The New Zealand Warriors scored first blood this week and it wasn’t on the football field, but rather in the pockets of their former financial partner and co-owner, the NZRL. In a move reminiscent of the finest tradition of Aussie league and it’s ability to stick one up the Kiwis, the new New Zealand Warriors scored under the posts by convincing Vodafone to increase it’s sponsorship of the struggling wooden spooners by $150,000. This was formally used by Vodafone to sponsor the Kiwi RL team but Vodafone have decided to ‘throw all their eggs in the Warriors basket’ revealed departing NZRL Chairman Gerald Ryan.
The NZRL was not impressed with their co-owners poaching their marketing whizz Don Mann during the World Cup campaign and have been doing their arithmetic.
Sydney sources were stunned by the move. “Cripes Shag, that’s what we would have done” said an unnamed Australian administrator, “they’ll be doping them next week”.
Cheetah Lewis, a spokesperson for the referees said “I’m surprised he hasn’t blamed us for this as well” according to a translator from the Dr Doolittle Academy Of Speech.
Fans on both sides of the Tasman were supportive however. “Anything that weakens the New Zealand Rep team has to be good for our mob” said Oswald P Wrong, a Saints supporter ‘depending on the ref’ from Bummee, NSW. “We said we would start to think and act like Australians, what better way to do it than stick one up your business partner?” said Ben and Ken Shafted, both Kiwi league fans.
Sources close to the team remained tight lipped about the coup at last weeks celebrations.
The situation has been defused somewhat by the NZRL seeming to have secured Australian sponsorship for the Kiwi team with the announcement due early in the week of a deal with a Sydney based chain of fruit barrows.
