“With Lurch (coach Wayne Ensor) leaving at the end of this season to concentrate on coaching East Coast, I want to stay around — along with some of the other senior players — to carry on the good work.
“The club have 100-club caps and a few of the boys are getting close.
“My son Tom (2½ ) calls Lurch ‘Church’, and he’s certainly been like an institution at HSOB. He will be missed.
“He’s promoted a good culture on and off the field, and that’s another reason I want to carry on,” said Warren, a mathematics teacher at Gisborne Boys’ High School.
“When I started playing premiers with HSOB in 2007, I never thought I’d get to play 100 games.
“When you do reach milestones like this, you look back and cherish the memories that have come along the way.
“It’s not about yourself. It’s about belonging to a club and contributing to something bigger than yourself.”
Took over as captainWarren took over as captain on Saturday when prop Jody Tuhaka left the field late in the second half.
“Jody started the season as co-captain with Hayden Stuart but when Hayden got injured, Jody took on the captaincy and his game has gone to a new level.
“I spoke to Lurch at the end of last season about promoting some of the younger players to lead the side, and his first thoughts were Jody and Hayden.
“They have been brilliant. With Hayden missing for all of the third round, Jody has not only matured as a person but also as a captain.
“He’s a fantastic leader. With these two young guys, the club is in good hands for the future.”
While the strength of this HSOB side is in the pack, Warren said there was plenty of talent in the backline.
“We’ve got four loosies — Siosiua Moala (No.8), Trent Proffit (openside flanker) Tevita Maka (blindside) and Viliami Kavai (blindside) — all vying for starting places.
“Viliami has been fantastic this season — scoring tries, setting up tries and playing well around the field. He’s probably flown under the radar a bit but he’s been great value.
“Andrew Knight (halfback), Corey Reihana (first-five), Sione Tamale (centre) Zane Boyle (winger), Manese Tupe (winger) and Korey Love (fullback) are all promising young players.
Better all the time“Zane came into the team a bit later . . . when Mike King decided to take a back seat because of work commitments, Zane took his chance, and he’s getting better with every game.
“He’s good at the back and is starting to come into his own as an attacking winger.
“With no under-21 competition, Korey had to make the step up from first 15 rugby to premier rugby last year.
“He had a solid first season but this season he’s really showing his class on attack. He makes a lot of ground when he returns the ball. If he keeps improving, it won’t be lo ng before he’s knocking on the door for Poverty Bay.”
HSOB won all three games against OBM in round-robin play. In Round 2, they came from 24 points down to win 40-36.
Warren said he would not want to be chasing 24 points on Saturday.
“They got a good start on us that day and I’m sure if they get into a position like that on Saturday, they’ll be better prepared mentally to cope.
“They have a good young squad, who, if they stick together, are going to get better. I’m looking forward to the game but even now there are a few butterflies.”
