Harrigan out of retirement to control Warriors match
Bill Harrigan, now working as assistant to NRL referees’ coach Robert Finch, will dust off the uniform and don the whistle again to control the Warriors trial vs The Auckland Lions in NZ.
Harrigan; who retired in 2003 citing media pressures on his family has slowly found his way back into NRL circles. Assisting referees boss Finch heavily in recent times and lending a hand in video duties Harrigan was able to enjoy his NRL work while staying out of the headlines.
Is this return to the field a sign of things to come? Is Billy bored? Or is the NRL pushing him hard to return due to the lack of depth in referee ranks?
NRLnews.com watches with interest.
Hollywood Harrigan will only be part of the show as the Warriors show case some blistering young talent and new signings.
New signings Michael Witt, Michael Crockett and Corey Lawrie will wear the Vodafone Warriors’ jersey for the first time in Sunday’s NRL Community Day trial against the Auckland Lions at Mount Smart Stadium. While ex-Parramatta and Manly standoff Witt and former Wests Tigers winger Crockett have NRL experience, Lawrie and the seven players named on the bench are yet to make their first-grade debuts.
Witt (23) has been partnered in the halves with Grant Rovelli, who played in each of the Vodafone Warriors’ 24 NRL matches last season. Crockett (23), boasting seven tries in his eight first-grade matches, is on the left wing while Lawrie will start at loose forward. Signed from Bartercard Cup side the Canterbury Bulls, he turns 27 tomorrow.
The bench includes only one player who isn’t a teenager, forward Wayne McDade (25). Sonny Fai (18 ), who has previously travelled as 18th man for the Vodafone Warriors, is joined by 17-year-olds Russell Packer and Constantine Mika and a trio of 19-year-olds in Malo Solomona, Miguel Start and Scott Jones. The last five are all on super elite contracts which have enabled them to train fulltime with the NRL squad.
There’s plenty of NRL experience among the rest of the side for what head coach Ivan Cleary is using as a chance to look at options ahead of the club’s two vital NRL trials against North Queensland in Mackay on February 24 and the Bulldogs at North Harbour Stadium on March 3. To that end Lance Hohaia will start at fullback and winger Cooper Vuna, who has played his five NRL matches on the wing, is in the centres with Tony Martin.
“For this trial, it’s a good chance to have a look at what some players can do in other positions,” said Cleary. “It also allows us to give our younger players the experience of playing alongside first graders in a genuine trial.” Not being used on Sunday are new signings Wade McKinnon and Logan Swann plus Steve Price, Ruben Wiki, Wairangi Koopu, Nathan Fien, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Micheal Luck and Simon Mannering.
Not considered were Patrick Ah Van and new fullback Aidan Kirk, who are both coming back from off-season surgery. They’ll all be involved in Community Day activities, including coaching clinics for kids from 10.00am on Sunday.
The trial is also vital for the Auckland Lions as they build towards making their debut in the New South Wales Premier League this year. Some players from the Vodafone Warriors’ Allied Work Force development squad are likely to turn out for the Lions, co-coached by Graeme Norton and Brian McClennan.
VODAFONE WARRIORS V AUCKLAND LIONS
Mount Smart Stadium No 2,
Auckland 2.00pm, Sunday, February 18, 2006
Referee: Bill Harrigan
VODAFONE WARRIORS TEAM 1 LANCE HOHAIA 2 TODD BYRNE 3 TONY MARTIN 4 COOPER VUNA 5 MICHAEL CROCKETT 6 MICHAEL WITT 7 GRANT ROVELLI 8 SAM RAPIRA 9 GEORGE GATIS 10 EVARN TUIMAVAVE 11 EPALAHAME LAUAKI 12 LOUIS ANDERSON 13 COREY LAWRIE 14 SONNY FAI 15 WAYNE McDADE 16 RUSSELL PACKER 17 CONSTANTINE MIKA 18 MALO SOLOMONA 20 MIGUEL START 21 SCOTT JONES
