VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS NAMED FOR HISTORIC NYC CLASH AGAINST MELBOURNE
Vodafone Junior Warriors coach Tony Iro has been able to call on numerous current or former Junior Kiwis in naming the club’s side for Monday night’s debut match against Melbourne in the National Youth Competition.
Also included are seven players who turned out for the Vodafone Auckland Lions in last year’s New South Wales Premier League.
Boosting the strength of the side is 19-year-old Sonny Fai from the club’s NRL squad.
The second rower played all but one of the Auckland Lions’ 22 premier league games last year, finishing with 14 tries.
Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary has made it clear that Fai will play NRL football this year but he also remains eligible for the Vodafone Junior Warriors this season (he turns 20 on March 20).
Fai has been in the Junior Kiwis in each of the last four years and was in the side that shocked the Junior Kangaroos in Wellington last year.
Iro said he found it exceptionally difficult to settle on the first team of the year.
“We’ve had 30-plus players who have worked so hard throughout the off-season in a bid to win selection in this side,” he said.
“They’ve all put in so much effort and have come a long way in four months. It made it so hard to sort out a final 17 and you have to feel sorry for some of the players who missed out.
“We’ve prepared as well as we could have hoped. We had four trials and won them all, most importantly the final one against Brisbane which gave us a clearer idea of what we are going to face in this competition. It’s going to be exceptionally demanding and intense.
“We have to strive to come up to the level of the other clubs and aim to be consistent week in, week out.”
Apart from Fai, the other current or past Junior Kiwis named are fullback Kevin Locke, winger Meli Koliavu, standoff Isaac John, halfback Jody Henry, props Russell Packer and Leeson Ah Mau, second rower Scott Jones, loose forward and captain Daniel O’Regan and interchange players Alehana Mara and Eddy Purcell. There would have been another to add to the list but big Wellington second rower Ben Matulino was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Locke, centre Rusty Bristow, John, Packer, Ah Mau, Fai and Jones all played for the Auckland Lions in the NSW Premier League last season.
Last night Iro, team manager Dean Bell, the rest of the team’s football staff and every player in the NYC squad attended the official launch of the Vodafone Junior Warriors last night. There to join them at the alcohol-free event were families and partners plus Vodafone Warriors Brent Tate, Micheal Luck, Simon Mannering, Sam Rapira and Patrick Ah Van. Rapira and Ah Van both have brothers who are in the NYC squad.
The dinner was highlighted by speeches from Bell and Iro as well as Vodafone Warriors captain Steve Price, club legend Stacey Jones and Vodafone Warriors executive director of football John Hart. They all had strong messages for the players about the commitment needed if they want to succeed in graduating to the NRL level.
The NYC team, which already had major sponsors secured in Vodafone, Puma, Samsung and Allied Work Force, gained another backer just an hour before the dinner when Youthtown signed as the team’s front of the shorts sponsor.
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MELBOURNE STORM
Telstra Dome, Melbourne
5.00pm, Monday, March 17, 2008
VODAFONE JUNIOR WARRIORS
1
KEVIN LOCKE
2
MELI KOLIAVU
3
RUSTY BRISTOW
4
KURT KARA
5
RAY WALLACE
6
ISAAC JOHN
7
JODY HENRY
8
RUSSELL PACKER
9
JASON TOU
10
LEESON AH MAU
11
SONNY FAI
12
SCOTT JONES
13
DANIEL O’REGAN (c)
Interchange:
14
ALEHANA MARA
15
EDDY PURCELL
16
SIONE LOUSI
17
ELIJAH TAYLOR
COACH: TONY IRO
