Crowd spurs Warriors on to thrash Broncos

WITH THE 19TH WARRIOR THE MAD BUTCHER

OPINION: Give yourself a big pat on the back if you were one of the more than 21,000 people who turned up to cheer on the Vodafone Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium on Friday night.

You will have been part of a great night and I certainly believe the big and vocal crowd played a huge part in the boys thrashing the Brisbane Broncos 36-4 to guarantee a place in the top eight.

I was desperate for a big crowd to turn up and you did just that.

The atmosphere was amazing – in the corporate areas, the stands and especially in the Mad Butcher Club where I was delighted to host The King, Wally Lewis, before the game. What a good bloke he is, as is rugby legend Smokin' Joe Stanley who it was a pleasure to host.

And the Little General Stacey Jones – who would end up celebrating his own victory over the weekend – was also there.

But there's no doubt the night belonged to the players. I thought they were superb and Lance Hohaia scored one of the best tries I have seen on the league field, while Ben Matulino and Russell Packer were great.

The win has guaranteed us a place in finals footy, a great achievement when so many were writing us off before a game had even been played this season.

We have an outside chance of grabbing a home semifinal if some results fall our way so I know I will be cheering the boys on when they play the Eels this Saturday.

While the Eels have not been travelling well in the last couple of weeks I suspect that will turn around this weekend as they farewell the longest-serving captain in the NRL, Nathan Cayless – and if there is a better bloke around I'd like to meet him.

When I called to tell him I was coming over to support the boys and to be there for his last game, he said he would see if he couldn't jack me up with some corporate hospitality.

That's the mark of the man. He is always thinking of others and in all the time I have known him, I have only ever been impressed.

On the Thursday night I'm catching up with our former coach and Eels coach Daniel Anderson for dinner at his house and he is taking me out again on Friday to meet who we called the "Sydney Mafia", the group who used to look after us when Daniel took the Warriors to Sydney, running the water, managing our changing rooms and gear, and doing all sorts of other tasks.

It was a huge week for me. I was knighted last Wednesday at Government House then had a terrific night at the Ellerslie Events Centre to celebrate with friends and family, and the Vodafone Warriors' win capped it off. I thought it couldn't get much better.

But it did when Stacey's Pt Chevalier Pirates won the Phelan Shield grand final 37-12 over the Otara Scorpions. The two clubs have duelled away all year.

In the Fox Memorial Trophy finals the Otahuhu Leopards beat Mt Albert 22-18 and in the Sharman Cup East Coast Bay's Barracudas had too much for Mt Roskill, winning 34-4.

Local league is what it's about and I was delighted with Maori TV airing the documentary 100 Years of Auckland Rugby League on Saturday night. What a great show it was.

The Mt Albert loss will have upset former Kiwis coach Brian "Bluey" McClennan, who is a true blue Lions fan but it won't have hurt him as much as his Leeds side getting a dusting up in the Challenge Cup final at the hands of Warrington's Wolves 30-6. I have talked to him and he is absolutely gutted. But fair play to the Wolves, it is back-to-back wins and it will be another highlight for a couple of our old boys because both Vinnie and Louis Anderson are part of the Warrington set-up.

I also need to thank everyone who made it to Mt Smart early to support the Vodafone Junior Warriors too. Their 42-12 demolition job on the Broncos was a joy to watch because they'd beaten us 30-18 in round three this year.

It was our 15th win of the season and I don't think we are finished yet!

- © Fairfax NZ News