KEY POINTS:
Perseverance has paid off for New Zealand Warrior Todd Byrne, who is about to cap a National Rugby League season of fluctuating fortunes with an appearance in the finals.
Byrne, a familiar face this year with the Auckland Lions in the New South Wales Premier League, found himself recalled to first-grade over the past month as an injury replacement.
He filled in firstly for fullback Wade McKinnon, in the process finally bringing up his 100th NRL appearance, and then last weekend for centre Jerome Ropati against Penrith.
With Ropati out with the season-ending shoulder injury, Byrne retains his place for the qualifying final against Parramatta in Auckland tomorrow night.
Byrne, whose game time in the NRL this year have been restricted to 10 matches, said he never gave up hope of getting back into the Warriors when he was turning out for the Lions.
"For a while, it was pretty difficult, but a lot of guys were giving me support," he said.
"If an opportunity came around, I wanted to be in a good state and so tried as hard as I could in reserve grade. Unfortunately, Jerome got injured, so I was lucky and I tried to make the most of the opportunity I got."
Against the Panthers, Byrne produced the goods with two tries as the Warriors came from behind to snatch a 24-20 win that sealed fourth place in the minor premiership.
"I was just in the right spot at the right time," he said.
"It's hopefully one of the better parts of my game - good anticipation."
Byrne, 29, had plenty of playoff experience, including a grand final appearance, with his previous club, the Sydney Roosters, before he moved to the Warriors at the start of 2005.
In his four seasons with the Roosters, the Sydneysiders finished in the top eight on each occasion, so Byrne hadn't known anything different.
However, the Warriors' failure to progress past the regular season in his first two years in Auckland made their present success particularly satisfying.
"To come over here and have a couple of years of not making it and then to work so hard this year, I'm definitely more appreciative of it."
Byrne said the mood in the Warriors' camp this week was one of nervous energy mixed with excitement.
Many of his team-mates hadn't played finals football so the anticipation was unmistakeable.
"They're really pumped to get out there, so whatever happens, we'll have a lot of fun on Friday night," he said.
"We just have to relax and treat it like another game, but also be aware that's it's a big stage."
Byrne is out of contract at the end of the season, and it was ironic that he and another player about to leave the Warriors, Huddersfield-bound hooker George Gatis, had such prominent roles in the turnaround against Penrith.
Byrne said his future was still undecided, and he was looking at options both in the NRL and the British Super League for next year.
He said it was "probably 50-50 at the moment" whether he ended up back in Australia or headed to England.
- NZPA
