NRL: Warrior Heremaia's rocky ride almost over

Aaron Heremaia says losing his unborn twin boys and his best friend this year has put the grand final in perspective. Photo / Greg Bowker

Footy players often refer to the NRL season as a roller-coaster ride.

The crests and troughs of emotion they endure through extended winning runs and seemingly endless slumps, the mental torment when the selectorial axe falls, and the very real agony of numerous injuries make a ride on an amusement park's major attraction a pretty decent analogy.

But given what life has dished up for Warriors hooker Aaron Heremaia over the course of this season, roller-coaster doesn't even begin to describe it.

Heremaia was told early in the season his contract would not be extended next year. It didn't take him long to find another job at Hull, however his relief would have been quickly replaced by the anguish of his wife, Enrica, losing their twin sons during pregnancy. Heremaia withdrew from the side for two weeks. When he returned, he began producing career-best form to help guide the Warriors towards the finals.

Then came a broken hand in the penultimate regular season match against the Dragons that he thought had ended his Warriors career. Just seven days later, tragedy again landed at his door.

On September 4, Heremaia's best friend Dana Wilson was killed in a road accident in England. A father of three, Wilson was a former Junior Kiwis prop who had been playing professionally in England for six years.

Less than a month after receiving that news, Heremaia is trying to gather himself for the biggest match of his life - Sunday's NRL grand final against Manly.

"It has definitely been emotional with the loss of my boys, the twins," Heremaia said.

"And a couple of weeks ago my best friend died in England. That was another tragic loss for me. That puts that grand final in perspective, though it would be great to go out on a high."

Football has certainly been cathartic for Heremaia. Getting back to what he loves doing has helped take his mind off things. That said, being a player - or even a fan - of the Warriors is no easy road.

"You go through your ups and downs," he said. "This season has been win-three, lose-four. To be a fan of the Warriors is definitely hard work."

The support the team had received from fans - particularly in Australia - had been a huge factor in their unlikely September run.

"All three [finals] games have felt like home games," he said "The fans are definitely a big part of it. We have spoken about that, the loyal fans, the diehards who have been waiting for another bite at the cherry since 2002. Hopefully we can give them what they deserve."

Heremaia's hand has healed. For the first time since he returned for the opening finals match against Brisbane he will take the field "needle-free".

His heart and his head, though, may need a little more time. Being on the road for five out of the last six weekends had been particularly tough.

"We are a close team but you do start getting sick of the boys after a while. The last four weeks, I have seen them more than I have my own family. But we are a tight bunch, the travel doesn't affect us. We have racked up the air miles and I'll definitely be using them to go on a holiday."

It may have captivated the nation but the Warriors' run has not been much of a thrill on the domestic front for the Heremaias. They put their house on the market three weeks ago but haven't been able to do anything about selling it, while Aaron needs a UK visa to take up his contract with Hull but hasn't been able to apply because he can't send off his passport.

"I am in limbo at the moment," he admitted.

That won't matter if the Warriors win on Sunday.

"We definitely know this week it is the last game and it is a nice way to go out," he said.

When the roller-coaster comes to a halt, we can only hope it stops in the right place for Heremaia.