Shaun Johnson of the Warriors acknowledges the crowds after winning the match against the Broncos. Photo / Anthony Au-Yeung
Shaun Johnson of the Warriors acknowledges the crowds after winning the match against the Broncos. Photo / Anthony Au-Yeung
Richard Fale wants the Warriors to chase the "absolute best" coaching and playing talent across the NRL, should his Tongan-American consortium succeed in their bid to gain control of the Auckland club.
Even a name like Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy isn't dismissed, as he says his ownership group woulddo "whatever it takes" to bring trophies to Mt Smart.
That's the primary goal, but he has plenty of others, big and small.
He wants Warriors fridge magnets on refrigerators across the country ("it's the most visited location in the house"), and every kid in New Zealand aspiring to wear the (ever-changing) Warriors jersey.
He'd like levels of fan obsession as yet unknown in New Zealand sport, but has also pondered more mundane aspects, like the lack of washing machines at Mt Smart.
Fale, who has been a Hawaii State representative since 2013, is chief executive of the syndicate that has launched a surprise bid to buy the Warriors.
Super Bowl-winning siblings Ma'ake and Chris Kemoeatu are also part of the group, along with several other current or former NFL players.
Fale has already made several trips to Auckland to assess the landscape and meet club representatives.
He admits his syndicate has little knowledge of the sport or competition, but doesn't think that would be an impediment.
We will do whatever it takes to win that first championship. You need to invest in the facilities and players.
"They are the major kinks we will have to work out," Fale told the Herald on Sunday.
"We would have a great handle on the commercial side and the administrative side of the house — we are subject matter experts there — but when it comes to the football side, those are the things that we will have to work out. But we will iron those kinks out and go from there.
"We are going to give some time to the seeds that have already been planted to see what comes from there ... but then we will begin acquiring the necessary assets and resources in that area to deliver the results we are looking for.
"That is the only reason it will take a couple of years to get there. By 2020, we should have a championship organisation in place from top to bottom.
"We will set the tone, and from our experience, the tone gets set from the owner and that filters down into the rest of the organisation."
Fale says their group came together over food ("typical of most things in the Pacific Island community").
Through relatives, Fale met some of the NFL players and discovered they had "shared, unified views" on the evolution of Pacific Islanders in sport. Over lunch, they discussed franchise ownership, and opportunities in rugby and league.
"I asked them how much they thought [an NRL franchise] might be worth, " said Fale. "When I told them the price ranges [one player] said 'holy crap, I'll have two of those'."
The bid has progressed since then, and Fale is confident they have the inside running, although several other parties, including the Auckland Rugby League, are believed to be still in the mix.
Fale says his group would aim to generate levels of fan obsession unheard of in Australasian sports.
"It's the biggest disconnect that exists in Super Rugby and the NRL," said Fale. "There seems to be a lack of fan obsession from the clubs. They don't understand that the fans are the boss ... they are everything.
"The moment fans turn off the TV or stop coming to the games, everyone loses their jobs."
Cue the discussion about fridge magnets, where Fale, who says he "hates baseball", relates the story of being surrounded by San Francisco Giants paraphernalia whenever he visits his in-laws (fridge, bathroom, lounge) to the point where he now always looks for Giants scores whenever Major League Baseball is mentioned on television.
Ma'ake Kemoeatu. Photo / Getty Images
"A lot of people think US sports fans were born that way, but nothing could be further from the truth," said Fale. "American sports fans aren't different ... the organisations are fan-centric to get to where they are now.
"You need to bring something to the competition where every kid who grows up in New Zealand says 'hey, I want to be a Warrior'. That's the hope, the goal."
Fale also wants to use the immense athletic talent generated from high school and college American football programmes, given only 0.1 per cent go on to play in the NFL. It seems a long shot, given the specialisation involved in the NFL and the different aerobic demands of league but Fale is optimistic.
"[They] could be converted and it would be an easier transition than rugby union," said Fale. "It's a lot more straightforward, and there are some similarities with football ... a finite set of downs before you can score, it's all about the collisions, running the ball and tackling. You don't have to deal with rules around rucks and mauls."
Fale and his group have some big financial muscle and say they are prepared to invest.
"We will do whatever it takes to win that first championship," said Fale. "You need to invest in the facilities and players to make that happen."
He cites the laundry example — "The only thing they need to worry about is playing the game. They shouldn't worry about laundry, food, housing ... there is not even a dining facility at Mt Smart. Players should only be working hard and visualising that confetti coming down after they win that championship."
But in many ways, the only clear similarity between the NFL and NRL are the collisions. Everything else couldn't be more different, from the salary cap, to the draft, to the fan base.
There is not generally large swathes of cash to be made from owning an NRL club and the level of influence an owner can exert in the two competitions is vastly different. And, most importantly, the Warriors are struggling on all three fronts in the war for talent.
They are losing a lot of the best local teens to other clubs, they are struggling to develop the ones they keep and still can't persuade the top Australian talent to cross the Tasman.
It's hard to see how things could change under an NFL-influenced model, where clubs can cherry pick the best college talent and rosters are constantly adjusting as players are bought, sold and traded freely.
"We are ready to make this deal happen but we understand that money is only one part of the solution," said Fale. "If we can't set a clear path towards five championships in the next 10 years, then the interest in this from us goes very down.
But we are finally seeing how we are going to get to those multiple championships and everyone is really excited to move forward."
