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Depressing times

K

Kipper

Guest
Well, Kipper's depressed as a NZ league fan, anyway. For those interested (ie. I realise mynegativity and mentioning the words "NZ league" has already lost at least 90% of you!), here are some of the reasons... 1) Henry Paul kicked it all off. I'm not blaming him for makinghis decision and don't harbour any anger or grudges towards him, even though he's turned his back on his words and to a certain extent his credibility. I'm just left with a nagging sort of emptiness about it all. 2) Then there's the media coverage of this significant loss to one of NZ's major sports. Imagine Christian Cullen going to club rugby in France, or Craig McMillan's diabetes forcing him to retire from cricket, or Bernice Mene retiring from netball. But Henry Paul gone forever from NZ league? Hardly anyone even blinks. Such is the life of the professional Kiwi league star I guess. Boldly seeking the big dollars in (usually) foreign lands, yet if you can't give all the fat blobs on the couch back in NZ some kind of false feeling of pride and worth that they can feed off vicariously, you're nothing to them. Just another mercenary from the state house game that has finally seen the light, albeit with the help of some "$" sunglasses. I was listening to Brenden Telfer on the drive back home to the Coast a few days ago, and the reaction of him and his talkback callers was seemingly one of salivating at the thought of what could be done if the NZRFU made it more attractive for Kiwi league stars to make the switch. "There's definitely a psychological war going on, and every switch puts a dent in the rival code's credibility. Perhaps it's time we, err, we meaning the NZRFU, took Australia's lead in making it more attractive for players to come across...". So much for sports journalists being the public's unbiased and agenda-free liaisons, huh? Unfortunately it seems it's bloody hard in this country to get anywhere near a microphone unless you're the "right" sort of person, and I don't mean qualifications or competence. Of course given the coverage of Henry Paul's decision by the rest of the media, perhaps I should just be glad Telfer was talking about it at all. 3) The Warriors. Their play-off hopes for 2001 look very doubtful now, but I guess that's not necessarily something toget too down about. I want to see us use these last 6 games with a firm focus on building towards 2002, which as I've said all along is when it all starts to really count in my book. I feel so sorry for Paleaaesina. Hestarted the season as an 18 year old part-timer holding down a scaffolding joband exits it with an NRL rookie's report card that reads "A+". He deserves to go down alongside the finds of 2001, along with Braith Anasta, Preston Campbell and co. Jeez, is anyone really going to miss Sailor and Rogers like some of the media tells us we will? (Don't worry Kipper.....deep breaths.....just remember that "you can’t steal fruit from you neighbour without the flowers blossoming on his tree first" analogy of yours....) 4)Unfortunately the other prospect for the Warriors' Rookie of the Year award, Motu Tony, is starting to cause some concern. Along with Stacey and Toopi, it's a case of where do we hide him in defence? I really worry about where this guy fits into the future plans of Warriors. Rightly or wrongly they've gone for PJ Marsh at stand-off, so does Tony look at becoming a dummy-half option? Is his defence and passing game good enough to play at hooker? He still seems far too promising to be reduced to specialist sub status. 5) Lastly, and probably worst of all, the crowd at Ericsson last Sunday. I was in Auckland during the week and was witness to the game's promotion, and let me tell you that each Aucklander withthe slightest interest in league may as well have kicked Peter Leitch in the teeth personally. The saddest thing is he's the type of guy who'd have preferred that to only attracting 8,000 people through the gate. Just remember what the Herald's league journalist said about Wellington though. Of course a town halfAuckland's size with a minimal number of league players getting 27,000 people to two games this year is a disgrace that should be enough to banish the region from the professional league map. If the Bulldogs are stupid enough to want to go down there and get their highest crowds of the season in the coming years, it's their business.... Cheers, Kipper
 
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AuckMel

Guest
Great post, Kipper. It's alwaysnice reading what someone has to say when it comes from the heart.

Keep ya chin up mate.
 
K

Kipper

Guest
Auckmel and Rasputin - thanks guys. I know a lot of league fans get sick of negativity, especially from people who claim to be "fans" of the game, but sometimes we have tell people how we're really feeling. It reminds me of that Of Mice and Men novel that I'm sure a few of us were made to read at school.You can't keep dreaming about how great it will be to "tend the rabbits",onlyfor someone to shoot you in thehead when you can't escape reality any longer.

I guessall of my first four points are fairly minor, but the Mad Butcher's (Peter Leitch's) promotional efforts falling flat really hit home. I know that he'd probably have taken that failure to pull a big crowd to the Knights match personally. In truth ithas much more to dowith the need for the Warriors to win enough games to be minor-premiers,rather than anythingthe Mad Butcher could do to pull thebandwagon jumpers through the gate. Themost annoying partis that even if the Warriors do become very successful inthe coming years,these "fans" are thesamesort that also become apathetic towards their side winning too much,as evident in some of the small crowds I'veread about the Auckland union sidegettingduring the 80's.
 
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AuckMel

Guest
No probs, Kipper.

Peter is the most dedicated Rugby League man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I hope to meet up with him when the Warriors are in Melbourne. He has almost been a lone hand when it comes to giving the promotion to the game it is in desperate need of in New Zealand. I'd tend to agree that he would take it personally, he is that sort of a man. I think the one thing we can be pretty certain of is, that the Warriors will always have that hard core support, you know the 7-10K that will turn up each week, and the rest will be pretty much made of fans of other sports who like it when a NZ team is in good form, and kicking a bit of Aussie butt. Sadly the Warriors probably picked the worst time to cave in too the Broncos, because I'm sure it would have affected the crowd for the Newcastle game. In saying that, they probably picked a good time to front up against Newcastle. They are the sort of performances that will get people to the games, and hopefully that will be the case against the Dogs. The Warriors need huge home town support in the next six weeks if they are to challenge for a top 8 spot. As you say though, Auckland sports fans are a fickle bunch, I don't think it's so much about winning all the time, but the way in which they play the game. That's why I think (hope) the turnout will be much better on saturday night.

Interesting you mention the Auckland Union team of the 80's, It was a funny old time when the Auckland Union side completely dominated not only the local scene, but they were practically unbeatable against all opposition. I think almost every man, woman and child outside of Auckland dispised them. They were a great team though, and probably the best team I have ever witnessed in both the Rugby codes. But you are right, I think people just got sick of them winning all the time, and by the end of their tenure the Auckland public had sadly deserted them badly. I don't think that will happen to the Warriors though, purely because they play Australians each week, and Kiwi's love to beat an Aussie in anything. I think that works in the reverse as well.
 
W

Warrior

Guest
Gee Kips, I can't remember the last time I've ever wanted to go back on Prozac again.There really has been some dark days. I guess it's the fact the Warriors didn't win 2 times in a row before they lost 2 times in a row. With them going off the cycle, they've really jolted me out of place, I'm finding it hard to get through till tomorrow night.

Now we ended Parra's winning run, but can we end the Doggies' one. The side nearly got the 2 points last week and hopefully we'll scrape through this time.

On Henry Paul. This s.o.b. has really disappointed me. I'm glad I didn't go into town after the test. Cos' if I had of seen him, I would have taken a swing at him, and Sailor as well. I probably would have ended up half dead in a back alley but it would have been worth it.

Here is some one who seemed so passionate about League, so in love with the sport. Now that he has defected, it's like someone's taken you on this big, passionate drive then thrown you out and reversed over you then pulled the hand brake up and just sat there rarking up the tyres on your head.
 
S

SpaceMonkey

Guest
Last sunday was only the second match I've missed at Ericcson this year but damn, you guys have certainly made me feel guilty!! I decided not to go through a combination of hangover, bad mood due to girl problems, no-one to go with and mate with sky TV. Rest assured though I'll be there to cheer on the boys tomorrow night though, and I'd say there will be at least 10,000 others.
 
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imported_kier

Juniors
Messages
325
Kipper

Can you remember at the start of the season and there were few who tipped the Warriors beyond 13th place?

Anyone even suggesting they had a chance at the playoffs would have been ridiculed.

I think everyone is p*ssed of with soem aspects of RL at the moment - but it is STILL, in many ways, better than it would have been if the Warriors season had gone the way most had predicted!

I'm still confident that in the not too distant future I'll have the opportunity of sitting in a crowded Erricson watching the Warriors fighting for a place near the top of the NRL.

 
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AuckMel

Guest
Good points, kier. I know many who picked them for the spoon.That they are even in a position to be in with a big chance of a play-off spot is a credit to all involved at the club.

I'd have hate to of thought how bad the crowds would have been if the Warriors had of failed as badly as some had said they would.

And yes, it's only a matter of time.


 
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