No haka disrespect, just joking
By Willie Mason
Australia star
October 16, 2006
I SUPPOSE everyone wants to know why I swore during the haka before Saturday's Test match in Auckland. I'll tell you why and it has nothing to do with disrespecting New Zealand.
I was actually standing next to Justin Hodges during the haka and I said to him, "Isn't Brent Webb an Aborigine? Look at him. Get f---ed".
It was just funny seeing an Aborigine trying to lead the haka. I think he might have been making the words up. We were just having a joke around together to take the seriousness off the whole thing and use it to pump our boys up.
I certainly wasn't disrespecting the haka or the Maori culture because I think it's one of the highlights of both international rugby league and rugby union matches. I look forward to the Kiwis doing the haka.
It's something that they get really pumped up and emotional on and they really get fired up on it.
It makes us get pumped up as well.
But seriously, what do they expect us to do? Bloody crawl into a hole while they're doing it? We've got to do something. That's why we all stood there to show them how united and tight that we are as a team.
Once again it was just beautiful timing from the television cameras to shoot right on my mouth while I was saying it. I apologise for swearing but it was just a bit of a joke to take the emotion out of how intense they were in the haka.
As for David Kidwell's cheap shot on me, I expect nothing less from him. I didn't even see the bloke coming. I remember running at him a few times but I don't think he hit me as hard as that because they were front on.
The only way he seems to put a good shot on players is if he blindsides people. If he wants to play those games, I don't mind. The thing is, I don't really get a chance to tackle him because he doesn't run in the middle that much.
He usually runs at Darren Lockyer or one of our centres. If he wants to play that way, I might have to ask coach Ricky Stuart to play me in the centres as well.
I'd love to get square with him in the next Test in Melbourne on Saturday night but I'm not going to go out of my way to give a penalty away or do a cheap shot or hurt the bloke intentionally. But I'll certainly be looking for him.
I should be fine to play, despite the nasty bruise under my right eye and concerns over a fractured cheekbone. I'm not looking too good but I'm going to get scans on it today. It's a little bit sore but it looks worse than it is. Our team doctor checked it and pressed all the right places and there didn't seem to be too much pain. It should be all clear and, even if there is a little fracture, that's not going to stop me from playing. It's not going to kill me.
It was a pretty fiery Test and I wasn't impressed by the Kiwis pushing blokes when they are already over the touchline. They're already out, there's no need to push them, it's just being stupid.
If a player goes over and hits a spectator or cuts his knee or something like that, it's stupid. They need to cut that out.
The Kiwis obviously thought we had a young team they could push around but I think this Australian side is probably one of the most balanced that I've played in with. It has youth and experience.
There's has been a changing of the guard, I suppose. We were going through the list the other day with Danny Buderus, Anthony Minichiello, Craig Fitzgibbon, Andrew Johns, Ben Kennedy, and Matt Cooper missing.
There are about 10 blokes who have toured in the past two or three years who are not playing with us at the moment.
We have had to gel really quickly and I think Ricky has done a great job getting us together. We had a really intense week last week but the sessions weren't that long. It was bang, bang and we were finished.
As for getting together off the field I think we had just one beer, because we were bonding in different ways with some of our training and activities out of football.
In previous camps it takes a while to get to know everyone but all the young guys such as Greg Inglis, Sam Thaiday, Karmichael Hunt and Justin Hodges get along well with everyone. It's surprising how quickly we have gelled and how tight we are as a group.
Taking all the drama out of the contest, it was a great game and a great win by us. It was everything a Test match should be - from what I can remember anyway. I watched it again yesterday morning because I can hardly remember the game.
Our boys played really well, there wasn't a bad player on the field. We showed a lot of character, especially coming back after they scored the opening try early in the match.
We didn't get rattled and we were not intimidated by them. We just stuck to our game plan and we knew that at the back end of each half the game would open up. That was Ricky's plan and it worked.
And we know as a forward pack we just have to win the ruck and go forward and the backline will take care of itself. They're in a league of their own. As was shown on Saturday night by Mark Gasnier, Inglis, Justin Hodges, Darren Lockyer and Johnathan Thurston, they can turn something out of nothing. They're unbelievable.
What's even better for us is this was our first hitout and we'll only get better as the tournament progresses.
As a team, we've got a lot of pride and Ricky has been constantly talking about about putting Australia back on top and suggesting when you get that Australian jersey you make it the pinnacle of your career instead of State of Origin and all that kind of stuff.
He really wants us to kick on and we've got the opportunity now to dominate the Tri-Nations leading into the World Cup in 2008. Because at the moment New Zealand is still No.1 because of its Tri-Nations win last year.
We know it won't be a cakewalk. The Kiwis will get better because they'll get a few guys back from England. They're always strong and they're always physical so we've got to watch them.
And they taught us a lesson last year in intensity and how much pride they have in their country and their jersey. I think we've taken a leaf out of their book and are trying to do the same thing this year.
Bearing that in mind, we know things will not get any easier for us next week.
The Kiwis will definitely be looking for revenge and that's why it's such a good feeling winning in New Zealand because their home crowd is such a big advantage for them.
To beat them on their home turf is something we haven't done for a quite a while and we'll take a lot of confidence from that.
It will be good having a home game next week and, hopefully, the Melbourne people will come out to support us.
It's a very sporting town, which was shown this season when they turned out in droves to watch the State of Origin decider. Hopefully, with the AFL finished, they'll come out again to get behind us.
As for the Kiwi threats of retribution next week if I swear during the haka again, I've got a simple solution: put Brent Webb up the back where I can't see him.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,20586590-23214,00.html
