- 2009 New Zealand Warriors season
-
2009 New Zealand Warriors League 14th NRL 2009 record 7-2-14 Points for 377 Points against 515 Team information CEO Wayne Scurrah Coach Ivan Cleary Assistant Coach John Ackland Captain Steve Price Alternate captains Michael Luck Ground Mt Smart Stadium Average attendance 15,486 Top scorers Tries Manu Vatuvei (13) Goals Kevin Locke (22) Points Kevin Locke (60) < 2008 2010 > The 2009 New Zealand Warriors season was the 15th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership and finished 14th (out of 16). The coach of the Warriors was Ivan Cleary while Steve Price was the team's captain.
Contents
Milestones
- 14 March - Round One: Steve Price played in his 300th National Rugby League game.
- 14 March - Round One: Four players made their debuts for the Warriors; Denan Kemp, Joel Moon, Jacob Lillyman & Leeson Ah Mau. Ah Mau also made his first grade debut.
- 22 March - Round Two: Two players made their debuts for the Warriors; Jesse Royal & Ukuma Ta'ai. Ta'ai also made his first grade debut.
- 5 April - Round Four: Game dedicated to the memory of Sonny Fai, the Warriors lose to the South Sydney Rabbitohs 22-16.
- 5 April - Round Four: Nathan Fien played in his 100th game for the Warriors.
- 5 April - Round Four: Daniel O'Regan made his first grade debut, becoming Warrior #150.
- 3 May - Round Eight: Lewis Brown made his first grade debut.
- 17 May - Round Ten: Jerome Ropati played in his 100th National Rugby League game and 100th game for the club.
- 31 May - Round Twelve: Two players made their first grade debuts; Kevin Locke and Aaron Heremaia.
- 19 July - Round Nineteen: Isaac John made his first grade debut.
- 31 July - Round Twenty One: Evarn Tuimavave played in his 100th National Rugby League game and 100th game for the club. It was also Tuimavave's first game of the season.
- 15 August - Round Twenty Three: Siuatonga Likiliki made his first grade debut.
- 5 September - Round Twenty Six: Simon Mannering played in his 100th National Rugby League game and 100th game for the club.
- 5 September - Round Twenty Six: Stacey Jones played in his last game for the club, the Warriors lost to the Melbourne Storm 30-0.
Jersey and Sponsors
The Warriors used a new jersey design in 2009, produced by Canterbury of New Zealand. Previously Puma AG had supplied the Warriors with apparel. The jerseys were unveiled on 25 February.[1] The Main jersey retained the Black & White colours of the previous jersey, with a reversed scheme for the away jersey. The Warriors used a Blue jersey for the "Heritage round" in Round 10, to represent the Auckland. The Heritage jersey was also worn in Round 12, to celebrate the centenary of the Auckland Rugby League, and in Rounds 24 and 25.
Vodafone New Zealand was again the naming rights sponsor of the Warriors in 2009. Lion Red was the sleeve sponsor. Suzuki and HiFX were featured on the shorts while Loadlift was on the back of the jersey. Other major sponsors included ZM and Flava.
Fixtures
See also: List of New Zealand Warriors resultsThe Warriors used Mt Smart Stadium as their home ground in 2009, their only home ground since they entered the competition in 1995.
Trial Matches
Date Round Opponent Venue Result Score Tries Goals Attendance Report 12 February Trial 1 
Melbourne StormWaikato Stadium, Hamilton Win 24 - 12 McKinnon, Kirk, O'Regan, Vatuvei Kemp (3), Ah Van 10,800 [1] 22 February Trial 2 
North Queensland CowboysNorth Harbour Stadium, Auckland Win 32 - 28 Ah Van, Moon, Hohaia,
Solomona, Brown, VatuveiKemp (2), Moon (2) 16,500 [2] 28 February Trial 3 
Gold Coast TitansOakes Oval, Lismore Win 34 - 12 Kemp (2), McKinnon (2), Tate, Rapira, Moon Kemp (2), Moon 5,117 [3] Regular Season
Date Round Opponent Venue Result Score Tries Goals Attendance Report 14 March Round 1 
Parramatta EelsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Win 26 - 18 Hohaia (2), Moon, Packer Kemp (5) 20,102[2] [4] 22 March Round 2 
Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesBrookvale Oval, Sydney Win 26 - 24 Tate (2), Vatuvei, Royal,
RopatiKemp (3) 16,307 [5] 28 March Round 3 
Brisbane BroncosMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 10 - 26 Mannering, Ta'ai Kemp (1) 24,350 [6] 5 April Round 4 
South Sydney RabbitohsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 16 - 22 Kirk, Luck, McKinnon Kemp (2) 19,386 [7] 12 April Round 5 
Newcastle KnightsEnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle Loss 22 - 24 McKinnon, Fien, Packer,
Ah VanKemp (3) 16,307 [8] 19 April Round 6 
Sydney RoostersMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Win (G.P.) 17 - 16 Jones, Ropati, Vatuvei Kemp (2), Jones (FG) 16,309 [9] 25 April Round 7 Melbourne StormOlympic Park Stadium, Melbourne Draw (G.P.) 14 - 14 Vatuvei (2), Ah Van Kemp (1) 15,200 [10] 3 May Round 8 
St George Illawarra DragonsWIN Stadium, Wollongong Loss 11 - 12 Ah Van, Ropati Ah Van (1), Jones (FG) 14,562 [11] Round 9 Bye - 17 May Round 10 North Queensland CowboysMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 12 - 34 Fien, Kemp Kemp (2) 16,345 [12] 24 May Round 11 
Canberra RaidersCanberra Stadium, Canberra Loss 12 - 38 Price, Mannering Kemp (2) 8,383 [13] 31 May Round 12 
Wests TigersMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Win 14 - 0 Locke (2), McKinnon Locke (1) 15,365 [14] 7 June Round 13 
Cronulla SharksToyota Stadium, Sydney Loss 10 - 18 Vatuvei, Brown Locke (1) 14,082 [15] 13 June Round 14 Newcastle KnightsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Win 13 - 0 Hohaia, Locke Locke (2), Hohaia (FG) 14,255 [16] Round 15 Bye - 27 June Round 16 Gold Coast TitansSkilled Park, Robina Loss 12 - 28 Hohaia, Brown Locke (2) 20,031 [17] 3 July Round 17 Brisbane BroncosSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane Loss 14 - 28 Price (2) Locke (3) 32,456 [18] 12 July Round 18 
BulldogsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 14 - 18 Vatuvei, Locke, Packer Locke (1) 11,802 [19] 19 July Round 19 Sydney RoostersSydney Football Stadium, Sydney Win 30 - 24 Vatuvei (2), Ah Van,
Mannering, JonesJones (3) 8,021 [20] 26 July Round 20 St George Illawarra DragonsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 4 - 29 Moon 13,507 [21] 1 August Round 21 
Penrith PanthersCUA Stadium, Sydney Draw (G.P.) 32 - 32 Moon (4), Brown Locke (6) 12,677 [22] 9 August Round 22 Gold Coast TitansMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Lost 10 - 30 Vatuvei (2) Locke (1) 10,205 [23] 15 August Round 23 Parramatta EelsParramatta Stadium, Sydney Lost 4 - 40 Vatuvei 12,627 [24] 23 August Round 24 Canberra RaidersMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Won 34 - 20 Hohaia (2), Heremaia,
Mannering, Ropati, MoonLocke (5) 8,812 [25] 30 August Round 25 BulldogsANZ Stadium, Sydney Loss 20 - 40 Vatuvei (2), Rapira (2) Jones (2) 41,835 [26] 5 September Round 26 Melbourne StormMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 0 - 30 14,734 [27] Ladder
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts 1 St. George Illawarra24 17 0 7 2 548 329 +219 38 2 Bulldogs24 18 0 6 2 575 428 +147 38* 3 
Gold Coast24 16 0 8 2 514 467 +47 36 4 Melbourne24 14 1 9 2 505 348 +157 33 5 Manly-Warringah24 14 0 10 2 549 439 +90 32 6 Brisbane24 14 0 10 2 511 566 −55 32 7 Newcastle24 13 0 11 2 508 491 +17 30 8 Parramatta24 12 1 11 2 476 473 +3 29 9 Wests Tigers24 12 0 12 2 558 483 +75 28 10 South Sydney24 11 1 12 2 566 549 +17 27 11 
Penrith24 11 1 12 2 515 589 −74 27 12 North Queensland24 11 0 13 2 558 474 +84 26 13 Canberra24 9 0 15 2 489 510 −31 22 14 
New Zealand24 7 2 15 2 377 545 −188 20 15 Cronulla-Sutherland24 5 0 19 2 359 568 −209 14 16 Sydney Roosters24 5 0 19 2 382 681 −299 14 * Bulldogs stripped of 2 competition points after an interchange breach in round 2
Squad
See also: List of New Zealand Warriors playersThe Warriors used Twenty Nine players in 2009. Twelve players made their debut for the club, including eight making their National Rugby League debuts.
No. Name Nationality Position Warriors Debut App T G FG Pts 24 Stacey Jones New Zealand HB 23 April 1995 23 2 5 2 20 99 Lance Hohaia New Zealand UB 6 April 2002 20 6 0 1 25 102 Evarn Tuimavave New Zealand PR 1 September 2002 6 0 0 0 0 108 Jerome Ropati New Zealand CE / FE 31 August 2003 17 4 0 0 16 115 Manu Vatuvei New Zealand WG 23 May 2004 19 13 0 0 52 121 Steve Price Australia PR 13 March 2005 14 3 0 0 12 124 Nathan Fien New Zealand HK 13 March 2005 9 2 0 0 8 125 Simon Mannering New Zealand CE 26 June 2005 23 4 0 0 16 126 Micheal Luck Australia SR 12 March 2006 23 1 0 0 4 129 Patrick Ah Van New Zealand WG 9 April 2006 14 4 1 0 18 131 Sam Rapira New Zealand PR 20 May 2006 23 2 0 0 8 132 Wade McKinnon Australia FB 17 March 2007 21 4 0 0 16 136 Aidan Kirk Australia FB / CE 17 March 2008 5 1 0 0 4 137 Brent Tate Australia CE 17 March 2008 3 2 0 0 8 138 Ian Henderson Scotland HK 23 March 2008 22 0 0 0 0 141 Russell Packer New Zealand PR 4 May 2008 21 3 0 0 12 142 Ben Matulino New Zealand SR 14 June 2008 17 0 0 0 0 144 Denan Kemp Australia WG 14 March 2009 10 1 21 0 46 145 Joel Moon Australia FE 14 March 2009 23 7 0 0 28 146 Jacob Lillyman Australia PR 14 March 2009 24 0 0 0 0 147 Leeson Ah Mau New Zealand PR 14 March 2009 2 0 0 0 0 148 Jesse Royal New Zealand PR 22 March 2009 15 1 0 0 4 149 Ukuma Ta'ai Tonga SR 22 March 2009 10 1 0 0 4 150 Daniel O'Regan New Zealand FE 5 April 2009 1 0 0 0 0 151 Lewis Brown New Zealand HK 3 May 2009 15 3 0 0 12 152 Kevin Locke New Zealand FB 31 May 2009 12 4 22 0 60 153 Aaron Heremaia New Zealand HB 31 May 2009 11 1 0 0 4 154 Isaac John New Zealand FE 19 July 2009 3 0 0 0 0 155 Siuatonga Likiliki New Zealand CE 15 August 2009 1 0 0 0 0 Staff
- Chief Executive Officer: Wayne Scurrah
NRL Staff
- NRL Head Coach: Ivan Cleary
- NRL Assistant Coach: John Ackland
- NRL Head Trainer: Craig Walker
- NRL Assistant Trainer: Dayne Norton
- NRL Football Manager: Don Mann Jr
- NRL Physiotherapist: Jude Spiers
- Club Doctor: John Mayhew
NYC Staff
Transfers
Gains
Stacey Jones: came out of retirement to play for the Warriors in 2009
Player Previous Club Length Notes Liam Foran Melbourne Storm 2009, with option Jacob Lillyman North Queensland Cowboys 2010 [3] Denan Kemp Brisbane Broncos 2010 [4] Joel Moon Brisbane Broncos 2011 [5] Stacey Jones Retired 2009 Lewis Brown Wests Tigers 2009, with option Jesse Royal Newcastle Knights 2010 [6] Losses
Player Club Notes Ruben Wiki Retired [7] Wairangi Koopu Melbourne Storm [8] Logan Swann Retired [8] Michael Crockett Released [7] Ryan Shortland Released [7] Grant Rovelli North Queensland Cowboys [9] Sonny Fai presumed drowned [10] Mid-Season Losses
Player Club Notes Epalahame Lauaki Hull Michael Witt Otago Rugby Union Liam Foran Newtown Jets [11] Nathan Fien St. George Illawarra Dragons [12] Contract Extensions
- Simon Mannering (until 2012)[13]
- Jerome Ropati (until 2012)[14][15]
- Lance Hohaia (until 2011, with option)[16]
- Patrick Ah Van (until 2011)[17]
- Aaron Heremaia (until 2011, with option)[17]
- Isaac John (until 2011, with option)[17]
- Ian Henderson (until 2011) [18]
- Ivan Cleary (until 2012)[19]
Sonny Fai
Warrior Sonny Fai went missing at around 7pm on 4 January 2009, after being caught in a rip current while trying to save some family who had got into difficulty at Te Henga (Bethells Beach), Auckland. His body is yet to be found.[20][21] The entire team attended his two memorial services, one in a Samoan Methodist Church and one held at Te Henga (Bethells Beach).[22]
The Warriors wore black armbands for their opening NRL match of the 2009 season, as well as jerseys embroidered with Fai's signature and official team number in honour of him.[23]
End of Season awards
- Lion Red Player of the Year: Micheal Luck[24][25]
- Canterbury of New Zealand Clubman of the Year: Sam Rapira
- Vodafone NRL Young Player of the Year: Russell Packer
- Vodafone One Tribe Supporters’ Player of the Year: Kevin Locke
- Sonny Fai Medal: Elijah Taylor
Other Teams
In 2009 the Junior Warriors again competed in the Toyota Cup while senior players who were not required for the first team played with the Auckland Vulcans in the NSW Cup. The Auckland Vulcans were coached by Bernie Perenara and finished 11th out of eleven teams.
Daniel O'Regan was the Vulcan's player of the year, while Pita Godinet was the runner up and Sione Tongia was the rookie of the year.[26]
2009 Junior Warriors
See also: National Youth Competition (rugby league) season 2009Siuatonga Likiliki was named in the 2009 Toyota Cup team of the year.[27]
National Youth Competition season 2009Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts 1 Manly24 19 1 4 2 879 417 +462 43 2 
St. George Illawarra24 19 0 5 2 758 461 +297 42 3 Melbourne24 19 0 5 2 833 597 +236 42 4 Wests Tigers24 15 1 8 2 709 588 +121 35 5 Brisbane24 15 0 9 2 698 551 +147 34 6 South Sydney24 13 1 10 2 776 568 +208 31 7 New Zealand24 13 1 10 2 725 612 +113 31 8 Canberra24 11 2 11 2 706 685 +21 28 9 North Queensland24 12 0 12 2 668 683 -15 28 10 Newcastle24 9 1 14 2 596 756 -160 23 11 Bulldogs24 9 1 14 2 649 867 -218 23 12 Parramatta24 8 0 16 2 604 698 -94 20 13 Penrith24 8 0 16 2 573 755 -182 20 14 Gold Coast24 8 0 16 2 542 738 -196 20 15 Sydney24 6 0 18 2 443 736 -293 16 16 Cronulla24 4 0 20 2 391 838 -447 12 Qualifying Finals Semi Finals Preliminary Finals Grand Final 1 Manly 28 8 Canberra Raiders 32 1W St. George Illawarra 12 2 St. George Illawarra 48 4W Canberra Raiders 34 Wests Tigers 36 7 NZ Warriors 24 2L Wests Tigers 42 Wests Tigers 22 Melbourne Storm 24 3 Melbourne Storm 54 2W Melbourne Storm 40 6 South Sydney 18 3W Brisbane Broncos 24 Brisbane Broncos 16 1L doggies 10 4 Wests Tigers 22 5 Brisbane Broncos 46 References
- ^ Vodafone Warriors 2009 - new year, new team, new look Warriors Official Site
- ^ Revised crowd number for Vodafone Warriors - Parramatta Eels NRL match Warriors Official Site
- ^ "Warriors sign Origin backrower". Stuff.co.nz. 19 June 2008. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4589626a10713.html?source=RSSLeague_20080619. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ Vodafone Warriors Sign Brisbane Speedster Kemp for Two Years, 28 May 2008
- ^ "Moon rises as sun sets on top Warriors picks". Stuff.co.nz. 21 June 2008. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4592536a10713.html?source=RSSLeague_20080622. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ "Warriors sign prop Jesse Royal". Television New Zealand. 16 February 2009. http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-league-news/warriors-sign-prop-jesse-royal-2488766. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Brown, Michael (22 June 2008). "League: Warriors look to solve halves problem with Moon signing". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=10517650. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Swann and Koopu to leave Warriors". Stuff.co.nz. 18 June 2008. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4587470a10713.html?source=RSSLeague_20080618. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ Rovelli Heading Home to Link up with North Queensland for 2009 NRL season @ Warriors Official Site, 3 December 2008
- ^ "NZ Warrior presumed drowned". Stuff.co.nz. 5 January 2009. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4809633a10713.html. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ Donaldson, Michael (14 June 2009). "Sir 'Lance-lot' the Warriors' saviour". The Sunday Star-Times. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/rugby-league/2498831/Sir-Lance-lot-the-Warriors-saviour. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ "NRL: Fien targets regular role with Dragons". The New Zealand Herald. 1 July 2009. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10581783&ref=rss. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ "League: Mannering re-signs with Warriors". The New Zealand Herald. 15 February 2009. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10556875&ref=rss. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ Brown, Michael (29 March 2009). "NRL: Ropati extends contract to 2012". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10564106&ref=rss. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ Ropati to become 10-year Vodafone Warrior Warriors Official Site, 29 March 2009
- ^ Brown, Michael (12 April 2009). "NRL: Lance spearheads signings". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10566263&ref=rss. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Warriors re-sign three players AAP, 10 May 2009
- ^ Henderson re-signs with Warriors AAP, 14 May 2009
- ^ Warriors show faith in coach Cleary NRL.com, 4 Jun 2009
- ^ Warriors join search for talented prospect, missing after being caught in rip Glenn Jackson | 6 January 2009
- ^ Team-Mates and Club Officials help in search for Sonny Fai Warriors Official Site 5 January 2009
- ^ Remembering Sonny at Bethells Beach Warriors Official Site
- ^ "Steve Price to play 300th NRL match". NRL.com. 10 March 2009. http://www.nrl.com/News/Latest/tabid/10244/default.aspx?id=53951. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
- ^ "NRL: Luck earns top award". The New Zealand Herald. 11 September 2009. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10596542&ref=rss. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ Tackling machine Luck wins premier award Warriors.co.nz, 11 September 2009
- ^ November 2009 Newsletter Auckland Rugby League
- ^ 2009 Toyota Cup Team of the Year NRL.com, 1 September 2009
External links
- Warriors official site
- Warriors 2009 season rugby league project
New Zealand Warriors Est. 1995 in Auckland, New ZealandThe Club Home Grounds Important Figures League Seasons (16) Other Competitions 2009 NRL season Events By club Brisbane Broncos · Bulldogs · Canberra Raiders · Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks · Gold Coast Titans · Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles · Melbourne Storm · Newcastle Knights · New Zealand Warriors · North Queensland Cowboys · Parramatta Eels · Penrith Panthers · South Sydney Rabbitohs · Sydney Roosters · St. George Illawarra Dragons · Wests TigersRelated articles Categories:- New Zealand Warriors seasons
- 2009 NRL season by club
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