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http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/sport/2733140/Lose-the-shark-fin-Lewis-says-Cleary
Lose the shark fin Lewis, says Cleary
BY AARON LAWTON - Sunday News
Last updated 05:00 09/08/2009
WAS it a rooster's comb, some sort of strange gang sign, simply a rush of blood to the head or, D, none of the above?
It was, in case you hadn't guessed, D, or, to be more precise, a shark fin a tribute to a merry band of touch players watching the game 1300 miles away on a cold winter's night in Christchurch.
It was also the first and last time the "shark fin" will make a public appearance.
Last Saturday night against the Penrith Panthers, Warriors success story Lewis Brown crossed the line in the 51st minute to give his side a seemingly unassailable 30-6 lead.
Seconds after dotting down, the stocky Cantabrian got to his feet and in the act of celebrating raised his hand to his head, fingers pointing skyward, and looked at the camera.
It was a throwback to the days of former Warriors winger Henry Fa'afili, whose post-try celebrations remember the "coconut" or "ghetto blaster?" were almost as legendary as his feats in the air.
The celebration did not go down quite so well in the coach's box and Ivan Cleary, who in the next 40 minutes watched his side limp to an unlikely draw, let Brown know all about it afterwards, ending the shark fin's brief career.
"I have a touch team down in Christchurch who I used to play for in my younger days and they are called the Sharks," said Brown yesterday, explaining the celebration.
"The hand sign was for the boys.
"I got told off a bit by Ivan and he told me to put it away.
"I was just trying to pay my respect to the boys back home and I said to them if I ever scored a try I'd pull out the shark fin.
"We were 30-6 up so I thought it was as good a time as ever to pull the shark fin.
"As you saw, that was a turning point in the game and it was the last points we actually scored. I'll be putting it away for the rest of my career now."
Brown said the post-try celebration had the desired effect and a couple of texts from mates in Christchurch were on his phone when he trudged off the paddock after the game.
"All the boys text me after the game and they were proud as," said Brown. "But Ivan said to me I needed to concentrate on other areas in my game rather than the celebration.
"I wouldn't call myself Henry Fa'afili and I think you've seen the last try celebration from me."
The spotlight will be on Brown for another reason today when the Warriors host the Gold Coast Titans at Mt Smart Stadium.
With regular hooker Ian Henderson dropped, the former Tigers reserve-grader, who was signed over a coffee at a Sydney cafe last year, will get his first start in the No 9 jersey.
"In the back of my mind, when Ivan first told me I was going to get a run at hooker there was a sense of shock there," Brown said. "It's been a long time since I played there.
"There's going to be a little bit more pressure on me but I'm a young fella and as a young fella you think you're invincible."
When the Warriors last played at home, they lost 29-4 to the Dragons. And so disappointing was the performance, screeds of fans began leaving before fulltime, bringing back memories of the "Mt Smart Shuffle". Brown admits it was tough to watch.
"I didn't play in that Dragons game but it is disappointing to see the crowd start leaving before fulltime," he said. "In rugby league you have your highs and lows and against the Dragons it was tough seeing people walk out.
"At the same time, the loyal fans still stuck around and even when we have a bad game, they are always there to clap us off.
"They stick around and they don't bugger off.
"I have a massive amount of respect for them and they are the people we need to be playing for this weekend."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/sport/2733180/Wheres-the-mongrel-Wendell-asks-Warriors
Where's the mongrel, Wendell asks Warriors
By AARON LAWTON - Sunday News
Last updated 05:00 09/08/2009
javascript:alterStoryTextSize();
Photo: Photosport
Wendell Sailor against the Warriors last month.
EXCLUSIVE: THE Warriors have lost their aura.
That's the stunning verdict from one of rugby league's greats Wendell "Dell" Sailor who in today's Sunday News has admitted the once-feared club's forward pack is lacking mongrel.
Dragons cult hero Sailor has revealed his surprise at how flimsy the Warriors were in the middle of the park when St George came to town several weeks ago.
The Dragons ended up winning that match at Mt Smart Stadium 29-4 and Sailor says his body wasn't as bruised as usual after the contest.
"I'll be honest, I'm not going to say they've lost it totally because they nearly beat us down in Wollongong," Sailor in an exclusive interview with Sunday News said.
"But over there in New Zealand, it's usually a real hard game on your body and last time it wasn't as hard.
"I think they've lost their aggression through the middle. It wasn't as ruthless as the Warriors are usually through the middle.
"Now (coach) Ivan Cleary is a guy I've got a lot of time for and if I was him, I'd be looking to get guys like Monty Betham and Ruben Wiki involved.
"They're the guys you need involved to foster the culture at that football club.You need that toughness back in that Warriors pack and I'm talking about blokes who don't talk tough. I'm talking about blokes who play tough."
Sailor, who returned to the NRL midway through the 2008 season after a two-year ban for testing positive for cocaine, believes one way the Warriors could add some starch to their pack would be by luring former skipper Monty Betham, 31, out of retirement.
"`The Warriors have got Steven Price and guys like that who play well but Monty Betham, well I see him as a similar player to Jeremy Smith for us here at the Dragons.
"You want to play with those guys. Probably the worst mistake I made in my league career was in 2000, before I went to union, I pushed Monty Betham and gave him a bit of a sledge.
"The boys came up to me straight away and they were saying `Are you serious?' If he had thrown a couple of punches at me, I'm pretty sure I would have been sleeping."
Since Ruben Wiki's retirement last year, Sailor says the Warriors have lacked Polynesian leadership.
"Monty is one of those guys you would want to play beside and I'm not being racist here but he would be a great leader for the young Polynesian boys coming through."
If Betham does want to launch a comeback, he won't lack the support of his potential Warriors team-mates. Lance Hohaia, who played four seasons with him at the Warriors, welcomed the prospect.
"I definitely think Monty would still have the legs and the drive to play in the NRL," Hohaia told Sunday News. "I played alongside him earlier in my career and he's definitely the sort of player you want to be in the trenches with."
While Betham is a "defensive" back-rower and the Warriors don't lack in that position, his leadership and aggressive on-field persona would be just what the club needs to get back on track next year.
If the Warriors aren't interested in signing Betham to play, he says he would still love to get involved as a forwards coach.
"Look across the ditch at some of the other teams in the NRL and their forward packs have been getting help from former players," said Betham. "Souths have been using Gorden Tallis this year and I think I could help the Warriors' forwards quite immensely, really.
"First things first, I'd look to address their tackle technique and really emphasise the importance of the first shoulder contact. That was a crucial area of focus in the Warriors teams I was part of."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Wendell confirms what most have been saying, the forwards are soft and do not intimidate anybody any more
But the main article for me there is the Brown one. It shows what Cleary has done/is doing to this side, taking all the flair out of them, and turning them into a boring, predictable side. What is wrong with a young bloke, who has been 1 of the best for 2 months, showing some emotion when he scores a try ? Wayne Bennett certainly has no issue with Soward high fiving the mascot, or Wendell doing the moonwalk and playing up to the cameras.
Lose the shark fin Lewis, says Cleary
BY AARON LAWTON - Sunday News
Last updated 05:00 09/08/2009
WAS it a rooster's comb, some sort of strange gang sign, simply a rush of blood to the head or, D, none of the above?
It was, in case you hadn't guessed, D, or, to be more precise, a shark fin a tribute to a merry band of touch players watching the game 1300 miles away on a cold winter's night in Christchurch.
It was also the first and last time the "shark fin" will make a public appearance.
Last Saturday night against the Penrith Panthers, Warriors success story Lewis Brown crossed the line in the 51st minute to give his side a seemingly unassailable 30-6 lead.
Seconds after dotting down, the stocky Cantabrian got to his feet and in the act of celebrating raised his hand to his head, fingers pointing skyward, and looked at the camera.
It was a throwback to the days of former Warriors winger Henry Fa'afili, whose post-try celebrations remember the "coconut" or "ghetto blaster?" were almost as legendary as his feats in the air.
The celebration did not go down quite so well in the coach's box and Ivan Cleary, who in the next 40 minutes watched his side limp to an unlikely draw, let Brown know all about it afterwards, ending the shark fin's brief career.
"I have a touch team down in Christchurch who I used to play for in my younger days and they are called the Sharks," said Brown yesterday, explaining the celebration.
"The hand sign was for the boys.
"I got told off a bit by Ivan and he told me to put it away.
"I was just trying to pay my respect to the boys back home and I said to them if I ever scored a try I'd pull out the shark fin.
"We were 30-6 up so I thought it was as good a time as ever to pull the shark fin.
"As you saw, that was a turning point in the game and it was the last points we actually scored. I'll be putting it away for the rest of my career now."
Brown said the post-try celebration had the desired effect and a couple of texts from mates in Christchurch were on his phone when he trudged off the paddock after the game.
"All the boys text me after the game and they were proud as," said Brown. "But Ivan said to me I needed to concentrate on other areas in my game rather than the celebration.
"I wouldn't call myself Henry Fa'afili and I think you've seen the last try celebration from me."
The spotlight will be on Brown for another reason today when the Warriors host the Gold Coast Titans at Mt Smart Stadium.
With regular hooker Ian Henderson dropped, the former Tigers reserve-grader, who was signed over a coffee at a Sydney cafe last year, will get his first start in the No 9 jersey.
"In the back of my mind, when Ivan first told me I was going to get a run at hooker there was a sense of shock there," Brown said. "It's been a long time since I played there.
"There's going to be a little bit more pressure on me but I'm a young fella and as a young fella you think you're invincible."
When the Warriors last played at home, they lost 29-4 to the Dragons. And so disappointing was the performance, screeds of fans began leaving before fulltime, bringing back memories of the "Mt Smart Shuffle". Brown admits it was tough to watch.
"I didn't play in that Dragons game but it is disappointing to see the crowd start leaving before fulltime," he said. "In rugby league you have your highs and lows and against the Dragons it was tough seeing people walk out.
"At the same time, the loyal fans still stuck around and even when we have a bad game, they are always there to clap us off.
"They stick around and they don't bugger off.
"I have a massive amount of respect for them and they are the people we need to be playing for this weekend."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/sport/2733180/Wheres-the-mongrel-Wendell-asks-Warriors
Where's the mongrel, Wendell asks Warriors
By AARON LAWTON - Sunday News
Last updated 05:00 09/08/2009
javascript:alterStoryTextSize();
Photo: Photosport
Wendell Sailor against the Warriors last month.
EXCLUSIVE: THE Warriors have lost their aura.
That's the stunning verdict from one of rugby league's greats Wendell "Dell" Sailor who in today's Sunday News has admitted the once-feared club's forward pack is lacking mongrel.
Dragons cult hero Sailor has revealed his surprise at how flimsy the Warriors were in the middle of the park when St George came to town several weeks ago.
The Dragons ended up winning that match at Mt Smart Stadium 29-4 and Sailor says his body wasn't as bruised as usual after the contest.
"I'll be honest, I'm not going to say they've lost it totally because they nearly beat us down in Wollongong," Sailor in an exclusive interview with Sunday News said.
"But over there in New Zealand, it's usually a real hard game on your body and last time it wasn't as hard.
"I think they've lost their aggression through the middle. It wasn't as ruthless as the Warriors are usually through the middle.
"Now (coach) Ivan Cleary is a guy I've got a lot of time for and if I was him, I'd be looking to get guys like Monty Betham and Ruben Wiki involved.
"They're the guys you need involved to foster the culture at that football club.You need that toughness back in that Warriors pack and I'm talking about blokes who don't talk tough. I'm talking about blokes who play tough."
Sailor, who returned to the NRL midway through the 2008 season after a two-year ban for testing positive for cocaine, believes one way the Warriors could add some starch to their pack would be by luring former skipper Monty Betham, 31, out of retirement.
"`The Warriors have got Steven Price and guys like that who play well but Monty Betham, well I see him as a similar player to Jeremy Smith for us here at the Dragons.
"You want to play with those guys. Probably the worst mistake I made in my league career was in 2000, before I went to union, I pushed Monty Betham and gave him a bit of a sledge.
"The boys came up to me straight away and they were saying `Are you serious?' If he had thrown a couple of punches at me, I'm pretty sure I would have been sleeping."
Since Ruben Wiki's retirement last year, Sailor says the Warriors have lacked Polynesian leadership.
"Monty is one of those guys you would want to play beside and I'm not being racist here but he would be a great leader for the young Polynesian boys coming through."
If Betham does want to launch a comeback, he won't lack the support of his potential Warriors team-mates. Lance Hohaia, who played four seasons with him at the Warriors, welcomed the prospect.
"I definitely think Monty would still have the legs and the drive to play in the NRL," Hohaia told Sunday News. "I played alongside him earlier in my career and he's definitely the sort of player you want to be in the trenches with."
While Betham is a "defensive" back-rower and the Warriors don't lack in that position, his leadership and aggressive on-field persona would be just what the club needs to get back on track next year.
If the Warriors aren't interested in signing Betham to play, he says he would still love to get involved as a forwards coach.
"Look across the ditch at some of the other teams in the NRL and their forward packs have been getting help from former players," said Betham. "Souths have been using Gorden Tallis this year and I think I could help the Warriors' forwards quite immensely, really.
"First things first, I'd look to address their tackle technique and really emphasise the importance of the first shoulder contact. That was a crucial area of focus in the Warriors teams I was part of."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Wendell confirms what most have been saying, the forwards are soft and do not intimidate anybody any more
But the main article for me there is the Brown one. It shows what Cleary has done/is doing to this side, taking all the flair out of them, and turning them into a boring, predictable side. What is wrong with a young bloke, who has been 1 of the best for 2 months, showing some emotion when he scores a try ? Wayne Bennett certainly has no issue with Soward high fiving the mascot, or Wendell doing the moonwalk and playing up to the cameras.
