Rugby League: Warriors go out in fine fashion

By Peter Jessup

in Sydney

There were plenty of confused people at Campbelltown Stadium south-west of Sydney yesterday as Auckland saw off Western Suburbs 60-16, the score and the 12 tries a Warriors club record.

The Magpies fans were left wandering backwards and forwards like duck targets at the Easter Show shooting gallery - they don't have their team to support next season as Wests merge with Balmain.

And in the stands were plenty of All Black supporters not sure whether to wear their black-and-white in case they were mistaken for Wests supporters or were offered sheep jokes.

There was nothing on the game as far as titles were concerned, but Wests started with the emotion of 91 years of history, the team running out through a guard of honour of former internationals.

When the Warriors ran out they drew a boo. When the ground announcer said Matthew Ridge was not among them he drew a cheer.

But both were muted, the 4000-odd in the crowd one of the reasons the reason the club won't be around next season.

"Let's send [coach] Tommy Raudonikis out a winner," the announcer said.

There was even less response to that, the few faithful fans believing there was as much chance of that as there was of the pea in Jim Fleming's whistle making it through a rugby test.

Auckland made sure Wests' misery stayed as the Magpies farewelled the NRL with 944 points scored against them, the worst in the competition's history.

The Wests trainers did not need their walkie-talkies - everyone in the stand could hear Raudonikis' raucous calls whenever the Warriors scored.

When Wests' 90kg hooker Ciriaco Mescia dropped a ball then picked a mismatch with 114kg Joe Vagana that gave away a penalty that Vagana followed up with a try the volume was such that "Cherry" in midfield would have heard what the coach called him.

Tommy's halftime talk would have been more than interesting, given the Magpies were still in the game at 10-18.

But when Stacey Jones backed himself to run and scored the third of his four tries under the posts for his captain John Simon to take it to 24-10 straight after the break, even tough Tommy was struggling for motivation.

"Tell them not to worry," he grated to the trainers.

The wind the Magpies had behind them in the first half was sending the celebration balloons to Melbourne as the Warriors ran with it in the second.

By then Wests had run out of wind. They had little to play for other than saving embarrassment, but in the end dropped their trousers to let in another six tries.

With an unlucky 13 minutes to go Tommy's son Lincoln was sent to the sinbin for 10 minutes and the Warriors took advantage by scoring another four quick touchdowns, so the post-game family reunion would also have been interesting.

So as the season wound up the Magpies fluttered to death like cat-napped budgies while the Warriors built on the strength they had shown in recent weeks to give them a confident look going into next season.

All the Aussie commentators could talk about was their size in the forwards and the depth they are building with player acquisitions. They would all like Auckland in the finals this season, just for the interest.

If my working-class, leaguefollowing parents had sent me to a private rah-rah school I'd probably be spouting something at the Warriors along the lines of, "Go you good things."

* The 60-16 winning margin against Wests eclipsed the Warriors' 52-6 win over North Queensland in 1996.

Auckland Warriors 60 (Stacey Jones 4, Nigel Vagana, Joe Vagana, Odell Manuel, Cliff Beverley 2, Lee Oudenryn 2, Francis Meli tries, John Simon 5, Logan Swann conversions) Western Suburbs 16 (Justin Brooker 2, Brett Hodgson tries, Hodgson 2 conversions). Halftime: 18-10.