2003 New Zealand Warriors season
The 2003 New Zealand Warriors season was the 9th in the club's history. They competed in the National Rugby League's 2003 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season in 6th place. The Warriors then came within one game of the grand final, losing to eventual premiers the Penrith Panthers. The coach of the team was Daniel Anderson while Monty Betham was the club captain.
Milestones
- The Warriors had the youngest squad out of all the 15 clubs in the 2003 NRL season.[1]
- 23 March — Round 2: Monty Betham played in his 50th match for the club.
- 6 April — Round 4: Francis Meli, Wairangi Koopu and Mark Tookey played in their 50th first grade games for the club.[2]
- 22 June — Round 13: Motu Tony played in his 50th match for the club.
- 12 July — Round 18: Ali Lauitiiti played in his 100th match for the club.
- 10 August — Round 22: Richard Villasanti played in his 50th match for the club.
- 6 September — Round 26: Awen Guttenbiel played in his 100th match for the club.
Jersey & Sponsors
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The Warriors launched a new jersey design in 2003, finally removing completely the blue and white colours the owners had inherited when the purchased the company.[3] |
Fixtures
The Warriors used Ericsson Stadium as their home ground in 2003, their only home ground since they entered the competition in 1995.
Pre-season
The Warriors played a pre-season trial match against the Penrith Panthers in Invercargill on 28 February. 15,000 fans attended the match, which was sold out.[4]
Regular Season
Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
16 March | Round 1 | Newcastle Knights | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 26-36 | Hohaia (2), Carlaw, Fa'afili, Meli | Jones (3) | 16,291 | |
23 March | Round 2 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 24-20 | Hohaia (2), Fa'afili, Guttenbeil, Meli | Marsh (2) | 16,229 | |
29 March | Round 3 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval, Sydney | Win | 20-16 | Toopi (2), Fa'afili, Swann | Marsh (2) | 14,273 | |
6 April | Round 4 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 38-16 | Fa'afili (2), Hohaia (2), Meli (2), Seuseu, Tony | Marsh (2), Hohaia (1) | 13,614 | |
13 April | Round 5 | Brisbane Broncos | ANZ Stadium, Brisbane | Win | 32-12 | Meli (2), Faumuina, Marsh, Swann, Tuimavave | Marsh (3), Tuimavave (1) | 18,959 | |
21 April | Round 6 | North Queensland Cowboys | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 30-24 | Fa'afili, Jones, Marsh, Meli, Tony, Toopi | Marshs (3) | 19,722 | |
27 April | Round 7 | Penrith Panthers | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 14-28 | Fa'afili, Koopu, Tony | Jones (1) | 15,732 | |
2 May | Round 8 | Bulldogs | Westpac Stadium, Wellington | Loss | 12-18 | Meli, Toopi | Webb (2) | 21,989 | |
10 May | Round 9 | Parramatta Eels | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 18-16 | Meli (2), Marsh, Swann | Webb (1) | 15,397 | |
| Round 10 | Bye | | | | | | | |
23 May | Round 11 | Canberra Raiders | Westpac Stadium, Wellington | Loss | 10-18 | Fa'afili | Webb (1) | 13,130 | |
31 May | Round 12 | Penrith Panthers | CUA Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 12-34 | Betham, Tony | Jones (2) | 20,280 | |
7 June | Round 13 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 23-6 | Faumuina, Jones, Meli, Mellars | Jones (3 & FG) | 16,172 | |
14 June | Round 14 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 26-28 | V.Anderson, Betham, Faumuina, Meli, Webb | Jones (2), Webb (1) | 8,076 | |
22 June | Round 15 | Canberra Raiders | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 26-18 | Swann (2), Tony, Toopi, Villasanti | Jones (3) | 18,375 | |
29 June | Round 16 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Win | 31-30 (a.e.t) | Jones, Meli, Tony, Toopi, Webb | Jones (5 & FG) | 9,109 | |
5 July | Round 17 | North Queensland Cowboys | Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville | Loss | 10-30 | Swann (2) | Jones (1) | 16,028 | |
12 July | Round 18 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 20-12 | V.Anderson, Latu, Webb | Jones (4) | 15,528 | |
19 July | Round 19 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Toyota Park, Sydney | Win | 31-24 | Toopi (2), Murphy, Villasanti, Webb | Jones (5 & FG) | 13,565 | |
| Round 20 | Bye | | | | | | | |
2 August | Round 21 | Melbourne Storm | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 12-14 | V.Anderson, Toopi | Hohaia (2) | 15,207 | |
10 August | Round 22 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Oki Jubilee Stadium, Sydney | Win | 30-20 | Carlaw, Hohaia, Lauiti'iti, Leuluai, Villasanti, Webb | Hohaia (3) | 12,595 | |
15 August | Round 23 | Newcastle Knights | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle | Loss | 20-36 | Toopi (2), Meli, Villasanti | Hohaia (2) | 17,198 | |
24 August | Round 24 | Brisbane Broncos | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 22-14 | V.Anderson, Faumuina, Latu, Meli | Webb (3) | 19,439 | |
31 August | Round 25 | Sydney Roosters | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Win | 26-24 | Meli (2), Toopi, Villasanti | Webb (5) | 18,726 | |
6 September | Round 26 | Wests Tigers | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 32-16 | Toopi (3), V.Anderson (2), Meli | Webb (4) | 20,392 | |
Final Series
Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
September 13 | Qualifying Final | Bulldogs | Showgrounds, Sydney | Win | 48 - 22 | Meli (5), Webb (2), Faumuina, Tony | Webb (5), Faumuina (1) | 18,312 | |
September 20 | Preliminary Final | Canberra Raiders | Aussie Stadium, Sydney | Win | 17 - 16 | Fa'afili, Swann, Toopi | Webb (2), Jones (FG) | 31,616 | |
September 28 | Preliminary Final | Penrith Panthers | Telstra Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 20 - 28 | Swann, Toopi, Villasanti, Webb | Webb (2) | 43,174 | |
Ladder
|
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
B |
PF |
PA |
PD |
Pts |
1 | Penrith |
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 659 | 527 | +132 | 40 |
2 | Sydney |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 680 | 445 | +235 | 38 |
3 | Bulldogs |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 702 | 419 | +283 | 36 |
4 | Canberra |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 620 | 463 | +157 | 36 |
5 | Melbourne |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 564 | 486 | +78 | 34 |
6 | New Zealand |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 545 | 510 | +35 | 34 |
7 | Newcastle |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 632 | 635 | -3 | 32 |
8 | Brisbane |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 497 | 464 | +33 | 28 |
9 | Parramatta |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 570 | 582 | -12 | 26 |
10 | St George Illawarra |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 548 | 593 | -45 | 26 |
11 | North Queensland |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 606 | 629 | -23 | 24 |
12 | Cronulla |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 497 | 704 | -207 | 20 |
13 | Wests Tigers |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 470 | 598 | -128 | 18 |
14 | Manly |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 470 | 791 | -321 | 18 |
15 | South Sydney |
24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 457 | 758 | -301 | 10 |
Squad
Twenty eight players were used by the Warriors in 2003, including five players who made their first grade debuts.
No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Warriors Debut | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
24 | Jones, StaceyStacey Jones | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | HB | April 23, 1995 | 22 | 3 | 29 | 4 | 74 |
33 | Guttenbeil, AwenAwen Guttenbeil | NZL ! / ![Tonga](../I/m/Flag_of_Tonga.svg.png) | SR | April 14, 1996 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
42 | Swann, LoganLogan Swann | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | SR | March 1, 1997 | 23 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
50 | Seu Seu, JerryJerry Seu Seu | NZL ! / ![Samoa](../I/m/Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png) | PR | August 16, 1997 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
55 | Lauitiiti, AliAli Lauitiiti | NZL ! / ![Samoa](../I/m/Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png) | SR | April 19, 1998 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
61 | Betham, MontyMonty Betham | NZL ! / ![Samoa](../I/m/Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png) | HK / LK | March 8, 1999 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
64 | Koopu, WairangiWairangi Koopu | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | CE / SR | April 9, 1999 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
65 | Meli, FrancisFrancis Meli | NZL ! / ![Samoa](../I/m/Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png) | WG | May 2, 1999 | 27 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 92 |
66 | Toopi, ClintonClinton Toopi | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | CE | May 2, 1999 | 22 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 68 |
76 | Tookey, MarkMark Tookey | AUS !![Australia](../I/m/Flag_of_Australia.svg.png) | PR | February 6, 2000 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
81 | Fa'afili, HenryHenry Fa'afili | NZL ! / ![Samoa](../I/m/Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png) | WG | March 26, 2000 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
87 | Villasanti, RichardRichard Villasanti | AUS ! / ![Tonga](../I/m/Flag_of_Tonga.svg.png) | PR | February 18, 2001 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
90 | Tony, MotuMotu Tony | NZL ! / ![Samoa](../I/m/Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png) | UH | March 9, 2001 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
92 | Murphy, JustinJustin Murphy | FRA !![France](../I/m/Flag_of_France.svg.png) | WG | April 7, 2001 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
93 | Paleaaesina, IafetaIafeta Paleaaesina | NZL ! / ![Samoa](../I/m/Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png) | PR | June 1, 2001 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
95 | Carlaw, JohnJohn Carlaw | AUS !![Australia](../I/m/Flag_of_Australia.svg.png) | CE | March 24, 2002 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
96 | Marsh, PJPJ Marsh | AUS !![Australia](../I/m/Flag_of_Australia.svg.png) | HB / HK | March 24, 2002 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 36 |
97 | Webb, BrentBrent Webb | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | FB | April 1, 2002 | 21 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 84 |
98 | Faumuina, SioneSione Faumuina | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | CE / LK | April 1, 2002 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
99 | Hohaia, LanceLance Hohaia | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | UB | April 6, 2002 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 44 |
100 | Anderson, VinnieVinnie Anderson | NZL ! / ![Tonga](../I/m/Flag_of_Tonga.svg.png) | CE | July 7, 2002 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
102 | Tuimavave, EvarnEvarn Tuimavave | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | PR | September 1, 2002 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
103 | Temata, KarlKarl Temata | COK !![Cook Islands](../I/m/Flag_of_the_Cook_Islands.svg.png) | PR / SR | September 6, 2002 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
104 | Robinson, MarkMark Robinson | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | HK | May 2, 2003 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
105 | Leuluai, ThomasThomas Leuluai | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | HB | May 2, 2003 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
106 | Mellars, VinceVince Mellars | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | CE | June 7, 2003 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
107 | Latu, TevitaTevita Latu | NZL ! / ![Tonga](../I/m/Flag_of_Tonga.svg.png) | HK | June 7, 2003 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
108 | Ropati, JeromeJerome Ropati | NZL !![New Zealand](../I/m/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png) | CE / FE | August 31, 2003 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Staff
Coaching Staff
Transfers
Gains
Losses
Other Teams
Players not required by the Warriors were released to play in the 2003 Bartercard Cup. This included Motu Tony and Jerome Ropati at the Marist Richmond Brothers, Mark Robinson at the North Harbour Tigers and Richard Villasanti at the Canterbury Bulls.
Awards
Francis Meli won the Player of the Year award.[5]
References
External links
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| | | The Club | |
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| Home Grounds | |
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| Important Figures | |
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| League | |
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| Seasons (18) | |
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| Other Competitions | |
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2003 in rugby league |
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| | | International Rugby League | |
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| British Rugby League | Competitions | |
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| SL Teams |
- Bradford Bulls
- Castleford Tigers
- Halifax RLFC
- Huddersfield Giants
- Hull FC
- Leeds Rhinos
- London Broncos
- St Helens
- Wakefield Wildcats
- Warrington Wolves
- Widnes Vikings
- Wigan Warriors
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| Australian Rugby League | |
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| Other Domestic competitions | |
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