Newstalk ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave and NZ Herald's Bonnie Jansen get together to preview a packed weekend of sport and shout 'up the Wahs!'
Video / NZ Herald / Photosport
The Kiwi music legend who wrote the chant that has been sung by Warriors fans at Mt Smart stadium throughout their remarkable NRL campaign says he’s “thrilled” to help break the notorious silence of our sporting crowds.
Peter Urlich, one of the men behind iconic New Zealand tunes like Th’ Dudes Bliss, has struck a chord once again with the song written more than two decades ago.
Back in 2001, former Warriors chief executive Mick Watson sought Urlich’s skills to create a victory chant to encapsulate the team’s spirit.
After 37 minutes of putting pen to paper, Urlich created the fiery Warriors team chant that went something like this:
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking on Friday, Urlich spilled the beans about the chant’s undercover journey to public acclaim, saying fans got wind of it after being allowed into the sheds following a win this year and shared it across social media. Following this exposure, other Warriors fanatics expressed eagerness to jump on the chant wagon, propelling it to superstardom.
New Zealand rapper Savage recently sampled the chant, breathing new life into the iconic anthem.
Last week, the Warriors demolished the Newcastle Knights 40-10 on their way to a preliminary final against the Brisbane Broncos on Saturday. After the Knights win, a packed-out 26,083 crowd celebrated their victory with a roaring rendition of the team’s chant.
Urlich said the chant was bringing a boisterous and fun environment to New Zealand sports crowds.
“It could be the dawn of a new era. It was like these people were throwing down the shackles of their reticent selves. [Kiwis] don’t open our mouths and they were just belting it out. It was like they were part of the team. They were a part of the team and it was a wonderful thing.”
Urlich said the chant had come a long way since it was first sung in 2001.
“It was thrilling enough to be in the sheds back in the day and hear them sing it. That gave me goosebumps to be there and to actually bang the drum and get them at the right tempo, and it didn’t take them long to pick up on it. It was Stacey [Jones] and all the boys back then. But to see it sung by New Zealanders, who let’s face it, we don’t really do that that well, do we?”
Warriors fans and supporters in Hamilton earlier this year. Photo / Photosport
After a training session before heading to Brisbane this week, Warriors coach Andrew Webster saluted the crowd’s singing efforts. “I just couldn’t believe it, for the whole crowd to be singing the team song; the atmosphere was just electric, so it was really cool.”
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who is in career-best form on the wing, said his role in the chant was to “just bash the drum ... it’s pretty fun, to be honest”.
On the crowd singing it, he said: “It’s quite buzzy, it gives you goosebumps sometimes. I think my kids know some of the words, too. It’s pretty special to have the whole crowd sing it. It gets you quite amped, but it’s at the end of the game, so maybe if they started halfway through the game that’d be pretty cool.”
Former New South Wales representative and off-season recruit Dylan Walker said the song was simple but he “really” liked it.
“It’s pretty cool that the crowd knows the whole song, and when you hear them singing it after the game you know you’ve done a good job. As players, each and every week you want to put a proud performance out for your fans, and we’re loving the support we’re getting from everyone in Auckland, and in New Zealand as a whole, it’s pretty special.”
Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.
