From www.nrl.com:
Three games in 10 days are in store for the Vodafone Warriors’ Allied Work Force elite development team when it starts a North Island tour in Hamilton on Sunday (September 24).
Among the touring party are new signings Russell and Paora Packer from the Central Falcons as well as halfback Isaac John from the Waicoa Bay Stallions.
The Packers and John plus six other squad members were all named in the 2006 Junior Kiwis recently.
Also in the party is 18-year-old back rower Sonny Fai, a Vodafone Warriors first grade squad member throughout the 2006 NRL season.
Of the 24 players named, most were involved in Monday night’s encounter with a Bartercard Cup All Stars team, a match the far more experienced Bartercard Cup side won narrowly 24-18.
This tour, being run in conjunction with the New Zealand Rugby League, begins with a match against the Waicoa Bay Stallions in Hamilton on Sunday followed by the Central Falcons in Palmerston North on September 30 and another against the Wellington Orcas on October 3.
“Our plan is that some time soon we’ll be able to have our Allied Work Force squad involved in a regular competition and this is an ideal way of preparing them for it,†said Vodafone Warriors welfare and development manager Tony Iro.
“It’s also about promoting the game outside Auckland and spreading our message about developing local players from throughout the country.â€Â
Iro said Vodafone Warriors coaches Ivan Cleary and John Ackland would be taking a close interest in performances.
“There’s a chance for every player involved to impress them,†said Iro.
Apart from the three matches, the squad will be involved in a series of coaching clinics for school kids, timed to coincide with the school holidays. The clinics will be held in Hamilton, Tauranga, Taupo, Palmerston North and Wellington.
This trip follows exposure earlier this year when the squad won four of five games it played, beating two teams on a short Australian tour and winning two of three encounters with Bartercard Cup teams.
The franchises involved in this tour all have a connection with the Vodafone Warriors. First-graders Wairangi Koopu, Lance Hohaia, Louis Anderson and Sam Rapira have a playing history in Waikato as does Simon Mannering in Wellington while the Packers were signed from the Falcons.
The Allied Work Force programme has achieved notable success this year with three graduates – Patrick Ah Van, Rapira and Misi Taulapapa – all making their NRL debuts, Ah Van going on to total 15 appearances in his rookie season.
After these three matches, the Allied Work Force side will face the Junior Kiwis at Mt Smart Stadium on October 10.
Three games in 10 days are in store for the Vodafone Warriors’ Allied Work Force elite development team when it starts a North Island tour in Hamilton on Sunday (September 24).
Among the touring party are new signings Russell and Paora Packer from the Central Falcons as well as halfback Isaac John from the Waicoa Bay Stallions.
The Packers and John plus six other squad members were all named in the 2006 Junior Kiwis recently.
Also in the party is 18-year-old back rower Sonny Fai, a Vodafone Warriors first grade squad member throughout the 2006 NRL season.
Of the 24 players named, most were involved in Monday night’s encounter with a Bartercard Cup All Stars team, a match the far more experienced Bartercard Cup side won narrowly 24-18.
This tour, being run in conjunction with the New Zealand Rugby League, begins with a match against the Waicoa Bay Stallions in Hamilton on Sunday followed by the Central Falcons in Palmerston North on September 30 and another against the Wellington Orcas on October 3.
“Our plan is that some time soon we’ll be able to have our Allied Work Force squad involved in a regular competition and this is an ideal way of preparing them for it,†said Vodafone Warriors welfare and development manager Tony Iro.
“It’s also about promoting the game outside Auckland and spreading our message about developing local players from throughout the country.â€Â
Iro said Vodafone Warriors coaches Ivan Cleary and John Ackland would be taking a close interest in performances.
“There’s a chance for every player involved to impress them,†said Iro.
Apart from the three matches, the squad will be involved in a series of coaching clinics for school kids, timed to coincide with the school holidays. The clinics will be held in Hamilton, Tauranga, Taupo, Palmerston North and Wellington.
This trip follows exposure earlier this year when the squad won four of five games it played, beating two teams on a short Australian tour and winning two of three encounters with Bartercard Cup teams.
The franchises involved in this tour all have a connection with the Vodafone Warriors. First-graders Wairangi Koopu, Lance Hohaia, Louis Anderson and Sam Rapira have a playing history in Waikato as does Simon Mannering in Wellington while the Packers were signed from the Falcons.
The Allied Work Force programme has achieved notable success this year with three graduates – Patrick Ah Van, Rapira and Misi Taulapapa – all making their NRL debuts, Ah Van going on to total 15 appearances in his rookie season.
After these three matches, the Allied Work Force side will face the Junior Kiwis at Mt Smart Stadium on October 10.
