Sir Peter Leitch’s THIS SATURDAY Vodafone Warriors Mad Butcher Club v at Mt Smart Stadium Gold Coast Titans Newsletter NO: 09 Kick Off 7.30pm MT SMART STADIUM NEWSSir Peter Leitch’s 2012 YYOUOU CANCAN CCHECKHECK OUTOUT MYMY BLOGBLOG onon hhttp://play.vodafone.co.nz/vodafonewarriorsttp://play.vodafone.co.nz/vodafonewarriors HELP US GET TO 8,000 Not the perfect weekend. MEMBERS IN 2012! The Vodafone Junior Warriors went down to the Bulldogs 28-16, their fi rst loss at home in about 20 games, then the Vodafone Warriors followed suit, going down 32-18. TThehe StrongerStronger thethe ClubsClubs Membership,Membership, Talk about precious little to smile about. Having said that, even though we were on the wrong side of the tthehe StrongerStronger thethe Club!Club! scoreline, it was brilliant to watch, all sides committed to attractive attacking play. VVodafoneodafone WarriorsWarriors MembershipMembership numbersnumbers continuecontinue toto growgrow The Warriors showed real class to come back from18-0 down early on and to go into the break only a try behind. ppassingassing tthehe 7,6007,600 markmark tthishis weekweek andand closingclosing inin onon ourour Then when the second half opened it was the Bulldogs on the charge but the Warriors who went over, snatching ttargetarget ooff 88,000,000 MMembersembers iinn 2012.2012. MembershipMembership isis thethe bestbest the lead for the fi rst time. But it was not to be our day. I was bit surprised by the video ref ruling out a try to Kevin wwayay ttoo sshowhow yyourour supportsupport andand commitmentcommitment toto VodafoneVodafone Locke that might have infl uenced a different outcome. I’d say you would see that movement sent up to the video WWarriorsarriors aandnd thethe mostmost directdirect wwayay toto iinnfl uuenceence tthehe successsuccess ref 100 times out of 100, and 99 times it would come back benefi t of the doubt. I might be a bit contentious with ooff tthehe CClub.lub. SSoo pplaylay yyourour partpart andand bbecomeecome a MemberMember inin this one, but I thought Bulldogs coach Des Hasler was very smart to take off Michael Innis, which he did straight 22012!012! after the Dogs crossed and there was a bit of argy-bargy, because Innis gave Mannering a good rub in the face, AAss MMembershipembership numbersnumbers grow,grow, soso doesdoes ourour abilityability toto and even appeared to drop a knee. pproviderovide ffacilitiesacilities andand resourcesresources forfor ourour players.players. And I had to laugh when a mate of mine said James Graham, the big prop playing for the Dogs after a career in BByy bbecomingecoming a MMember,ember, youyou areare notnot onlyonly ininfl uuencingencing onon the UK Super League, should be playing at Dairy Farmers Stadium because he can milk a penalty out of anything. fi eeldld rresults,esults, bbutut yyouou areare alsoalso helpinghelping usus nurturenurture thethe starsstars Two other points out of the day were watching Locke go over the advertising hoardings, and the nasty high shot ooff tthehe ffuture!uture! put on James Maloney, which saw him twist an ankle in the way he went down. I will be gobsmacked if the bloke does not cop a week for that one. WWHATHAT DODO I GETGET ASAS A MEMBER?MEMBER? • SSaveave uupp ttoo 665%5% ooffff ggameame dayday gategate pprices!rices! A real treat in the Mad Butcher Club though, with 18 Lebanese blokes who are all big Doggies fans dropping by to join us, and they livened the place up. Their leader Joe insisted I have a punt with him so I offered $100 on the • RReceiveeceive a prioritypriority purchasingpurchasing periodperiod forfor GrandGrand FinalFinal Tickets!Tickets! Vodafone Warriors. He insisted it had to be $200 on his Dogs. Sadly I had to pay up, and even though I visited the • RReceiveeceive ‘Members‘Members OnlyOnly MembershipMembership Pack’!Pack’! hot dog stand I could not come up with it all in 10 cent pieces. But Gentleman Joe would not take the money, and I would not take it back, so we decided to donate it to the charity of the day, Camp Quality. That is what the game • RReceiveeceive exclusiveexclusive invitationsinvitations toto MembersMembers OnlyOnly eventevent withwith is about isn’t it? Good friendships being made. I had no worries about handing over $200 to Camp Quality because pplayerlayer iinteraction!nteraction! they are an organisation I have had a lot to do with, and they give kids a break at some very tough times in their • RReservedeserved sseateat aatt allall remainingremaining 1010 x regularregular seasonseason homehome lives. games at Mt Smart Stadium!ium The Doggies handed the Vodafone Junior Warriors their fi rst home defeat in almost two years, their run ending at • AAndnd mmuchuch mmore!ore! 20, when the Aussies beat us 28-16. To be fair, we were not at our best. But it still took a disputed try to the Bulldogs, when prop Michael Ioapo appeared to be held up, to swing the game the Dogs way. The Vodafone Junior Warriors bit back with a try to prop Visesio Setefano, but just as quickly the Bulldogs were back in front after John Sila scored HHOWOW DODO I JOIN?JOIN? 11.. JJoinoin onlineonline atat www.warriors.co.nzrriors.co.nzors.coors.co.rs.crs. onnznz toto join n nownow!ow!w! wide out. Captain John Havili then powered over from dummy half before the Bulldogs rebounded instantly to regain the lead. They leapt out to a 10-point advantage 22-12 soon after the break but it was back to 22-16 when 22.. CCallall 00800800 839839 883939 and speaksppeakppeeakeaeaka with wwiithiitthth someone someonsosommmemeoeoeoneononee inn our r Vodafone Junior Warriors left winger Ngataua Hukatai went over. There was a sniff of a comeback as they sought MMembershipembership Team!Team! to protect their home record but they didn’t take their chances, and late in the game a try to Viliami Lolohea was 3. Call into our offi ce at Mt SmSSmaSmartmmartartart StadStadiumddiumiumm andanndnd complete compcomcompletcomplecomplplepletettete ruled out, and from the tap the Bulldogs rumbled down and fi nished up constructing a late try, and the kick put it aann aapplicationpplication form!form! out of reach at 28-16. So Stand Up, Get Sorted in 2012012 andanndd BecomeBBeBecomcommeme a MemberMeMem Vodafone Warriors fullback Glen Fisiiahi scored six-tries as the Auckland Vulcans beat Western Suburbs 42-20 in iinn 22012!012! the third-round of New South Wales Cup in Sydney. The win was the fi rst of the season after losses to the Newcastle Knights and Windsor Wolves. Fisiiahi will certainly keep the pressure on Kevin Locke with that performance. He had two of the side’s four tries as they led 22-0 at halftime and then scored four tries straight in NEW WARRIORS PROUD AWAYAYY MEMBERSHIPMEMMBBE the second half to propel the Vulcans into a commanding 42-0 lead. Having secured such a commanding lead it PProudroud youyou areare WarriorsWarriors PProudroud withwith ourour newnew AwayAway was evident the Vulcans buttoned off rather than keeping the foot applied to the throat. The upshot was the MMembershipembership inin 2012!2012! beleaguered Wests were allowed to score the last 20 points of the contest to limit the damage in their third IIff yyouou lliveive iinn AAucklanduckland butbut can’tcan’t makemake itit toto homehome games,games, ifif consecutive loss. The Vulcans are at home to Manly this weekend. The Sea Eagles beat Windsor 30-24. yyouou lliveive inin AustraliaAustralia andand followfollow thethe boysboys away,away, oror youyou justjust Great to see centre Jerome Ropati make a quick return from his ankle injury. Ropati recovered well since being LLOVEOVE tthehe VVodafoneodafone WWarriorsarriors - thisthis isis forfor yyou!ou! IItt iiss nnowow forced off only 27 minutes into his return against Manly at Eden Park two weeks ago. eevenven eeasierasier ttoo showshow youryour supportsupport toto youryour teamteam withwith a WWarriorsarriors PProudroud MMembership.embership. FForor oonlynly $$4949 NNZZ ((plusplus $$1010 This Saturday night will be a very special night for Captain Simon Mannering - he will make his 150th NRL ppostage)ostage) yyouou ccanan bbee a CClublub MMemberember ffromrom aanywhere!nywhere! appearance and 50th as Captain of the Vodafone Warriors! jjoinoin nnow!ow! It was great to have Stacey in the Stacey Jones Lounge and great to celebrate two birthdays and have Peter FForor mmoreore iinformationnformation oonn CClublub MMembershipsemberships vvisitisit McVeigh “Mr Music” entertaining us and getting the Lounge really rocking. wwww.warriors.co.nzww.warriors.co.nz oorr ccallall 00800800 883939 883939 On the local league front some terrifi c news. The Appliance Shed has signed on for a third year as the naming rights sponsor of the Appliance Shed Fox Memorial Shield. You will have seen their ads on TV and in your papers fronted by comedian Mike King, and their contribution to PARRAMATTA the local game can’t be understated because this is a company that has helped put life back into the game at You have feel for Parramatta Eels grassroots level. And so too have Mandron Masonry, sponsors of the Phelan Shield. Great stuff guys. And take a coach Steve Kearney - the only team bow Maori TV, now in their fourth year as broadcasters of the Fox, and this year they will be screening two games not to have won a game so far. a weekend. On top of that Radio Watea are also involved, as they have been since 2008, and they have agreed I spoke to Steve early in the week to to live broadcast the game of the round for the fi rst nine weeks of the comp. TM give him my support as a mate and We talk a lot about the NRL, the Vodafone Warriors and the Kiwis, but without the grassroots level of the game, he is fi ne and sure he can fi x the problem with his none of that would be possible.