It was a nervous time for Paula Gallagher yesterday as she awaited the arrival of the special edition Melbourne Storm rugby league jersey in a Hawke's Bay Today competition ahead of tomorrow night's big NRL match at McLean Park in Napier.
She needn't have worried. She's the perfect fit, having watched rugby league for years and is one of the game's loyal supporters, despite the sport's low profile in Hawke's Bay.
Showing off the prized shirt to workmates at Broker Web Risk Services in Taradale, she told of how she sat with her father watching NRL games on TV when it used to be the Winfield Cup - the prize in the big Australian competition from 1982 to 1994.
She was a big fan of the Canberra Raiders as they won three premierships from 1989 to 1994 and still has her Raiders jersey, with the No3 of star player and rugby league legend Mel Meninga. She was also at Nelson Park, Hastings, in January 1994, when then-glamour Sydney side Canterbury Bulldogs and Kiwis star Jarrod McCracken played a pre-season match against an invitation side.
She became a little more patriotic after the emergence of New Zealand team the Warriors in 1995, has been to a couple of their games in Auckland and has their jersey as well. "I'm more the Warriors these days," she conceded, just quietly - but she could just as easily back the Storm.
