48 hours: More niggle in the commentary box than on the field

Having taken a fearful hammering during the opening round of the NRL, it was a relief to find a league veteran was still fit enough for a post-match interview following the match between our local heroes and the Melbourne Storm.

There must have been grave fears during this season's opening Warriors match at Ericsson Stadium yesterday that Peter Ropati would not make it to the final whistle after he took a pounding from his fellow Sky commentator Daryl Halligan.

Who knows where the seeds of an intense inter-team rivalry were sown. Maybe someone stole someone else's seat during the warm-ups. Maybe one of them has got a fluffier microphone. Who knows - maybe one of them is getting paid more than the other.

But while the under-siege Warriors have manfully presented a united front, cracks immediately emerged in the commentary team.

Such was the commentary-box atmosphere that it got increasingly difficult to concentrate on the sets of six and inside passes yesterday.

That's league of course - you just never know where the next bombshell is coming from in a sport which retains some of the lovably roguish heart of its blue collar origins.

Ironically, since the NRL did their salary cap additions and competition points subtractions, the Warriors have invented a honeymoon by divorcing themselves from reality.

No, the boys aren't worried that they are 40 metres behind the starting barrier. Rather, they are the sort who take one game at a time and don't look at the big picture. They will happily trot along, no matter where the rest of the field may have got to.

No, they don't give a toss that their classy halfback Stacey Jones, who found a rich vein of match-controlling form with the Kiwis in 2005, has skipped off. They can't do anything about that now so let's all wish Stacey the best. Au revoir Stace, mate.

No, the fans aren't that bothered either about starting the season below zero. That's because their spokesman is the Mad Butcher. You could blow up Ericsson Stadium and Mad would announce he'd found a winning Lotto ticket in the debris.

And no, the players aren't affected by the salary rort publicity because Ruben Wiki says he is never one to get caught up with what is said in the newspapers. How do we know this? Because Ruben said so, in his column, in a newspaper.

Given this predictable exercise in league speak and solidarity, it was amusing if distracting to hear a commentary team disintegrate over a video replay call.

It started with a fairly humdrum piece of league action, the sight of Warriors player Tony Martin landing a boot on the sideline in the act of trying to score a try.

If the Warriors wing had known what was to follow, he would surely have tried much harder to keep all his body parts in the field of play.

As the video replay ref began to settle into his work, Halligan instantly ruled out the try. But Ropati wasn't so sure, and said so.

Halligan, with the bit between his teeth, immediately accused Ropati of being a permanent fence sitter. Ropati replied that he would hate to ever be hauled before Judge Halligan such was his haste to pronounce sentence. And so the scene for the battle was set.

At one point another party suggested Ropati had engaged in a u-turn, as if we really needed a third player joining this affray.

It also brought tears to the eyes, the thought of a man sitting on a fence doing a-turn.

These bush fires were never extinguished. At one point, Ropati was even informed that he had (fence) splinters in his rear.

However Halligan, the over-eager judge, was to be hoist by his own petard when he steadfastly refused to give an instant verdict, or any verdict at all, as we awaited another video decision.

This was the moment when Ropati could have gone in for the kill but he allowed Halligan to run himself into a corner. A clever move on Ropati's part, perhaps, or maybe he was just sitting on the fence again. In hindsight, Halligan missed a royal chance to land another telling splinter in Ropati's rear.

Given all of this, it was with trepidation that we went to the post- match on-field interviews.

You half expected Ropati to emerge in an agitated state, a wild look in the eye, microphone bopping all over the place, and general chaos in the air.

In other words, you expected Peter Ropati to look like Matthew Johns.

But no. There he was, dapper as usual, microphone steady as rock. What composure.

And so, after a tension-filled start, on with the season.

The big hits and high tackles will move to Hamilton this week. And oh yes. The Warriors will be playing the Parramatta Eels there as well.

High

A thrilling cricket test at Eden Park, even if the quality wasn't always the best. It sure beats Twenty20.

Low

A first round defeat for the Warriors - the reality of their salary cap punishment has quickly set in. Poor crowds at Eden Park - a vote for Twenty20.