Premature Capitulation

supporter (noun)
1. a person or thing that supports;
2. an adherent, follower, backer, or advocate.

We'll be singing

When we're winning

We'll be singing

There are certain mysteries in life – some big, many small – that I have resigned myself to never truly understanding. The fatalistic psyche of many New Zealand sports fans must sit remarkably high on the list. In a country where we are used to being the underdog, there is a very vocal section of league fans who are willing to give up at almost the first sign of trouble. Sweeping statements seem to follow almost every loss, even when the season is only halfway through.

“Hopeless.” “They were pathetic.” “The season is over.” “We won’t win another game.” “Sack the coach.”

All aboard the fatalistic locomotion! Next stop: Capitulation Station!

Admittedly, many of these generalised displays of verbal defeat are merely the words of extremely passionate fans who are sorely disappointed by the performance of their team. As supporters, we place high expectations – sometimes unreasonably so – on the players and feel short changed when they don’t deliver.

I get knocked down

But I get up again

You're never going to keep me down

Warriors fans also make their opinions heard loud and clear by using their feet on a hauntingly regular basis, either by simply not going to home matches, or by leaving several minutes early. The home ground may have changed its name back to Mt Smart Stadium, but the “Ericsson Shuffle” is still alive and well. I have, on more than one occasion, witnessed fans leave early with a Warriors loss looking lightly, only for the home side to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying moments.

Is it really worth sacrificing the mass jubilation of a last minute victory in order to beat the traffic?

Or is it more a reflection of the general apathy that surrounds the Warriors in particular, especially among Aucklanders? In a city of more than one million people, the Penrose based club has one of the lowest crowd averages in the entire National Rugby League, despite a promising on field resurgence in recent weeks. It’s not that there aren’t many fans, but that the majority prefer to stay home in the warmth and comfort of their living rooms, supporting from afar. The general perception seems to be that it is cheaper, and it avoids the embarrassment of witnessing another ignominious defeat firsthand – a sorry mixture of convenience and apathy. There is also much less traffic.

But not all fans take this approach. A hardcore minority come each and every week, and not all of them are locals. Many fans come from out of town, regularly making long road trips to home matches, travelling hundreds of kilometres in order to get to Mt Smart Stadium. The return journey must seem twice as long after a loss.

I get knocked down

But I get up again

You're never going to keep me down

It is these fans – the ones who bear the scars of a weary and sometimes painful thirteen season campaign since the 1995 inception of the Warriors – who are the flesh and blood of the club. They have experienced firsthand both the depressing lows and the dizzying heights of a rollercoaster ride supporting their team, often all within an eighty minute period.

These fans do not view themselves as mere spectators at these matches, but as participants. They go, not to simply watch the players, but to help them along, too. This is also evident in Australia, with the Warriors chant regularly being heard on the television broadcast of away games.

But even if some Warriors fans appear to give up on the team before full time, the club has no intentions of giving up on their supporters. With the standoffish era of past management well and truly gone, the club is rewarding fans with away match functions as the team continues to entertain on the field.

I get knocked down

(We'll be singing)

But I get up again

You're never going to keep me down

(When we're winning)

Perhaps it would be worth some fans staying around for a full match in future. Their added support could make the difference between a match deciding play being an inspirational success or an embarrassing failure. After all, as the Warriors’ advertising campaign used to say, it’s just a matter of faith.

Source:
Song lyrics from ‘Tubthumping’ by Chumbawamba

A Taste Of Tate

In the midst of a six match losing streak, Warriors fans found little to celebrate on the field as their team fell to the Sharks, Knights, Tigers, Eels, Bulldogs, and Storm in succession, dropping from fourth position to thirteenth position on the National Rugby League table. However, off the field, a major victory was won in the signing of Brisbane Bronco centre/winger Brent Tate on a three year contract. Tate, brother-in-law to Warriors captain Steven Price, would bring an impressive amount of experience – twelve State Of Origin appearances for Queensland, seventeen international caps for Australia, and a Premiership Winner’s Ring – to a backline that will be losing the seasoned understanding of another Premiership winner in Tony Martin, as well as Todd Byrne, a grand finalist.

Originally from the town of Roma, Queensland – a town which has also produced rugby league legends in current Kangaroo captain Darren Lockyer, former Bronco, Queensland, and Kangaroo winger Willie Carne, and the first Aboriginal to captain an Australian national side, and Immortal, Arthur Beetson – Tate has been such a thorn in the New Zealand side for so long, that it is hard to believe that he is only 25 years old. Kiwi rugby league fans have seen plenty of him in the green and gold, and have witnessed his immense skill on the international stage, often to their dismay.

Supporters were given a glimpse of where the club is headed when the Broncos visited the Newcastle Knights in Round Eleven, just three days before Tate’s signing was announced. During the previous week, the Warriors had granted junior centre/winger Cooper Vuna’s request for an immediate release, and he met the soon-to-be Auckland-bound Tate on the field. In the one-sided contest, which the Broncos won 71-6, Tate scored twice, including the try of the match from seventy metres out by running outside Vuna, his opposite, before running infield to evade the rushing Newcastle fullback and jog casually to score underneath the posts. It is this level of individual game breaking ability that the Warriors have been lacking on a consistent basis, despite a stunning 54-14 performance against the Penrith Panthers.

However, Tate’s signature isn’t set in stone – or ink, as the case may be. His new agreement is subject to a medical and fitness test. This clause was initially included to assess a potentially career-ending neck injury he received in a huge tackle at the hands of former Warriors winger Francis Meli in 2003. Tate must have been relieved when Meli left the club at the end of 2005, having received several damaging defensive hits from the former Kiwi winger. That relief was short lived, though, as Meli’s replacement turned out to be Manu Vatuvei, who at 1.89m (6ft 2in) and 113kg is both taller and heavier than Meli, a fact which Price continues to find plenty of humour in at his younger in-law’s expense.

Surgery and a protective neck brace have allowed him to return to the field, but he is now back in the recovery ward, having had an operation on Saturday after tearing both the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial ligament in his left knee during the third State Of Origin match on July 4th. Tate was visibly emotional in the changing rooms after receiving news of the extent of his injury, and was seen being consoled by Price after the game, the Warriors captain no doubt doing his best to keep his Origin team mate in a positive mood.

Consequently, Tate has requested an early release from the Broncos to begin his entire recovery process under the watchful eye of former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew, so as to avoid having to change specialists partway through his rehabilitation. He and his wife have already found a house in Auckland, and they are expected to arrive at their new club as early as August.

Spending the extra six months or so with the team will also allow Tate to get to know his soon-to-be team mates and form relationships with them – an all too important aspect of the game as it builds trust and confidence between the players. Considering his previous run-ins with some of the current Warriors squad, a handshake and a polite greeting will be just what the doctor ordered!

Brent Tate
Age: 25
Position: Centre/Wing
NRL Record: 115 matches, 41 tries
State Of Origin Record: 12 matches, 4 tries
International Record: 17 matches, 11 tries