The All Blacks silence critics, the Warriors' soul-destroying final chapter and Kiwi Marcus Armstong on the Formula 2 podium - Cheree Kinnear gives the highs and lows of the weekend's sport all in 90 seconds. Video / Photosport / Getty Images
The Warriors have again lived up to their reputation of giving fans hope, only to break their hearts.
Saturday saw the conclusion of another Rugby League season - and it was a sense of deja vu for sports writer Michael Burgess, who has been covering the team for more thana decade.
Speaking to the Front Page podcast, Burgess says the thing that has let this team down over the years is the lack of stability.
"The Warriors have had about 10 head coaches since Ivan Cleary left in 2011," says Burgess.
"That includes some interim coaches, but it's quite a staggering turnover... In any occupation, a new boss comes in with different ideas, he wants to do things his way, and then two years later, or whatever, another guy comes in."
Burgess says that turnover in coaches has been detrimental to the team making any real progress from season to season.
While Covid has disrupted recent seasons for the Warriors, Burgess says the issues run deeper than the pandemic.
"There's been massive instability in the playing roster. There have been so many players coming and going. There's been instability in the coaching. We've had four coaches in three seasons. And we've had instability in the way the head office makes decisions... When you've got that level of instability across an organisation, from the playing field to the head office, you're going to see what we've seen on the field."
Despite this, Warriors fans have never wavered in their support for the team - something Burgess says is really unique among supporters.
"They're pretty amazing," he says.
"New Zealand sports fans generally aren't that tribal in the way that you see football fans around the world... We don't really have that in New Zealand. We don't have that intense following of the Blues, the Crusaders or even the All Blacks... But with the Warriors, it is a bit tribal. They follow their team and they're proud to be Warriors fans. Through the wind and the rain, they just keep going along. I think being part of that tribe is part of the attraction, regardless of the results."
That loyalty is also reflected in the sponsorship, with Vodafone signing a new agreement to see the company associated with the team through to 2026.
"It's quite incredible that it's been 28 years. I can't think of many other sports sponsorships that have lasted that long. But Vodafone isn't dumb. They've done the market research and they know that the Warriors have become a powerful brand, even if the last few years have been synonymous with failure and drama," Burgess says.
That loyalty is also rewarded with enormous press coverage over the course of the season.
"The Warriors are always in the news from November when the pre-season starts to September, for good and bad reasons. And that seems to work for Vodafone. But it's still amazingly loyal because if Vodafone did leave, I don't know how many big corporates would be banging down their door to throw in a few million every year."
For now, the focus shifts to the next season to see if this beloved team can finally reward those loyal fans who have filled the stands no matter how bad things have become over the years.
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The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
