anything from trails form. NZ Rugby general manager Neil Sorenson said: “We I have seen us be awful in pre-season and have a ter- have an enormous amount of respect for each other’s rible start to the season. organisations and we wish each other every success I have seen us be 50-50 in pre-season and have a in our respective codes. terrible start to the season. To which I say: “Bollocks.” I have seen us be really good in pre-season and have If there was an enormous amount of respect this a terrible start to the season. would not have happened. But coach Stephen Kearney gave it a pass mark. So we are left with a player who did not want to be That being so, all we can do is look forward to next here, gone. Fair enough. week and the hit-out against the Titans. And we are left with a new set of protocols that aren’t “The guys worked hard in areas we wanted to be worth the paper they are written on because if rugby good at so that was a positive,” Kearney said. wants a player, they are going to take him, no matter what the protocols say. And what do they say? Continued on next page... Sir Peter Leitch Club Newsletter Page 5 Continued from previous page... pre-season, with prop Agnatius Paasi onl.y on for five minutes before leaving the field with a knee injury, and five-eighth Ata Hingano took a head knock that Leaking three tries probably wasn’t though. meant he did not return for the second half. Nice to see Solomone Kata, David Fusitu'a, Ligi Sao If anyone is remotely interested, the score was Warri- and Lewis Soosemea on the scrore-sheet all the same. ors 20 – Whoever the Hell They Were 14. Generally speaking I thought our defence wasn’t bad, Adelaide Gets Origin though there were a couple of poor reads, and we all The State of Origin series, will be played at the Ade- know what happens when you do that at NRL level – laide Oval for the first time in 2020. NRL boss Todd mostly from watching it season after season. Greenberg said Origin was the game’s showpiece and There were some solid contributions, James Gavet in deserved to be showcased to another new market. particular. “Melbourne embraced State of Origin in 2015 and But like all pre-season football, the timing was all we expect another special night at the MCG for game over the place, and players were interchanged soften one this year,” you could hardly keep up. So that makes it Melbourne, Perth and now Adelaide New signing Peta Hiku also had some nice mo- in successive years. ments, which is encouraging. Get ready for all the talk about hosting one in Auck- Unfortunately the injury curse reared its head, land again. the number one thing you do not want to happen 2018 NRL Season Guide is Here! The ultimate source of everything Rugby League for the 2018 NRL Season. 244 pages of players profiles (all NRL Telstra Premiership Clubs.) Also, Squad Statistics, Club Draws and Records. If you would like to order your copy please email Trevor and Lorna Warrington [email protected] $13 each (This covers shipping costs etc.) This is the only way to purchase these in NZ! Not available in stores! Sir Peter Leitch Club Newsletter Page 6 Experience named for Sunshine Coast trial by Richard Becht OST OF the Vodafone Warriors’ experienced making 112 metres from 10 runs and making no Mfirst graders will be onboard for the second errors. and final NRL trial against the Gold Coast Titans at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana Waters on Satur- The Titans, being guided by new coach Garth Bren- day (5.00pm kick-off).