Vodafone Warriors fans have spoken, voting overwhelmingly in favour of the 2007 home clash against St George Illawarra to take tomorrow’s classic match slot on Game Day Saturday at 3.00pm on Sky Sport’s home of rugby league (Sky Sport 4, channel 54).
Each week the Vodafone Warriors and Sky Sport select three games from the archives featuring the Vodafone Warriors against the team they were scheduled to meet in the original draw before the 2020 season was suspended.
This week that was meant to be St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium on Sunday (April 12).
The three Dragons games singled out for this week’s vote were from 2003, 2007 and 2018.
In 2003 the Vodafone Warriors beat St George Illawarra 30-20 in Sydney, four years later they trounced the Dragons 44-16 at Mount Smart Stadium and in 2018 they claimed their first win over the Dragons in Wollongong when they prevailed 18-12.
When the votes were counted, more than 53 per cent were in favour of the 2007 encounter. Tune in to watch it tomorrow.
Then next week we’ll be focusing on our would-be sixth-round opponents the Sydney Roosters, providing three classic battles from the files for you, the fans, to vote on for Game Day Saturday on April 18.
For now, we’re encouraging you to get right in the mood for tomorrow’s big game. Look the part by dressing up in Vodafone Warriors colours and creating your own game day atmosphere and mini stadium in lockdown. Show you’re #ALLIN by posting photos on your social media accounts using the hashtag #GameDaySaturday and we’ll share the best of them.
Vodafone Warriors Game Day Saturday
3.00pm, Saturday, April 11, 2020
SS4, Channel 54
July 15, 2007
Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland
This win came in the middle of a rich vein of form which would see the Vodafone Warriors put together seven wins and a draw in a run of nine games, pivotal to earning a top four spot for the finals.
The 28-point winning margin is the club’s equal biggest against the Dragons. It was one of three big wins over top sides in a matter of weeks. A few rounds before this 44-16 victory the Vodafone Warriors had trounced Penrith 54-14 and it would be followed two weeks later by a 52-10 triumph over Newcastle.
Vodafone Warriors 44 (Simon Mannering 2, Wade McKinnon, Michael Crockett, Jerome Ropati, George Gatis, Evarn Tuimavave tries; Michael Witt 7 conversions, penalty).
St George Illawarra Dragons 16 (Matt Cooper, Josh Morris, Jamie Soward tries; Jamie Soward 2 conversions).
Teams:
Vodafone Warriors | Wade McKinnon; Michael Crockett, Simon Mannering, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei; Michael Witt, Grant Rovelli; Steve Price, George Gatis, Sam Rapira; Ruben Wiki, Logan Swann; Micheal Luck. Interchange: Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Wairangi Koopu, Nathan Fien.
St George Illawarra Dragons | Ben Hornby; Jason Nightingale, Chase Stanley, Matt Cooper, Josh Morris; Rangi Chase, Jamie Soward; Justin Poore, Simon Woolford, Jason Ryles; Beau Scott, Chris Houston; Ben Creagh. Interchange: Adam Peek, Ben Ellis, Lagi Setu, Corey Payne.
