Commentary Box: Andrew Saville and Jason Pine discuss the Warriors finals exit, NZ Rugby's financial woes
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Why did the Warriors lose the semi‑final to the Newcastle Knights?
Andrew Saville, Jason Pine, good morning to you both. Morning. Morning, Mike. Now, Andrew, for you, let me talk. How much energy should we spend today getting exercised about the referees in last night's game?
Oh, look, just hearing that commentary again, brought back those memories of the tail end of the game. I think clearly the Warriors were sawn off a couple of times. But would they have won the game if those decisions had gone their way? Maybe, maybe not. Probably not. I thought the Newcastle Knights were outstanding. Their defence was swarming. Caelan Ponga, don't kick the bloody ball to Caelan Ponga. The lack of opportunity or taking opportunities in the first half from the Warriors... There was a mountain stuff, Mike, and you add into that some of the officiating near the end, and yeah, they didn't play well. Things didn't go their way. Newcastle Knights played well.
Correct. Jason?
Yeah, I agree. I think the refereeing decisions, those two were bad decisions by the bunker. I think both went the wrong way, but... It's not the reason that the Warriors lost the game. Look, if they'd got that penalty near the end, they would have kicked it and 12 all in a way. We would have gone into golden point, I guess. But the frustrating thing about all of this is how the Warriors were unable to produce their best rugby league when it really counted at
the back end of the
season.
They won six in a row and then they lose both playoff games.
They were the best attack, the best defence in the comp up until about round six. 24, I think,
and then for whatever reason.
Did the refereeing decisions really affect the Warriors’ chances?
You'd have to suggest the pressure of playoff football got to them.
I reckon that's true. I defended that in the Dolphins game, and I thought, no, I don't see that. But I think by the time you've seen it twice now, and you're right, Jason, if you look at the performance, take your half-dozen games, look at the way they played, you take those two games and look at the way they played. They're two different sides. They couldn't handle the finals. It's as simple as that. Take the referee out of it. Moan about the referee if you want. But I said... If you didn't know what the score was and you just looked at the way the game had unfolded and you had to award a winner just as a judge, you would have given it to the Knights. They looked a better side with more opportunity.
Do you reckon, Mike, that some of the younger players in the team just felt the weight of
expectation too
much? Probably. I mean, not wanting to let down all of those, apart from a very small minority, amazing fans there. You know, the groundswell, the whole country behind this team.
I
reckon. I mean, Lekahela Seymour, I mean, he was brilliant, but he's only 20. Some of these players are just very young men. Mm-hmm. I don't know. I'm just trying to unpack... Well, that's
elite sport, isn't it? You're right. You're right. You're exactly right. The Halasima was... Without him, they would have got beaten by more, a lot more. It looked as... A couple of runs late in the game from the younger players. Previously, they would have made line breaks. They would have got through. They would have pulled off a stunning pass.
How did the pressure on younger Warriors players impact their performance?
It just looked as though that went into their shells, Mike.
They
dropped the ball.
A little bit,
those younger guys. Yeah, there
were too many knock-ons. There were too many things that just... To my eye, they just looked a bit tight. And
when they're tight, that's a good word. When they scored that try out wide, I thought, why would you not... hammer away for another tackle or two up the middle and try and score near the post because there was no way they were going to kick that goal to level up at 12 all. I thought then, yes, you've scored the try, but I don't think the Warriors, I thought then I don't think the Warriors are going to win this game. The other thing with regards to your fish adding, Mike, he let a lot of stuff go. There were a couple of high shots there, especially on the Warriors, that I thought, ooh, regular season game, they would have got pulled up. They might have even got 10 in the bin.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did the Warriors lose the semi‑final to the Newcastle Knights?
0:00–1:40
2
Did the refereeing decisions really affect the Warriors’ chances?
1:40–3:02
3
How did the pressure on younger Warriors players impact their performance?
3:02–4:33
4
What does the fan support for the Warriors say about New Zealand sport culture?
4:33–6:21
5
Why is New Zealand Rugby projected to lose $66 million this year?
6:21–8:25
6
Could privatising Super Rugby help solve the financial crisis?
8:25–9:41
7
What’s the story behind the Davis Cup tie in West Auckland?
9:41–10:47
8
How can New Zealand’s elite sports find a sustainable financial model?
10:47–11:27
Speakers
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