2009 New Zealand Warriors season

October 2021 2009 NRL 14th Challenge Cup 7 2 14 377 515 CEO Wayne Scurrah Ivan Cleary John Ackland Steve Price Micheal Luck Mt Smart Stadium 15,486 Manu Vatuvei (13) Kevin Locke (22) Kevin Locke (60) 2008 2010 The 2009 New Zealand Warriors season was the 15th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership and finished 14th (out of 16). The coach of the Warriors was Ivan Cleary while Steve Price was the team's captain. In 2009 Warriors games were broadcast on New Zealand's Sky network averaged 107,163 viewers.Kilgallon Steve Kiwi TV viewers go cold on rugby codes http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/kiwi-tv-viewers-go-cold-on-rugby-codes-20110409-1d8s3.html 18 August 2014 The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 10 April 2011 Milestones 14 March – Round One: Steve Price played in his 300th National Rugby League game. 14 March – Round One: Four players made their debuts for the Warriors; Denan Kemp, Joel Moon, Jacob Lillyman & Leeson Ah Mau. Ah Mau also made his first grade debut. 22 March – Round Two: Two players made their debuts for the Warriors; Jesse Royal & Ukuma Ta'ai. Ta'ai also made his first grade debut. 5 April – Round Four: Game dedicated to the memory of Sonny Fai, the Warriors lose to the South Sydney Rabbitohs 22–16. 5 April – Round Four: Nathan Fien played in his 100th game for the Warriors. 5 April – Round Four: Daniel O'Regan made his first grade debut, becoming Warrior #150. 3 May – Round Eight: Lewis Brown made his first grade debut. 17 May – Round Ten: Jerome Ropati played in his 100th National Rugby League game and 100th game for the club. 31 May – Round Twelve: Two players made their first grade debuts; Kevin Locke and Aaron Heremaia. 12 June – Round Fourteen: Stacey Jones played in his 250th game for the club. 19 July – Round Nineteen: Isaac John made his first grade debut. 26 July – Round Twenty: Patrick Ah Van played in his 50th National Rugby League game and 50th game for the club. 31 July – Round Twenty One: Evarn Tuimavave played in his 100th National Rugby League game and 100th game for the club. It was also Tuimavave's first game of the season. 15 August – Round Twenty Three: Siuatonga Likiliki made his first grade debut. 5 September – Round Twenty Six: Simon Mannering played in his 100th National Rugby League game and 100th game for the club. 5 September – Round Twenty Six: Stacey Jones played in his last game for the club, the Warriors lost to the Melbourne Storm 30–0. Jersey and sponsors rightrightrightThe Warriors used a New Jersey design in 2009, produced by Canterbury of New Zealand. Previously Puma AG had supplied the Warriors with apparel. The jerseys were unveiled on 25 February.Vodafone Warriors 2009 – new year, new team, new look https://web.archive.org/web/20090402003945/http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/35/vodafone-warriors-2009---new-year-new-team-new-look/ 2 April 2009 Warriors Official Site The Main jersey retained the Black & White colours of the previous jersey, with a reversed scheme for the away jersey. The Warriors used a Blue jersey for the "Heritage round" in Round 10, to represent the Auckland. The Heritage jersey was also worn in Round 12, to celebrate the centenary of the Auckland Rugby League, and in Rounds 24 and 25. Vodafone New Zealand was again the naming rights sponsor of the Warriors in 2009. Lion Red was the sleeve sponsor. Suzuki and HiFX were featured on the shorts while Loadlift was on the back of the jersey. Other major sponsors included ZM and Flava. Fixtures List of New Zealand Warriors results The Warriors used Mt Smart Stadium as their home ground in 2009, their only home ground since they entered the competition in 1995. Trial Matches Date Round Opponent Venue Result Score Tries Goals Attendance Report12 FebruaryTrial 116px Melbourne Storm Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Win 24 – 12 McKinnon, Kirk, O'Regan, Vatuvei Kemp (3), Ah Van 10,800 22 FebruaryTrial 216px North Queensland CowboysNorth Harbour Stadium, AucklandWin32 – 28Ah Van, Moon, Hohaia, Solomona, Brown, VatuveiKemp (2), Moon (2)16,500October 2026 medicmedic28 FebruaryTrial 316px Gold Coast TitansOakes Oval, LismoreWin34 – 12Kemp (2), McKinnon (2), Tate, Rapira, MoonKemp (2), Moon5,117 Regular season Date Round Opponent Venue Result Score Tries Goals Attendance Report14 MarchRound 116px Parramatta Eels Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Win 26 – 18 Hohaia (2), Moon, Packer Kemp (5) 20,102Revised crowd number for Vodafone Warriors – Parramatta Eels NRL match https://web.archive.org/web/20090402004018/http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/57/revised-crowd-number-for-vodafone-warriors---parramatta-eels-nrl-match/ 2 April 2009 Warriors Official Site 22 MarchRound 216px Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesBrookvale Oval, SydneyWin26 – 24Tate (2), Vatuvei, Royal, RopatiKemp (3)16,30728 MarchRound 316px Brisbane BroncosMt Smart Stadium, AucklandLoss10 – 26Mannering, Ta'aiKemp (1)24,3505 AprilRound 416px South Sydney Rabbitohs Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 16 – 22 Kirk, Luck, McKinnonKemp (2) 19,38612 AprilRound 516px Newcastle KnightsEnergyAustralia Stadium, NewcastleLoss22 – 24McKinnon, Fien, Packer, Ah VanKemp (3)16,30719 AprilRound 616px Sydney RoostersMt Smart Stadium, AucklandWin (G.P.)17 – 16Jones, Ropati, VatuveiKemp (2), Jones (FG)16,30925 AprilRound 716px Melbourne StormOlympic Park Stadium, MelbourneDraw (G.P.)14 – 14Vatuvei (2), Ah VanKemp (1)15,2003 MayRound 816px St George Illawarra DragonsWIN Stadium, WollongongLoss 11 – 12Ah Van, RopatiAh Van (1), Jones (FG)14,562}Round 9Bye – 17 MayRound 1016px North Queensland CowboysMt Smart Stadium, AucklandLoss 12 – 34Fien, KempKemp (2)16,34524 MayRound 1116px Canberra RaidersCanberra Stadium, CanberraLoss 12 – 38Price, ManneringKemp (2)8,38331 MayRound 1216px Wests TigersMt Smart Stadium, AucklandWin14 – 0Locke (2), McKinnonLocke (1)15,3657 JuneRound 1316px Cronulla SharksToyota Stadium, SydneyLoss10 – 18Vatuvei, BrownLocke (1)14,08213 JuneRound 1416px Newcastle KnightsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Win 13 – 0Hohaia, LockeLocke (2), Hohaia (FG)14,255Round 15Bye – 27 JuneRound 1616px Gold Coast TitansSkilled Park, RobinaLoss 12 – 28Hohaia, BrownLocke (2)20,0313 JulyRound 1716px Brisbane BroncosSuncorp Stadium, BrisbaneLoss 14 – 28Price (2)Locke (3)32,45612 JulyRound 1816px BulldogsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 14 – 18Vatuvei, Locke, PackerLocke (1)11,80219 JulyRound 1916px Sydney RoostersSydney Football Stadium, SydneyWin 30 – 24Vatuvei (2), Ah Van, Mannering, JonesJones (3)8,02126 JulyRound 2016px St George Illawarra DragonsMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 4 – 29Moon13,5071 AugustRound 2116px Penrith PanthersCUA Stadium, SydneyDraw (G.P.) 32 – 32Moon (4), BrownLocke (6)12,6779 AugustRound 2216px Gold Coast TitansMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 10 – 30Vatuvei (2)Locke (1)10,20515 AugustRound 2316px Parramatta EelsParramatta Stadium, SydneyLoss 4 – 40Vatuvei12,62723 AugustRound 2416px Canberra RaidersMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Won 34 – 20Hohaia (2), Heremaia, Mannering, Ropati, Moon Locke (5)8,81230 AugustRound 2516px BulldogsANZ Stadium, Sydney Loss20 – 40Vatuvei (2), Rapira (2)Jones (2)41,8355 SeptemberRound 2616px Melbourne StormMt Smart Stadium, Auckland Loss 0 – 3014,734 Ladder Squad List of New Zealand Warriors players The Warriors used Twenty Nine players in 2009. Twelve players made their debut for the club, including eight making their National Rugby League debuts. No.NameNationalityPositionWarriors debutAppTGFGPts 24Stacey JonesNew ZealandHB23 April 19952325220 99Lance HohaiaNew ZealandUB6 April 20022060125 102Evarn TuimavaveNew ZealandPR1 September 200260000 108Jerome RopatiNew ZealandCE / FE31 August 20031740016 115Manu VatuveiNew ZealandWG23 May 200419130052 121Steve Price Steve Price (rugby league)AustraliaPR13 March 20051430012 124Nathan FienNew ZealandHK13 March 200592008 125Simon ManneringNew ZealandCE26 June 20052340016 126Micheal LuckAustraliaSR12 March 2006231004 129Patrick Ah VanNew ZealandWG9 April 20061441018 131Sam RapiraNew ZealandPR20 May 2006232008 132Wade McKinnonAustraliaFB17 March 20072140016 136Aidan KirkAustraliaFB / CE17 March 200851004 137Brent TateAustraliaCE17 March 200832008 138Ian Henderson Ian Henderson (rugby league)ScotlandHK23 March 2008220000 141Russell PackerNew ZealandPR4 May 20082130012 142Ben MatulinoNew ZealandSR14 June 2008170000 144Denan KempAustraliaWG14 March 200910121046 145Joel MoonAustraliaFE14 March 20092370028 146Jacob LillymanAustraliaPR14 March 2009240000 147Leeson Ah MauNew ZealandPR14 March 200920000 148Jesse Royal rugby leagueNew ZealandPR22 March 2009151004 149Ukuma Ta'aiTongaSR22 March 2009101004 150Daniel O'ReganNew ZealandFE5 April 200910000 151Lewis Brown Lewis Brown (rugby league)New ZealandHK3 May 20091530012 152Kevin Locke Kevin Locke (rugby league)New ZealandFB31 May 200912422060 153Aaron HeremaiaNew ZealandHB31 May 2009111004 154Isaac JohnNew ZealandFE19 July 200930000 155Siuatonga LikilikiNew ZealandCE15 August 200910000 Staff Chief executive officer: Wayne Scurrah NRL staff NRL head coach: Ivan Cleary NRL assistant coach: John Ackland NRL head trainer: Craig Walker NRL assistant trainer: Dayne Norton NRL football manager: Don Mann Jr NRL physiotherapist: Jude Spiers Club doctor: John Mayhew NYC staff NYC head coach: Tony Iro NYC assistant coach: Frank Harold NYC team manager: Dean Bell Transfers Gains thumb|Stacey Jones: came out of retirement to play for the Warriors in 2009 Player Previous club Length NotesLiam ForanMelbourne Storm2009, with optionJacob LillymanNorth Queensland Cowboys2010https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/495683/Warriors-sign-Origin-backrower Warriors sign Origin backrower 19 June 2008 Stuff.co.nz 26 August 2026 Denan KempBrisbane Broncos2010Vodafone Warriors Sign Brisbane Speedster Kemp for Two Years https://web.archive.org/web/20080720190443/http://warriors.sitesuite.ws/plugins/newsfeed.cgi?rm=content&plugin_data_id=23613 20 July 2008 , 28 May 2008Joel MoonBrisbane Broncos2011https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/499405/Moon-rises-as-sun-sets-on-top-Warriors-picks Moon rises as sun sets on top Warriors picks 21 June 2008 Stuff.co.nz 26 August 2026 Stacey JonesRetired2009Lewis BrownWests Tigers2009, with optionJesse RoyalNewcastle Knights2010http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-league-news/warriors-sign-prop-jesse-royal-2488766 Warriors sign prop Jesse Royal 16 February 2009 Television New Zealand 14 September 2011 Losses Player Club NotesRuben WikiRetiredhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=10517650 League: Warriors look to solve halves problem with Moon signing Brown, Michael 22 June 2008 The New Zealand Herald 14 September 2011Wairangi KoopuMelbourne Stormhttp://www.stuff.co.nz/4587470a10713.html?source=RSSLeague_20080618 Swann and Koopu to leave Warriors 18 June 2008 Stuff.co.nz 14 September 2011Logan SwannRetiredMichael CrockettReleasedRyan ShortlandReleasedGrant RovelliNorth Queensland CowboysRovelli Heading Home to Link up with North Queensland for 2009 NRL season https://web.archive.org/web/20120214171929/http://www.warriors.co.nz/plugins/newsfeed.cgi?rm=content&plugin_data_id=25998 14 February 2012 @ Warriors Official Site, 3 December 2008Sonny Faipresumed drownedhttp://www.stuff.co.nz/4809633a10713.html NZ Warrior presumed drowned 5 January 2009 Stuff.co.nz 14 September 2011 Mid-Season Losses Player Club NotesEpalahame LauakiHullMichael WittOtago Rugby UnionLiam ForanNewtown Jetshttp://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/rugby-league/2498831/Sir-Lance-lot-the-Warriors-saviour Sir 'Lance-lot' the Warriors' saviour Donaldson, Michael 14 June 2009 The Sunday Star-Times 14 September 2011Nathan FienSt. George Illawarra Dragonshttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10581783&ref=rss NRL: Fien targets regular role with Dragons 1 July 2009 The New Zealand Herald 14 September 2011 Contract extensions Simon Mannering (until 2012)http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10556875&ref=rss League: Mannering re-signs with Warriors 15 February 2009 The New Zealand Herald 14 September 2011 Jerome Ropati (until 2012)http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10564106&ref=rss NRL: Ropati extends contract to 2012 Brown, Michael 29 March 2009 The New Zealand Herald 14 September 2011Ropati to become 10-year Vodafone Warrior https://web.archive.org/web/20090403180521/http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/100/ropati-to-become-10-year-vodafone-warrior 3 April 2009 Warriors Official Site, 29 March 2009 Lance Hohaia (until 2011, with option)http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10566263&ref=rss NRL: Lance spearheads signings Brown, Michael 12 April 2009 The New Zealand Herald 14 September 2011 Patrick Ah Van (until 2011)Warriors re-sign three players https://web.archive.org/web/20090514151951/http://www.nrl.com/News/Latest/tabid/10244/default.aspx?id=54817 14 May 2009 AAP, 10 May 2009 Aaron Heremaia (until 2011, with option) Isaac John (until 2011, with option) Ian Henderson (until 2011)Henderson re-signs with Warriors https://web.archive.org/web/20090517023302/http://www.nrl.com/NewsViews/LatestNews/NewsArticle/tabid/10874/newsId/54880/Henderson-re-signs-with-Warriors/Default.aspx 17 May 2009 AAP, 14 May 2009 Ivan Cleary (until 2012)Warriors show faith in coach Cleary https://web.archive.org/web/20120322215309/http://www.nrl.com/NewsViews/LatestNews/NewsArticle/tabid/10874/newsId/55200/Default.aspx 22 March 2012 NRL.com, 4 June 2009 Sonny Fai Warrior Sonny Fai went missing at around 7pm on 4 January 2009, after being caught in a rip current while trying to save some family who had got into difficulty at Te Henga (Bethells Beach), Auckland. His body was never recovered.Cleaver Dylan Johansen Dana The remarkable life and tragic death of Sonny Fai https://www.nzherald.co.nz/indepth/sport/tragic-death-of-Sonny-Fai/ 26 August 2026 www.nzherald.co.nz en The entire team attended his two memorial services, one in a Samoan Methodist Church and one held at Te Henga (Bethells Beach).Remembering Sonny at Bethells Beach https://web.archive.org/web/20090327071008/http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/24/remembering-sonny-at-bethells-beach/ 27 March 2009 Warriors Official Site The Warriors wore black armbands for their opening NRL match of the 2009 season, as well as jerseys embroidered with Fai's signature and official team number in honour of him.http://www.nrl.com/News/Latest/tabid/10244/default.aspx?id=53951 Steve Price to play 300th NRL match NRL.com 10 March 2009 11 March 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20120308065143/http://www.nrl.com/News/Latest/tabid/10244/default.aspx?id=53951 8 March 2012 dead End of Season awards Lion Red Player of the Year: Micheal Luckhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10596542&ref=rss NRL: Luck earns top award 11 September 2009 The New Zealand Herald 14 September 2011Tackling machine Luck wins premier award https://web.archive.org/web/20090913183142/http://www.warriors.co.nz/news/368/tackling-machine-luck-wins-premier-award 13 September 2009 Warriors.co.nz, 11 September 2009 Canterbury of New Zealand Clubman of the Year: Sam Rapira Vodafone NRL Young Player of the Year: Russell Packer Vodafone One Tribe Supporters' Player of the Year: Kevin Locke Sonny Fai Medal: Elijah Taylor Other teams In 2009 the Junior Warriors again competed in the Toyota Cup while senior players who were not required for the first team played with the Auckland Vulcans in the NSW Cup. The Auckland Vulcans were coached by Bernie Perenara and finished 11th out of eleven teams. Daniel O'Regan was the Vulcan's player of the year, while Pita Godinet was the runner up and Sione Tongia was the rookie of the year.November 2009 Newsletter https://web.archive.org/web/20110720073303/http://www.aucklandleague.co.nz/site_files/Newsletter%20November%202009.pdf 20 July 2011 Auckland Rugby League 2009 Junior Warriors 2009 NRL Under-20s season Siuatonga Likiliki was named in the 2009 Toyota Cup team of the year.2009 Toyota Cup Team of the Year https://web.archive.org/web/20090904181024/http://www.nrl.com/NewsViews/LatestNews/NewsArticle/tabid/10874/newsId/56509/Default.aspx 4 September 2009 NRL.com, 1 September 2009 Manly 28 Canberra Raiders 32 St. George Illawarra 48 NZ Warriors 24 Melbourne Storm 54 South Sydney 18 Wests Tigers 22 Brisbane Broncos 46 Canberra Raiders 34 Wests Tigers 42 Brisbane Broncos 24 doggies 10 St. George Illawarra 12 Wests Tigers 36 Melbourne Storm 40 Brisbane Broncos 16 Wests Tigers 22 Melbourne Storm 24 References External links Warriors official site Warriors 2009 season rugby league project Category:New Zealand Warriors seasons New Zealand Warriors season War