League: Star billing for Blair XIII

Not many Northland rugby league players can say they have played a game on Mt Smart Stadium's number one field, but members of the Adam Blair XIII can.

Northland's best secondary school rugby league players were invited to take on the Stacey Jones-coached Vodafone Warriors Development team for the second time in a month, after Jones' team travelled north to take on the Adam Blair XIII.

While last Monday's encounter saw the Warriors come out on top 16-12, the scoreline showed a massive improvement from the Northlanders' earlier effort where they lost 36-4.

Rugby League Northland general manager Alex Smits said the young league players showed plenty of respect for the opposition by taking a hard game to them, leading 12-10 with three minutes left.

"It [the match] certainly was an honour for them to be playing on [Mt Smart] number one," Smits said.

"Having Maori Television there made it even more special. Now, it's about the boys planting a seed and Rugby League Northland helping to grow that dream.

"They [the Warriors] were impressed by the game but it's like anything like that, it's about building a relationship with the Warriors. And, we need to do the work, not them [because] it's sort of more in our interest than theirs."

Coupled with the experience of playing on the Warriors' home ground, the Adam Blair XIII got to experience what it was like to be a top-level league player with cameras running the sideline and after match interviews with Maori Television.

Tumoana Halkyard, of Aniwaniwa kohunga, told Maori Television in Te Reo after the match that had been a privilege to see where players can take their sport if they reach the pinnacle.

"It was a great game," Halkyard said of the 16-12 loss. "It's good to meet up with the boys from the Warriors. It's a privilege to come here, to play in Auckland at Mt Smart."

James Dean Fisher-Harris, of Whangarei Boys' High School, was again named man of the match from the Warriors coaching staff, with a special mention to Hamish Pomare of Kaitaia College.

NorthTec sponsored the transport as part of the link for the development of Rugby League in Northland and the NorthTec Academy.