edabomb of Locksley said:
nqboy said:
jamesgould said:
Why on earth this team isn't named WELLINGTON and wearing black and gold I will never know. Southern doesn't conjour up images of Wellington ... in fact, call me a halfwit, but hearing the name you would assume the team played in the ... oh, I dunno ... SOUTH ISLAND?!
James.
Okay, you're a halfwit.
Given the Auckland/non-Auckland rivalry in NZ which seems to be about as fierce as the one btw the mighty maroons and the dirty, slimy, low-down, weasely cockroaches, I think it's a marketing masterstroke. With one stroke of the pen, you unite virtually the rest of NZ, playing in the capital with a few games in the south island and drawing on the whole area. Hearing the name Southern, I would assume the team played in the south. Funnily enough, that's what they intend. I think it's a great tag.
Whats in a name?? I'd hardly say the changing of Auckland Warriors to New Zealand Warriors has unlocked a huge fan base. In fact I find it ridiculous they call themselves New Zealand but only ever play home games in Auckland.Why would I wanna be associated by region with a team who never wants to play in our large stadium down here.
Southern does make you think of a South Island side, but I have no great issue with the name....
Where do "They" ever call themselves the New Zealand Warriors?
The title on the license refers to the Vodafone Warriors or "The" Warriors. The "New Zealand Warriors" was a bit of a campaign early on to try and grab support from rural New Zealand, outside of Auckland. That mini-marketing campaign was grabbed by a lot of Australian sports media outlets and they've stuck to it.
If you refer back to the Warriors site, or even the official NRL site, they are the Warriors. Not the New Zealand Warriors.
I've never lived in Auckland in my life, but like many, there's no other team for me other than the Warriors. Its not an Auckland thing whatsover. Its a building of league strength in New Zealand thing, and the fact its mainly based in the most passionate/financially strong/population strong area of New Zealand is a smart thing. Newcastle has fans outside of Newcastle, St George don't play EVERYWHERE in Saint George, North Queensland play the majority of their games at Townsville but it doesn't stop places like Cairns, Sarina, Mackay etc getting in behind the Cowboys.
For most New Zealanders, Southern does not necessarily mean the South Island. And in the context of rugby league which has a major stronghold in Auckland, Wellington would be thought of as Southern New Zealand.
