League: Youngsters show spirit

Northland's best young rugby league players are being told to hold their heads high after putting in a commendable performance against the Warriors Development team.

The Adam Blair XIII fought hard but in the end the Stacey Jones-coached Warriors ran away 36-4.

Adam Blair XIII coach Joe Henare said his teenage boys did him proud on Saturday, especially considering they stood strong and forced errors from their polished opposition in the first 20 minutes.

"They [the Adam Blair XIII] were a little bit surprised once they discovered they're [the Warriors] not as hard as they make themselves out to be.

"The actual score didn't depict how the game went. We bombed three tries, had a couple of missed tackles and stray passes which cost us."

Henare said he was proud of his side's ability to create pressure and force the Warriors to make errors.

"We were matching them the whole time. But, often that last pass let them down. They can hold their heads up high because they played out the 80 minutes."

The sole point scorer for the Adam Blair XIII was Flynn Rolton, who crashed over close to the line in the second half.

Henare gave credit to support staff including Peter Gray, Benson Selwyn and Jon Renes who helped prepare his side.

In part two of Saturday's league double-header, the Moerewa Tigers upset defending Rugby League Northland Premiership titleholders the Hikurangi Stags 40-36 in a replay of last year's final.

Rugby League Northland general manager Alex Smits said it was a positive start to the season, with a high-scoring encounter having a little bit of everything.

"It was a spirited game from both sides," Smits said. "There was everything you wanted in a rugby league game with a bit of controversy, a few interesting referee calls, tries in the corner."

Smits said it was positive to see the crowd sticking around after the Warriors match to watch, and they were treated to some sublime tries on the back of about six or seven passes. "At the end of the game everyone came off congratulating each other.

"I'd say on the back of that [performance] I'd say potentially, probably an early call but, we could be looking at a rematch of last year's final this year."

However, Smits said the two teams would not meet each other until the semifinal stages, presuming each team makes it, because teams are split into north and south zoned pools.

No other premiership rugby league took place over the weekend, with the remaining teams kicking off next weekend.