Graham Lowe: Return of the old warriors

As an ordinary bloke with a great passion for league, I'm looking forward to this weekend's football more than any other this year.

Sure, we're about to see a Warriors side who have begun to realise just how good they are and can be, with consistent effort, discipline and willingness to listen to a coach who is proving himself one of the NRL's best.

The golden-point loss to the Bulldogs last week affirmed just how far this team have come this season; and I'm genuinely excited about their prospects in the next two or three years under Ivan Cleary.

Yet that's not exactly what's got the adrenalin pumping for tomorrow night.

The fact is, I've been thrust back into the coaching arena, in charge of an ex-Kiwis side who will take on an invitational team in the curtainraiser to the Warriors at Mt Smart.

It's a brave idea, which has had old hearts pumping for the past couple of weeks as some of the legends of the game prepare for a return to the footy field after years out at pasture.

Many people have asked why league doesn't have a viable Golden Oldies competition.

I'll tell you why.

Because the game is so combative that even at 60, the tough buggers who played the game in years long gone by would come back and try to hang a couple of good ones on the guys they were facing.

There's something about league that doesn't lend itself to the gentle tackles and jolly camaraderie of the fossils football that is masters rugby.

Take the field against an old ex-Kiwi and you'd better have the new pearly whites back in a jar in the dressing room, because they could be tested with a Carlaw Park coathanger or two from the old fellas.

That's why I'm looking forward so much to getting into the sheds with some of the legends of the game tomorrow afternoon.

The biggest fight we'll have is over who will wear the number 6 jersey and take the kicks.

But if any one of the other mob are looking forward to the prospect of taking on Kurt Sorensen, they need their heads read.

Sorensen is from a family bred for league football.

The only thing age has done is to make him more determined to fill some gaps he feels he may have overlooked when he was on the rampage in Auckland football in the 1970s.

He was always the type of player you just tuned up a little and then asked for complete carnage on the paddock.

But unfortunately (or fortunately for our opposition) I'm flat out remembering any magic words that used to have him terrorising international opponents back in the good old days.

I'm also a bit worried about the quality of the team they're giving me for tomorrow night.

I always used to insist on the last word in selection, but the organisers are telling me we're so short on playing numbers we may have to have Peter Leitch in the number one jersey for the big match.

But like any coach, during my time I heard my fair share of excuses from players for various things.

One of the best ever came last week when I got a call from the former great Kiwi and Hull winger Dane O'Hara.

Dane advised me he was training in preparation for the big game when he injured his knee running on the beach (a winger in training, yeah right, I was immediately suspicious).

Eventually he admitted he had been running along Whangamata beach when he spotted a group of young ladies who he mistakenly figured were having a bit of a perve at him (he's a winger remember).

Being a typical show pony, Dane lifted his chin high, lengthened his stride and put on an impressive burst across the sand.

His eyesight is obviously not what it used to be, because he stepped in a hole and ended up on his backside with a strained knee.

With his former Hull team-mates, Gary (Crayfish) Kemble and James (The Finisher) Leuluai, Dane was a born practical joker and they were also good story tellers, particularly if an excuse was needed for being late.

It is many of these memories and stories that I am looking forward to hearing over a beer after the game tomorrow.

While on the subject of wingers Tony Iro, who with his brother Kevin played for me at Wigan and Manly, was the master at coming up with a story.

But his go was to get on the phone back to his mum in New Zealand and it would go something like this: "Mum, Kevin wouldn't give me the ball. If he gave it to me I would have scored, but he didn't pass and scored it himself, it's not fair, tell him to give me a turn."

One thing is for certain, the players' mums had more influence than any coach.

Still on wingers, there's been many a great try scored down the right-hand touch line at the Paddo end of Lang Park (now Suncorp Stadium) over the years.

It is one of those grounds that extracts moments of magic from players because it is a genuine field of dreams.

But none caught the imagination of Kiwi fans more than the one scored by the 19-year-old Joe Ropati back in 1983 during the second test against Australia.

After getting the Aussies on the back foot the Kiwis attacked the right-hand side and found a wide-running Kurt Sorensen who was able to pop up a perfect pass to the flying Ropati who beat Aussie star winger Eric Grothe on the outside and scored in the corner.

It was a piece of magic from Sorensen to deliver that ball but a great piece of wingman's play by the young Otahuhu winger.

Such was the talent of many of those players from that era.

Joe and Kurt will be back playing together tomorrow for the Kiwi All Stars, and that's reason enough for every league supporter to go along.

And talking of Joe Ropati, what a wonderful league family, and four of the brothers are playing in this match tomorrow. Tea and Iva are also in my side while Peter is in the front row for the invitation team.

This game is the dreamchild of long-time Ellerslie forward Noel Wyatt who broke his arm playing his last competitive game back in July 2000.

He always wanted to have one more run and set about organising this game.

His invitational side do not boast the same international line-up but I've noticed he has a lot of shrewd and fit locals who will want to do well.

We are expecting their secret weapon to be assistant Kiwi coach Graeme Norton who is still as fit as a buck rat.

But in all honesty it is the wonderful names in this ex-Kiwi side that most will come to see.

None are under 40 and many are 50 or close to it but they all have played for New Zealand in the past and will be proud to put on their jerseys again tomorrow.

The Kiwi All Stars v Invitationals game kicks off at 5.30pm tomorrow at Mt Smart.

Ones to watch in Auckland club league

Despite two draws this season, Mt Albert remain in the lead of the Lion Red Fox Memorial. Tomorrow they take on second-placed Papakura at Prince Edward Park.

After a slow start to the competition the Sea Eagles are showing the form that won them their section of the grading round. But I reckon Mt Albert will beat them in what looks like being a great battle up front.

The clash at Jack Colvin Park between Te Atatu and Marist promises to be a terrific game and hard to pick, but I will stick my neck out and go for the men from Marist.

In other games Mangere East should be too strong for East Coast Bays and on current performance Northcote appear to have the wood over Otahuhu.