1997 Auckland Warriors season

The Auckland Warriors 1997 season was the Auckland Warriors 3rd first-grade season. The club competed in Australasia's Super League. The coach of the team was John Monie until he was replaced by Frank Endacott after Round 9 while Matthew Ridge was the club's captain.

1997 Auckland Warriors season
SL Rank7th
1997 recordWins: 7; draws: 0; losses: 11
Points scoredFor: 332; against: 406
Team information
CEOBill MacGowan
CoachJohn Monie
Frank Endacott
Captain
StadiumEricsson Stadium
Avg. attendance15,442
Top scorers
TriesSean Hoppe (11)
GoalsMarc Ellis (25)
PointsMarc Ellis (71)
< 1996 1998 >

Milestones

  • 12 April - Round 7: Sean Hoppe plays his 50th match for the club.
  • 19 April - Round 8: Gene Ngamu and Tea Ropati play in their 50th match for the club.
  • 27 April - Round 9: Stephen Kearney plays his 50th match for the club.
  • 6 July - Round 14: Stacey Jones plays his 50th match for the club.

Jersey & Sponsors

The Warriors adopted a new jersey in 1997 that matched the Super League style used by the other nine teams in the competition. The jerseys were made by Nike, Inc.

Fixtures

The Warriors used Ericsson Stadium as their home ground in 1997, their only home ground since they entered the competition in 1995.

Regular season

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultScoreTriesGoalsAttendanceReport
1 MarchRound 1 Brisbane BroncosANZ Stadium, BrisbaneLoss2 - 14Ridge (1)42,361
8 MarchRound 2 Hunter MarinersEricsson Stadium, AucklandWin18 - 14Hoppe (2), EruRidge (3)20,300
17 MarchRound 3 Cronulla SharksShark Park, SydneyLoss8 - 34BettsRidge (2)16,860
21 MarchRound 4 Adelaide RamsEricsson Stadium, AucklandLoss12 - 16Jones, TuimavaveEllis (2)13,000
29 MarchRound 5 Penrith PanthersEricsson Stadium, AucklandWin16 - 14Betts, Hoppe, T.RopatiEllis (1), Ridge (1)19,400
7 AprilRound 6 Canberra RaidersBruce Stadium, CanberraWin31 - 24Henare, Hoppe, Jones, Kearnery, I.RopatiEllis (5 + FG)15,061
12 AprilRound 7 Hunter MarinersTopper Stadium, NewcastleLoss10 - 18Hoppe, I.RopatiEllis (1)7,719
19 AprilRound 8 Canterbury BulldogsEricsson Stadium, AucklandLoss24 - 38Eru, Jones, I.Ropati, T.RopatiEllis (4)17,000
27 AprilRound 9 North Queensland CowboysStockland Stadium, TownsvilleLoss22 - 30Endacott, Hoppe, T.RopatiEllis (5)12,464
4 MayRound 10 Brisbane BroncosEricsson Stadium, AucklandLoss18 - 34Hoppe (2), T.RopatiEllis (3)16,471
26 MayRound 11 Canberra RaidersEricsson Stadium, AucklandLoss10 - 20Ellis, RidgeEllis (1)15,100
1 JuneRound 12 Western RedsWACA Ground, PerthLoss12 - 24Eru, HoppeNgamu (2)10,203
6 JuneWCC 1 St Helens R.F.C.Knowsley Road, St. HelensWin42 - 14Hoppe (2), A.Swann (2), Jones, Kearney,
T.Ropati
Ridge (7)8,911
14 JuneWCC 2 Bradford BullsOdsal Stadium, BradfordWin20 - 16Jones, Ridge, StaladiRidge (4)13,133
23 JuneWCC 3 Warrington WolvesWilderspool Stadium, WarringtonWin56 - 28T.Ropati (4), A.Swann (2), Kearney, Ngamu,
Ridge, Vagana
Ridge (8)4,428
29 JuneRound 13 Penrith PanthersPenrith Stadium, SydneyLoss22 - 26Eru (2), Jones, StaladiNgamu (3)4,446
6 JulyRound 14 Cronulla SharksEricsson Stadium, AucklandWin11 - 8EllisRidge (3), Jones (FG)12,568
11 JulyRound 15 Adelaide RamsAdelaide Oval, AdelaideWin18 - 8Oudenryn, T.RopatiEllis (3)13,278
18 JulyWCC 4 Bradford BullsEricsson Stadium, AucklandWin64 - 14T.Ropati (3), Hoppe (2), Betts, Ellis, Eru,
Ngamu, Oudenryn
Ngamu (12)12,500
25 JulyWCC 5 St Helens R.F.C.Ericsson Stadium, AucklandWin70 - 6Ngamu (3), Eru (2), Hoppe (2), Oudenryn (2),
Betts, Ellis, Jones
Ridge (11)18,354
3 AugustWCC 6 Warrington WolvesLancaster Park, ChristchurchWin16 - 4Eru, Jones, KearneyRidge (2)5,500
11 AugustRound 16 Canterbury BulldogsBelmore Sports Ground, SydneyLoss18 - 40Hoppe, Oudenryn, A.SwannRidge (3)5,126
16 AugustRound 17 Western RedsEricsson Stadium, AucklandWin30 - 22Ridge (2), Betts, Jones, KearneyRidge (5)13,142
24 AugustRound 18 North Queensland CowboysEricsson Stadium, AucklandWin50 - 22Ellis (3), Jones (2), Bailey, Hoppe,
Oudenryn, A.Swann
Ngamu (7)12,000

World Club Challenge Finals

DateRoundOpponentVenueResultScoreTriesGoalsAttendanceReport
3 OctoberQualifying Final Bradford BullsEricsson Stadium, AucklandWin62 - 14Hoppe (2), Ridge (2), Ellis, Eru, Jones, Malam,
Ngamu, A.Swann, L.Swann
Ridge (9)12,063
10 OctoberSemi-final Brisbane BroncosANZ Stadium, BrisbaneLoss16 - 22Oudenryn (2), EndacottRidge (2)9,686

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Brisbane (P) 181413481283+19829
2 Cronulla 181206403230+17324
3 Canberra 181107436337+9922
4 Canterbury 181008453447+620
5 Penrith 18909431462-3118
6 Hunter 187011350363-1314
7 Auckland 187011332406-7414
8 Perth 187011321456-13514
9 Adelaide 186111303402-9913
10 North Queensland 185211328452-12412
  • (P) - Premiers

WCC Australasia Pool A

ClubPlayedWonLostDrawnForAgainstDiff.Points
Brisbane Broncos66002705221812
Auckland Warriors66002688218612
Cronulla Sharks66002305417612
Penrith Panthers660025612013612
Canberra Raiders651030210819410
Canterbury Bulldogs6420218121978

Squad

The Warriors used 29 players in 1997, including four players making their first grade debuts.

No.NameNationalityPositionWarriors DebutAppTGFGPts
2Phil BlakeAustraliaFB / HK10 March 199520000
3Sean HoppeNew ZealandWG10 March 199518110044
6Gene NgamuNew ZealandFE10 March 199517012024
10Hitro OkeseneNew ZealandPR / HK10 March 199510000
11Stephen KearneyNew ZealandSR10 March 1995172008
13Tony TuimavaveNew Zealand / SamoaPR / LK10 March 199571004
15Tea RopatiNew Zealand / SamoaCE / FE10 March 19951650020
18Joe VaganaNew Zealand / SamoaPR18 March 1995170000
19Syd EruNew ZealandHK28 March 19951850020
24Stacey JonesNew ZealandHB23 April 19951870129
28Denis BettsEnglandSR4 June 19951430012
29Marc EllisNew ZealandFB / WG31 March 199616525171
30Mark HoroNew ZealandPR / SR31 March 1996150000
33Awen GuttenbeilNew Zealand / TongaSR14 April 199640000
35Iva RopatiNew ZealandCE19 April 1996530012
36Anthony SwannNew Zealand / SamoaCE23 June 1996182008
37Brady MalamNew ZealandPR23 June 1996150000
38Bryan HenareNew ZealandSR23 July 1996111004
40Matthew RidgeNew ZealandFB1 March 19979318048
41Grant YoungNew ZealandPR1 March 199790000
42Logan SwannNew ZealandSR1 March 1997130000
43Steve BuckinghamNew ZealandFE17 March 199720000
44Shane EndacottNew ZealandFE29 March 199781004
45Paul StaladiNew ZealandWG27 April 199741004
46Meti NoovaoCook IslandsCE / LK1 June 199710000
47Lee OudenrynAustraliaWG6 July 1997540016
48Aaron WhittakerNew ZealandHB29 June 199710000
49David BaileyNew ZealandCE11 August 199731004
50Jerry Seu SeuNew Zealand / SamoaPR16 August 199710000

Staff

  • Chief Executive Officer: Ian Robson, replaced by Bill MacGowan in February 1997[1]

Coaching Staff

Transfers

Gains

PlayerPrevious ClubLengthNotes
Matthew RidgeManly Sea EaglesHad initially signed and trained with the side in 1996, until the Super League season was postponed.
Grant YoungSouth Queensland Crushers
Shane EndacottCanterbury Country Cardinals
Lee OudenrynGold Coast Seagulls

Losses

PlayerClubNotes
Aaron LesterWhitehaven
Doc MurrayWigan Warriors
Nigel VaganaWarrington Wolves
Mark CarterAuckland Rugby Football Union
Andy PlattSalford City Reds
John KirwanNEC Green Rockets
Tony TatupuWarrington Wolves
Gavin HillRetired
Greg AlexanderPenrith Panthers
Richie BlackmoreLeeds Rhinos

Awards

Stacey Jones won the club's Player of the Year award.[2]

Other Teams

The Warriors fielded teams in both Super League's reserve grade and the Under-19 competition (The Mal Meninga Cup). The Reserve Grade side finished fourth and then beat Cronulla, Perth and North Queensland to make the Grand Final while the Under 19's finished the regular season as minor premiers, beating Penrith to make the Grand Final. Ultimately however both sides lost their respective Grand Finals, with the reserve grade going down 12-40 and the Under-19's losing 12–27.

Grand Final Teams

Reserve Grade: Glen Coughlan, Iva Ropati, David Bailey, Joe Galuvao, Paul Staladi, Meti Noovao, Aaron Whittaker, Hitro Okesene, Steve Buckingham, Grant Young, Tony Tuimavave, Jerry Seu Seu, Bryan Henare. Bench: Ben Fahey, Frank Watene, Paul Rauhihi, Ricky Henry. Coach: Gary Kemble.

Under-19: Junior Lemafa, Odell Manuel, Tai Savea, Peter Lewis, Mark Fakahua, Monty Betham, Anthony Clyde, David Solomona, Lee Wetherill, Pewhairangi Jones, Kylie Leuluai, Filimone Lolohea, Ali Lauitiiti. Bench: Steve Murray, Scott Dewhurst, Fale Falemoe, Jonathan Smith. Coach: John Ackland.

References

  1. Frank Endacott with John Coffey Being Frank:The Frank Endacott Story. Auckland, Hodder Moa Beckett, 2002. ISBN 1-86958-922-X.
  2. John Coffey Jones honoured as `Player of the Year' The Press, 29 August 1997
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.