If the Warriors are fortunate enough to be invited back to a future NRL season opener in Las Vegas, the club’s fans will be at the heart of the decision.
The on-field performance in the 30-8 thumping by Canberra may have been insipid, but the off-field showing was inspiring.
The mouthy Canberra fan directly behind us at the impressive Allegiant Stadium mused: “Who’s running New Zealand? They’re all here.”
It certainly felt that way. And it was a great feeling being among the Warriors faithful in Vegas, drawn from all over the world to show pride in where we hail from and who we support.
There were planeloads from New Zealand, plenty of Australian-based Kiwis and the odd expat from inter-state. One woman thought she was in Vegas with her partner on a shopping trip; the rest knew why they were there.
About one in four of the 40,000 fans who descended on Sin City was there to support the Warriors. Showing teamwork that was sadly missing on the field, the fans displayed a wide variety of modern and retro playing jerseys and T-shirts augmented by tailored suits and the rare onesie.
“Up the Wahs” was the uniting birdsong, the mana wave the go-to acknowledgement.
The resilience lacking on the field was blindingly obvious with the fans, who traipsed the Strip in numbers under a hot sun and braved crowds and barriers to attend all the fan-fest activities in the build-up to league’s quadruple-header.
The team signing session at the Fan Hub on the Thursday was a serious disappointment, with hundreds queuing up for an age only to be told the session had timed out and the players were no longer available. What to do? Maybe renew wedding vows?
Thankfully, the next fan engagement later that day at the Fremont Street Experience coped admirably with a crowd of more than 10,000. We snared a spot at the front of the barriers holding back the masses from one of the two red carpets, thinking we would catch the players heading towards the stage. In fact, we were at the end of the exit route and the players were trapped in front of us for an age as they waited for their bus pick-up.
The Warriors fans at the front let their British counterparts through to interact with the Wigan and Warrington players before reclaiming their prime positions, then graciously stepped back again to let the Canberra horde engage with their heroes.
The Warriors were well received. Two Australian TV shows were taped in front of the crowd that afternoon and Shaun Johnson received one of the biggest cheers. It appears the Warriors’ sacrifice in being based on the West Island during Covid times is still fondly remembered.
Back on the red carpet, James Fisher-Harris and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck were in hot demand for selfies, as was Kiwis coach Stacey Jones.
The night climaxed with Kiwi rapper Savage inviting Warriors fans on-stage – giving the local security heart palpitations – for a stirring rendition of the Warriors chant.
There were a few sore heads on game day, but that didn’t stop a tidal wave of Warriors supporters from meeting at Tom’s Watch at New York, New York on the Strip to walk together in groups to the stadium, 25 minutes away.
We were fortunate enough to be invited to a pre-game tailgate party in Lot J of the super-sized Allegiant car park, hosted by Vegas-domiciled Aussie Greg and his American wife Lana. Because the event attendees were mainly from offshore, there were few cars and plenty of room for socialising. Beverages flowed and plenty of food was on offer, including a Thanksgiving-inspired roll consisting of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. When in America …
Despite Facebook forum fears of bag searches and item confiscations, entrance to the stadium was cruisy. But it soon became apparent how difficult the Warriors’ task would be.
Allegiant is home to the Las Vegas Raiders, relocated from Oakland in 2020 to provide an NFL option in the Entertainment Capital of the World for the first time. Raiders imagery was everywhere. Any locals looking for an NRL team to support were quickly drawn to the Raiders of the Canberra kind.
The team reveal on the giant screens also provided a bad omen. The announcement of James Fisher-Harris earned the biggest response, only to be tempered and descend into laughter when Jackson Ford’s image was displayed.
The spectacle was impressive and a welcome distraction from the on-field non-contest. Any ball caught in the crowd didn’t have to be given back, providing one of the loudest cheers of the night for the first crowd catch, just in front of us, with the Steeden safely squirrelled away as a souvenir.
Whenever there was a break in play, music blared, lights flashed and spotlights sought out interesting characters to highlight on the big screens. Given the amount of tries the Green Machines scored, an extensive music catalogue was showcased – absolute bangers supported by tunes with a high degree of vibration that left the body tingling.
Savage tried his level best to re-energise the Warriors contingent quietened by the 16-4 halftime deficit. The hips did start swinging again. But it was only the speakers going to war; the on-field combat was too one-sided. At least Savage ensured we won halftime.
Another welcome distraction during the break played out on the big screens when footage of the fans was digitally altered to give some attendees huge teethy grins and turn others into cartoon characters.
The second spell was marred by the enjoyment shown by Raiders fans, who started singing Kiwi anthems with glee. Their embrace of Slice Of Heaven was a slap in the face.
To be fair, the Raiders fans took no real joy in humbling the Wahs. They half expected the win and were just as excited at the prospect of the Sharks dethroning the Panthers in the final match.
The loss didn’t dampen the spirits of Warriors fans either. For many, the occasion was what mattered. The anticipation – built up over months from booking early to arriving early; to attending fan events and heading to the ground together en masse – proved to be better than the actual match. A doughnut high helped too.
Many of the Wahs supporters did a runner two games into the four-match fixture list. Pre-game, a Facebook poll on a Kiwi fan site revealed overwhelming support for the NRL matches to be played back-to-back. There was little to no interest in the Jillaroos spanking their English counterparts. Kiwis voted with their feet.
A loss in the Canberra cold stings. A loss at home in Auckland, meh. Putting the LOSS in Vegas? No drama. The night was young. The delights of the Strip beckoned. We were thirsty … and potentially sinful.
If the team are granted another engagement in Vegas, we would be back in a heartbeat. Even if it’s not our year, it’s our kinda event.
Newstalk ZB freelancer Dean McLachlan was the Warriors communications manager in their debut season 30 years ago and has held senior PR and marketing roles at other sports bodies including Netball New Zealand and A1GP New Zealand while still dabbling in his first love as a sports journalist.
The Warriors' second-rower has been recalled for Queensland for State of Origin game 2.