Shaun Johnson burst into the NRL as the presumptive saviour of the ever-woeful Warriors, but his moments of transcendent brilliance were increasingly few and far between, and now he’s been cut loose. Jarret Filmer looks back on his career. There were few things in Warriors history more exhilarating than a Shaun Johnson sidestep. There’s some … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: PM starts new week after three on the back foot, Herald launches economic inequality series, and huge house building programme announced for Mt Roskill. The Prime Minister starts the week after a few that she’d probably rather forget. Three weeks in a row now have finished with … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Parliament hears dire data on ocean plastics, Provincial Growth Fund to spend millions for 3 jobs, and minister Clare Curran on personal leave. The spread of microplastics in New Zealand’s coastal waters is increasing, to the point where 80% of samples taken in a study were … Read more
In a case of terrible timing, one set of The Boys are playing at the same time as the other set of The Boys on Saturday night. Which to watch? Alex Braae assesses the options. 7.30pm. Saturday 8 September. The room looks on as you hold the TV remote in an iron grip, visibly sweating … Read more
Viaduct bar Headquarters posted an inflammatory Facebook status on Thursday, calling league fans many bad things. Ra Pomare caught up with the Warriors in Christchurch to get their take on league fans being called ‘vandals’ and ‘abusers’. The Spinoff TV screens Fridays at 9.45pm from June 22nd on THREE. Thanks to NZ on Air.
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Hit and Run inquiry launched, the government moves against offshore oil exploration, and there’s an outbreak of measles in the South Island. The government has launched a long-awaited inquiry into the events detailed in the book Hit and Run. The book, by investigative journalists Jon Stephenson … Read more
Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to The Bulletin. The Defence Minister is defending the use of Air Force for travel, the Police get pinged for checkpoint targeting activists, and the latest on the diplomatic saga over the spy attacked with a nerve agent. Defence minister Ron Mark has been accused of abusing the Air Force … Read more
The New Zealand Breakers have announced a new ownership group including two former NBA players. It’s a well-orchestrated transition which only serves to show how special former owners the Blackwells were, writes Andrew Mulligan. The Breakers just beat the Warriors to it, again. They were the first to bring a non-rugby title to the fully professional … Read more
Billy Idol’s bizarre 2002 performance in Sydney was a seminal moment in NRL grand final history. Now, 15 years on, a Sydney journalist has commemorated the event by having Idol’s hovercraft performance tattoed onto his leg. Jamie Wall talks to Steve Zemek about his courageous move to immortalise this piece of rugby league history. The Warriors … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today: Don Rowe reflects on Shaun Johnson’s clutch kick against the Roosters. It takes a special kind of masochist to devote Sunday after Sunday to seeing the Warriors ritually humiliated at home and abroad. But pleasure and pain are two sides … Read more
The Warriors (probably) hold the NRL record for getting their hearts broken by their former players, with James Maloney’s golden point field goal the most recent incident. Jamie Wall recounts the most traumatic ex-Warrior revenge missions. As far as losses go, the Warriors’ latest to the Sharks would have been relatively easy to take, had it not been … Read more
Everybody loves a good bandwagon, and the Warriors one is once again pulling into the station. Experienced bandwagonner James Dann has some sage advice for those thinking of jumping aboard. So the Warriors pulled out their best performance of the season on Saturday, demolishing last year’s beaten finalists the Brisbane Broncos at Mt Smart Stadium. … Read more
The NRL may or may not be the greatest sports competition on Earth, but it is definitely home to the greatest fan-made banners. James Dann selects six of the best. Rugby league has given so much to our culture over the years. Mullets. Russell Crowe. The term “Hopoate”. But what has often been overlooked is its contribution to … Read more
The NRL set up the @NRLBunker Twitter account in an attempt at transparency. Instead it has become a multi-media sideshow brimming with fan fury. Calum Henderson scoured the account for this list of devastating burns. Getting absolutely fuming mad and shouting at the ref every time he makes what you perceive to be a wrong decision is a hugely important … Read more
This Warriors season seems to be shaping up as a disaster, but still has a way to go before it’s officially worse than 2004, writes Andrew Mulligan. When you lose an NRL game 42-0, it’s bad. When you have to discipline six players for getting so hammered they couldn’t crawl out of bed, pop a … Read more
The Warriors lost badly on ANZAC Day, and now they’re being accused of disrespecting the combatants in a military campaign that happened 101 years ago. That’s dumb, writes Jamie Wall. April 25th, 2016 won’t go down as a day to remember for the Warriors. Not only was the team’s 42-0 loss devoid of any positives, it was … Read more
In the beginning there was darkness. Then professional sports said: let there be garish uniforms, nonsensical team names and frightening, hallucinatory mascots. Calum Henderson looks at the real heroes of the NRL. Almost every professional sports team in the world has one now, but few leagues have embraced the humble mascot as enthusiastically and wholeheartedly … Read more
Why can’t we get rugby or league jerseys with numbers on the back, wonders Jamie Wall. All across the sports world, it’s pretty much common practice to make individual player number jerseys available for rabid fans to buy. So why do the two main footy codes in the Southern Hemisphere refuse to do it? It’s … Read more
Trouble overwhelming? Panic setting in? James Dann offers a few reasons to stop despairing over the Warriors’ terrible start. After a third successive loss, and on the brink of setting a record for their most consecutive losses, many Warriors fans might be thinking this could be another season to forget. But James Dann’s original 1995 … Read more
Is there a more depressing NRL team to support than the Warriors? A man who failed 6th form maths has developed a simple formula to find out. The New Zealand Warriors’ season was barely 20 minutes old when an all-too-familiar anguish began to ripple through their fanbase. Trailing Wests Tigers 16-0 in a game they … Read more
James Dann scales his personal Everest, power ranking all 45 Warriors jerseys from transcendent best to horrible worst. The Warriors head into their 21st season tonight after a number of ups and downs. Probably more downs, to be honest. Since 1995, the Warriors have been known for their unpredictability, their thrilling highs and depressingly common lows. The same mercurial nature … Read more
Rugby league author Will Evans looks back on yet another terrible Warriors season and finds a different origin, one which might – finally – lead to a different result in 2016. Déjà vu isn’t a strong enough term. Recurring nightmare sums it up more accurately. The Warriors’ 2015 campaign – after familiar pre-season tough-talk – … Read more
With Shaun Johnson in recovery from a severe leg injury, Don Rowe thought he might be able to take him down – on PlayStation, at least. Wrong. Seated in a bright yellow bucket-seat, wearing one shoe and a moon boot, Shaun Johnson was still the best league player in the room. Hayley Holt from The … Read more