Sir Peter Leitch’s
Mad Butcher Club
AT MT SMART STADIUM, HOME OF THE MIGHTY VODAFONE WARRIORS
Newsletter
16 January 2015
#
55a
Your Holiday Photos
Kia ora Butch. Great to see the
newsletter back in action.
Hi Sir Peter. You are not the only
one that had fun over Christmas.
I hope you will find these interesting.
-Rod Slater CEO Beef + Lamb
New Zealand
Happy new year to you and Janice
and the newsletter team.
All the toys lined up ready for action.
Must say the Waiheke sunsets are
great ...but Taranaki have them
too.See photo of Terri in the early
morning...... plus a couple of fishing as well.
John Niwa.
Rod Slater ready to go on the water with
his two grandsons Lewis and Joshua
Hippo sandcastle on Te Ngaere Beach
A great catch!
Rod sailing in the kayak with grandson
Lewis,
Auckland is not the only place to get
great sunsets ...A beautiful sunset from
the deck of Greg & Kath Dawson’s batch
Miro Bay..Marlborough Sounds
Rod Sailing in his Hobie Kayak.
Terri and his mokopuna with his
catch a 47 lb Kingi he caught.
Loved your summer pics in the
newsletter Peter!
Here are 3 pictures of the Christmas / New Year break I had.
Happy Days!
Awen Guttenbeil’s Holiday
Awen Guttenbeil is a New Zealand former Warrior and Kiwi’s
player.
Sam Walsh
Me at Golf with my brothers in Waitangi - Bay of Islands
Sam dressed as Santa (Xmas Day in
Waiuku).
Taking the little guy to catch some waves, Whananaki,
Northland.
12 Pound Snapper - Papa Aroha Holiday
Park, Coromandel
Sasha Walsh - Loving the Water at Mount
Maunganui.
Heading back to the tent with the little guy - Camping at
Whananaki, Northland
Mad Butcher Club
Newsletter
Page 2
Meeting Russel Arnold
I had a terrific time today at the Vodafone Warriors with former Sri Lanka cricket great and now commentator Russel Arnold this week.
He is a big league fan and caught me by surprise because he knew plenty about it,
though not that much if you ask me, because he is a bit of a Tigers fan. But he is also now a Vodafone Warrior
Proud member, having been presented with his pack by club boss Jim Doyle.
His lovely daughter and son enjoyed it very much, meeting all the boys and touring the gym and facilities.
Sport has brought me into contact with a lot of stars and I can tell you that Russel was right up there in the
good bloke stakes.
That’s me with Russel’s lovely
family.
Ruben Wiki with former Sri Lanka
star Russel Arnold and his son.
Jacob Lillyman and Russel with
David Bhana.
Russel gets his Warrior Proud
pack from boss Jim Doyle.
Russell’s son had to have a photo
with his idol Shaun Johnston
Russel gets to meet our captain
Simon Mannering.
Mad Butcher Club
The coach Andrew and the Russel.
Newsletter
Page 4
Oops we mucked up in our newsletter yesterday
we should have put more up with the poster.
I went down to Invercargill to support her at a
fundraiser please visit the site and read her story.
Alana’s give a little site…
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/supportalana
DICK SMITH NRL AUCKLAND NINES ALMOST HERE!
Last’s year’s inaugural NRL Auckland Nines was a great success on all fronts, with the event itself
running smoothly, attracting capacity crowds and exceeding ATEED’s targets for visitor nights and
new money into Auckland’s economy.
This year’s event looks to build on last year’s success with preparations almost complete for the
event at Eden Park, as well as a three day Festival and Fanzone in Aotea Square and a three part
legacy programme, announced today, which will help develop the sport of rugby league.
Festival and Fanzone – You’re invited
The NRL Nines Festival and Fanzone runs for three days from Friday 30 January to Sunday 1
February in Aotea Square.
You’re invited to join us there for an NRL-hosted free public event from 9am on Friday 30 January.
This event will provide rugby league fans with the opportunity to meet all 288 NRL Nines players
as they appear throughout the day. There will be exclusive signing sessions and it will be a great
chance for fans to practice their ball skills with their heroes on a specially laid grass pitch.
There will be giveaways, activities, live entertainment, a rugby league exhibition featuring all seven
rugby league trophies, free kids’ rides and games, a marketplace and more.
The team schedule for the day is:
10am – Cowboys, Eagles
11am – Roosters, Tigers
12pm – Knights, Rabbitohs, Panthers
1pm – Storm, Raiders, Dragons
2pm – Titans, Broncos, Sharks
3pm – Eels, Bulldogs, Warriors
From 9am on Saturday and Sunday the Aotea Square Fanzone will be the next best thing to being
at the Nines. Enjoy the relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, with two days of giveaways, activities, live entertainment, a rugby league exhibition, free kids’ rides and games. Live entertainment
includes performances by Sammy Johnson featuring Swiss, House of Shem and more.
We hope you enjoy the NRL Auckland Nines weekend and stay safe. We look forward to seeing
you at Aotea Square for the Fan Day on Friday 30 January. If you are lucky enough to have a ticket for Eden Park enjoy the action. It not, come down to Aotea Square and enjoy the festivities – the
next best thing to being at Eden Park.
STAR-STUDDED SQUAD NAMED FOR NRL NINES
Vodafone Warriors head coach Andrew McFadden has included most of the club’s biggest names
in a preliminary squad of 22 players revealed today for the second Dick Smith NRL Auckland
Nines at Eden Park on January 31 and February 1.
He has confirmed Shaun Johnson will again captain the side while he has also named club captain – and Kiwi skipper – Simon Mannering – along with record-try-scoring winger Manu Vatuvei,
fullback Sam Tomkins, front rower Ben Matulino and hooker Nathan Friend plus new signings
Ryan Hoffman, Jonathan Wright, Bodene Thompson and Matt Allwood. Other established NRL
players selected are Ben Henry, Sione Lousi, Sebastine Ikahihifo, Ngani Laumape, Suaia Matagi, Chad Townsend and Dominique Peyroux. Making up the balance of the squad are five of the
club’s most exciting young prospects from the 2015 NYC premiership-winning Vodafone Junior
Warriors – Tuimoala Lolohea, Solomone Kata, Sam Lisone, Ken Maumalo and Nathaniel Roache
(Lolohea and Kata were both in the club’s 2014 NRL Nines team).
A total of 12 of the initial squad played at the 2014 Nines – Johnson, Tomkins, Lousi, Ikahihifo,
Lolohea, Kata, Laumape, Matagi and Peyroux all represented the Vodafone Warriors while Hoffman captained the Melbourne side, Wright was in Cronulla’s line-up and Thompson was in the
Wests Tigers squad.
Last year the Vodafone Warriors stormed through their pool matches beating Canberra 25-14,
Manly 27-4 and North Queensland 28-23. They edged South Sydney 17-16 but were eliminated by
the Cowboys 8-0 in the semi-finals (the Cowboys going on to win the final).
DICK SMITH NRL AUCKLAND NINES – VODAFONE WARRIORS
*Shaun Johnson (C)
Matthew Allwood
Nathan Friend
Ben Henry
*Ryan Hoffman
*Sebastine Ikahihifo
*Solomone Kata
*Ngani Laumape
Sam Lisone
*Tuimoala Lolohea
*Sione Lousi
Simon Mannering
*Suaia Matagi
Ben Matulino
Ken Maumalo
*Dominique Peyroux
Nathaniel Roache
*Bodene Thompson
*Sam Tomkins
Chad Townsend
Manu Vatuvei
*Jonathan Wright
Asterisk denotes players who appeared in the 2014 NRL Auckland Nines
Warrior Proud News
This is an update on our current membership numbers are 5,500 with almost 600 Warrior Proud
members up so far. Be sure to book in your memberships before the 14th February to make sure
you get your membership before the season starts.
Heading to the Auckland Nines?
Get your hands on the perfect Nines supporter gear a Vodafone Warriors headband!
It’s simple and its FREE!
Find the Vodafone Warriors membership tent located outside gate A at the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines.
Sign up for the teams newsletter with one of our team. Walk away with your FREE headband!
Gidday your old mate
the Mad Butcher join me
and become a Warrior
proud member for only....
$59
*
*credit card fees will be additional
WARRIOR PROUD MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES:
✔ A Free general Admission ticket to a regular season
Vodafone Warriors home game of your choice
✔ Exclusive 20th anniversary membership cap only
available to members
✔ Exclusive 20th anniversary membership case, pin,
bumper sticker and lanyard
✔ 10% discount on CCC Vodafone Warriors merchandise
✔ $150 members price for Jerseys (RRP $185)
✔ Invites to exclusive meet the team events
✔ Members first & Exclusive communication
from the club
Become a member before Friday 23rd January - simply comment
‘Mad Butcher’ in the seating and preference box to go into the draw to
win 1 of 5 VIP side-line seats to the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines plus
a signed 2015 Vodafone jersey
www.warriorsforever.co.nz
| Membership line: 0800 839 839
Vodafone Warriors Training and Team Photos
The boys try out their Aussie Rules
skills.
In the team photo next to captain
Simon Mannering.
Our new recruit Bodene Thompson in action.
Our signing from the Melbourne
Storm Ryan Hoffman, with Konrad Hurrell and Sam Tomkins
Ryan gets in some speed work at
training.
The team photo.
Konrad found time to strike a
pose.
Captian Mannering hard at work.
The Newsletter Team
Here is the team that help me make the
newsletter each week. Between us we make
the newsletter happen - and like everything
it’s a team effort.
David Kemeys
Editor at Large
Sir Peter Leitch Hayden Woodhead
Editor
Graphic Designer