NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / League / Warriors

Chris Rattue: It's business as usual at Warriors

Chris Rattue
By Chris Rattue
Sports Writer·NZ Herald·
9 Apr, 2014 05:30 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Owen Glenn. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Owen Glenn. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Chris Rattue
Opinion by Chris Rattue
Chris Rattue is a Sports Writer for New Zealand's Herald.
Learn more

Divorce in the air between club's co-owners Glenn and Watson and here's hoping it will be a quickie.

So now we know who has been in control of the Warriors. And apparently it wasn't co-owner Owen Glenn.

The remarkably shambolic events of yesterday, involving a bizarre and revealing press release from Glenn, represent chaos like we haven't seen since the last chaotic Warriors episode, and the one before that.

Divorce is in the air between Glenn and the other co-owner, Eric Watson. Glenn, according to subsequent Herald investigation, has been feeling left out. The question now is will it be a messy divorce. Speed, for the sake of the club, is of the essence.

When you witness sports ownership at its craziest, you understand why the New Zealand Rugby Union only pretends to let people buy Super rugby franchises.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Coach Matt Elliott's departure will fit in a list of memorable Warriors events, like losing their first points for fielding an ineligible player, signing up with a rival to the Australian Rugby League, joining the salary cap rorting business, having clandestine meetings with the International Rugby Board, and ripping through owners, chief executives and coaches with the gusto that Warren Beatty had for the opposite sex. You name it, and the Warriors have done it - apart from winning a premiership, of course.

I recall, way back, enthusiastically recording amazing quotes from inaugural coach John Monie, as he blasted the club's then chairman Peter McLeod during the Super League war. Put it this way: more than a century of New Zealand rugby has not produced such open, ferocious hostility. A fellow journo, on reading the story, reckoned: "This is just like overseas sport."

Never a dull moment. Every few years the Warriors produce a doozie. But even by their lofty controversy standards, the Glenn press release takes some beating. As the eyes worked down the page, the mouth slowly mouthed "wow". In it, Glenn berated his club's management and by strong implication Watson for Elliott's sacking and its handling.

As he is prone to do, Glenn distanced himself from anything that might be termed mediocrity, although not everyone would regard this sort of press release - issued from the other side of the world - as the last word in high standards.

But give him top marks for brutal honesty as he sees it, because Glenn made it clear that, unbelievably, he was not consulted, that Elliott had not resigned as chief executive Wayne Scurrah claimed, and Glenn quite rightly described the Warriors' performance against Cronulla as a "debacle".

We in the press often urge sport to be more transparent, so it is hard to dis a man for hurling open the gates so we can dance around the dirty washing. But you could almost hear Simon Mannering, the redoubtable skipper, letting out a sigh and ringing his agent, beaten at last.

Discover more

League

League: Kiwis scramble to find assistant

08 Apr 04:15 PM
Warriors

NRL: Elliott slams Warriors 'myths'

08 Apr 07:23 PM
Warriors

NRL: Iro rules out Warriors return

08 Apr 08:04 PM
League

League: Cleary lends Kiwis helping hand

08 Apr 11:03 PM

Geez, how time flies. It feels like only five minutes ago that Glenn and Watson were revealing their dreams of owning the most glorious sports franchise in the Southern Hemisphere. They won't be the first to fall out over owning a sports club, and they won't be the last. It is an expensive business and far trickier than imagined. Those Churchillian speeches sound great, until blokes drop the ball and turn up to training overweight. Egos get bruised.

Dressing sackings up as resignations is hardly new in business and sport either. As followers of New Zealand cricket know, who said exactly what in private rooms is also open for amazing debate. But however it happened, going public holds implications.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Glenn, it looks clear, is positioning himself for an exit. If it comes down to which co-owner becomes the remaining owner, I'd plump for Watson in the interests of the club's survival, although Glenn beats him hands down in the business of helping sell newspapers.

A knee-jerk press release attacking a knee-jerk decision hints at why Glenn has had the odd hiccup with his various projects. If ever a bit of paper could destabilise a club, this is it.

Watson, though, has stuck with the Warriors through thick and thin, with little fuss - he was virtually invisible during the salary cap crisis. His style is more likely to produce an environment coaches and players can operate in. That's if he's got decent ones left.

Poor Andrew McFadden, the rookie coach in the centre of this mess. Until Glenn hit the send key, the Warriors were down but not out. But open ownership warfare and/or rank instability will chase the good players away, and make it virtually impossible to bring good ones in. Those who do come are likely to be past their prime, and able to demand exorbitant wages.

Whatever the outcome, the smell will hang around.

The current Warriors need to circle the wagons. The experienced hard men - basically Mannering, Thomas Leuluai and Nathan Friend - must lead a battle cry of professional pride. But this has got downward spiral written all over it. Worse still, the stadium situation is a crisis beyond saving by a club of schisms.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Chief executive Scurrah, a survivor, has been a failure. This is an emergency situation, one that needs a brilliant old hand like the club's former executive director John Hart to take charge. A hardened league chief executive willing to stand up to the owner is a priority. Maybe the calm, wise old head of Aussie coach Tim Sheens in some sort of role - not necessarily coach - would be a good idea right now.

Unfortunately the likes of Hart won't want a job under such chaotic ownership. And who right now makes the calls? Eric might give you a job, and Owen would ring up saying you haven't got it.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Warriors

Warriors

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

20 Jun 04:58 AM
Warriors

'Reason why the Warriors are doing well': Slater praises Capewell after monster Origin effort

18 Jun 11:00 PM
Warriors

'Trailblazing partnership': Why Warriors hope new agreement can transform women's league

18 Jun 05:38 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Warriors

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

Ex-NRL player says family threatened after 'dog shot' on Warriors fullback

20 Jun 04:58 AM

The former Manly Sea Eagles centre has copped a five-game suspension after the hit.

'Reason why the Warriors are doing well': Slater praises Capewell after monster Origin effort

'Reason why the Warriors are doing well': Slater praises Capewell after monster Origin effort

18 Jun 11:00 PM
'Trailblazing partnership': Why Warriors hope new agreement can transform women's league

'Trailblazing partnership': Why Warriors hope new agreement can transform women's league

18 Jun 05:38 AM
Capewell to miss Warriors' clash with Panthers, rookie centre returns

Capewell to miss Warriors' clash with Panthers, rookie centre returns

17 Jun 06:36 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP