Dallin Watene-Zelezniak of the Warriors after their loss to the Broncos in Napier. Photo / Photosport
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak of the Warriors after their loss to the Broncos in Napier. Photo / Photosport
OPINION
Chris Rattue runs through the winners and losers from the sporting weekend.
LOSER: Warriors away games
The idiots who embarrassed themselves, the Warriors and Napier by invading the pitch during the Broncos game should never have had the opportunity in the first place.
The decision was not only insulting to the home fans at Mt Smart Stadium — who were starved of football during Covid — but it makes no sense tactically under any circumstances.
The Warriors have a terrible record in New Zealand when they play away from Mt Smart.
The best PR for the club is to make the top-eight finals, and that means playing at Mt Smart.
I’ve long believed the Warriors should see themselves as an Auckland club, and design their approach to everything accordingly.
Taking the Broncos match to Napier has turned into an unmitigated disaster. The two points lost against an underpowered Origin-affected team sent their promising season in the wrong direction. And their image has taken a huge hit.
Or to put it another way, the Warriors simply aren’t a good enough club, yet, to play fast and loose with their venues.
I’d also love to see an active, sharp and independent Warriors fan club emerge to keep the club on its toes. New Zealand sport lacks organised and independent fan input.
A pitch invader is tackled during the Warriors' clash against the Broncos in Napier. Photo / Getty Images
LOSER: Old-school tactics
Maybe it was an instinctive reaction. But sneaky stuff like jersey pulling doesn’t work in the era of high-definition video scrutiny, as Adam Pompey should have known.
The Warriors had a late, potential match-winning try ruled out against the Broncos after Pompey grabbed Deine Mariner’s jersey.
But the try may not have been scored anyway if the Broncos defender had not been impeded by Pompey.
Apart from that, Pompey looks like an unlikely success story to me in the problematic centre position. His muscular game is growing.
WINNER: The Manchester rivalry
Manchester City reign supreme in the English Premier League, and maybe the best club team in the world. Manchester United have a new spirit and exciting future, under the brilliant leadership of Erik ten Hag. The Manchester football derby could become the hottest ticket in sport, and it kicks off again with the FA Cup final this week. Indeed, it has added a new lustre to the FA Cup, once among the most anticipated finals in world sport.
Sad indeed, to contemplate the Foxes’ relegation from the English Premier League. Their title win nearly a decade ago will always be the most staggering victory in a top professional sports competition. But the relegation aspect helps to make football the fascinating creature that it is.
Striker Jamie Vardy — the face of that Leicester title win — is the only player left from the 2015/16 season when they scored a 5000-1 triumph. Leicester City and Vardy will always be winners for that.
WINNER: Mark Telea
Mark Telea celebrates one of his four tries. Photo / Photosport
Scored four tries for the Blues against the Hurricanes as his unlikely career builds towards a probable World Cup place. Unheralded was his former tag. He is a wing who has clearly worked extremely hard at maximising his comparatively limited talent.
The Western Conference final fell flat as the Nuggets overwhelmed the Lakers. But the Eastern final has produced a classic, thanks to the Celtics’ amazing comeback and game-six buzzer-beater tip-in from Derrick White against the Heat. As good as sport gets…can’t wait for Tuesday afternoon’s game seven decider with the Celtics having home-court advantage.
LOSER: LeBron James retirement nonsense
Hogged the limelight even though his Lakers were dealt to by the Nuggets.
LOSER: Ruby Tui stance
I’ve got very little sympathy with the rugby star’s position, over her boycotting of a collector card project because she can’t feature the rainbow flag.
I’m sick of having causes shoved down my throat in sport no matter how worthy they are. It’s turning into a meaningless avalanche.
In the modern age, Ruby Tui has plenty of ways at her disposal to push causes.
Ruby Tui. Photo / Photosport
LOSER: The rugby charade
It was always going to happen. Any Moana Pasifika star will be picked off by the All Blacks, à la Levi Aumua signing with the Crusaders. That’s one of many reasons why the Pasifika team is doomed to being also-rans.
WINNERS: Indian wrestling protesters
Their top female and male wrestlers — including Olympic medallists — are making enormous sacrifices to have something done about the alleged sexual misconduct of the wrestling federation’s boss. Wrestling is arguably India’s top Olympic sport.
WINNER: Joseph Parker
Thank goodness Joseph Parker won that midweek fight against a boxer most of us have never heard of.
It does raise the question: how do you bow out of boxing? Even the greatest in history often go out in decline, having their brains scrambled in the process.
There’s always one more payday to chase, unfortunately. There will be plenty more for Parker, no matter how well he performs.
LOSER: Football’s fight against racism
It doesn’t seem to be working in Europe, because it doesn’t seem to be working in life in general.
The problems at football giants Real Madrid — whose Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr was last week racially abused by Valencia supporters — can’t be seen in isolation.
Indeed, Britain’s crazy Brexit move was in many ways related to the dislike, or make that irrational fear, of foreigners. Britain solved an emotional dilemma with a disastrous economic and political move.
And yet the English Premier League is a shining example of how people of the world can actually get on. It is a wondrous melting pot.
Football has to keep fighting the good fight, and in a far better way than Spain is doing it.
I’m not sure how you can always control crowds that refuse to act decently though. Just look at Napier on Saturday night.
