Warriors confirm sellout for homecoming
TJ Perenara was beaming yet candid about his first opportunity to represent his whānau with the Māori All Blacks.
Disappointed, perhaps, at not making the All Blacks squad for next month’s highly anticipated test series against Ireland after his eight seasons and 78 tests for his country.
But the 30-year-old from Porirua has put his omission into his own perspective on life.
The Hurricanes halfback will represent his Ngāti Rangitihi iwi should he play, as expected, in the Māori’s two midweek matches against Ireland in Hamilton and Wellington in the coming weeks.
‘‘It’s a proud moment for me. Not just in my career, but in my life,’’ a reflective Perenara said in Hamilton yesterday.
‘‘To represent my whānau on this stage is something that I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been a goal of mine and to be in this environment is a huge honour.’’
All Blacks coach Ian Foster named three halfbacks in the squad announced last week – Aaron Smith, Finlay Christie and the uncapped Folau Fakatava – in a position which Foster said gave the selectors the most difficult decisions to make.
Chiefs halfback Brad Weber missed the cut with Perenara, too, and both are in coach Clayton McMillan’s Māori squad for their two huge fixtures with Ireland – their first against any tier-one nation since 2010.
Perenara was, arguably, the biggest name to drop out after long being Smith’s reliable cover, while also starting 22 tests and challenging the Highlanders halfback for years.
That is no easy task while Smith, who has played 102 tests, has long
The Warriors have sold out their first home match in nearly three years and more than 25,000 fans will attend Mount Smart Stadium for their NRL clash with the Wests Tigers on July 3.
The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 forced the Auckland club to be based in Australia for almost two-anda-half years.
The Warriors, after performing admirably and nearly making the playoffs in 2020, have struggled since while being away from home.
They are 15th on this season’s* been considered the game’s best No 9 in the professional era.
Yet Perenara, who could still return to the test arena ahead of next year’s World Cup in France, said his omission was merely all part of his journey and perspective has been provided after a recent illness that one-year-old daughter, Amaia, has recovered from.
‘‘It’s not the hardest thing I’ve been through,’’ Perenara said.
‘‘There are lots of things in life that are thrown at you, and it’s about how you respond.
‘‘For me, the last couple of weeks have just been another step in my journey. I believe that for everything that happens and this is another step.
‘‘My perspective on footy and life at the moment is that I don’t really have an end goal.
‘‘Making a team or winning whatever championship, that’s just part of my journey.
‘‘My goal is to be a better athlete for my team, be a better player and a better person every single day.
‘‘Having an end goal and dangling a carrot sells what I’m doing every day a bit short.
‘‘Yes, I want to make teams, I want accolades and want to win because that’s all part of it. But that’s not the end goal for me.
‘‘It’s awesome for the boys who have made the All Blacks. They’re playing well. Good on them,’’ he said.
Perenara has dreamed of playing for the Māori All Blacks since he was a kid.
He said his first memory of them was through a childhood friend whose grandfather played for the team.
‘‘We always wanted to be Māori All Blacks. Obviously, we wanted to be All Blacks as well, but my fondest memory isn’t of the team so much, but it’s about running around with my mate, talking about his koroua and how we wanted to be a part of it.’’
TJ Perenara
ladder after 15 rounds and have won just four of their 11 matches.
However, their long-suffering fans will nonetheless pack out their Auckland home for the club’s emotional return.
The club said it would be only the fourth time in its history that it has sold out a fixture in the regular season.
‘‘We’re so thrilled having Mount Smart packed for our members, fans, families and sponsors who will at last see the Vodafone Warriors playing at home,’’ Warriors chief executive Cameron George said in a statement.
‘‘We can’t wait for July 3, one of the most important and emotional occasions in our history.’’
The Warriors last sold out Mt Smart for club legend Simon Mannering’s farewell match against the Canberra Raiders in 2018.
Next month’s Tigers fixture will be their fourth in Auckland this season while the club is still based in Redcliffe in Queensland.
The Warriors will also host the Melbourne Storm on July, the Canterbury Bulldogs on August 12 and the Gold Coast Titans on September 3.
Stacey Jones has taken over as Warriors’ short-term coach after Nathan Brown’s departure this month.