Together with Sky Sport we’re creating a virtual stadium for fans with the launch of ‘Game Day Saturday’ starting at 3.00pm tomorrow on Sky Sport’s home of rugby league.
Just tune in to Sky Sport 4 (channel 54) each Saturday to see a classic contest from the archives featuring the Vodafone Warriors against the team we were scheduled to meet in the original draw before the 2020 season was suspended.
This week that was meant to be the Wests Tigers at Mount Smart Stadium at 5.00pm tomorrow (Saturday, April 4).
So, the first super Saturday special will kick off with the unforgettable encounter between the Vodafone Warriors and the Tigers at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney on June 29, 2008, a remarkable contest the Vodafone Warriors won 28-26 on a day highlighted by the great Ruben Wiki’s 300th NRL appearance.
After tomorrow it’s you, the fans, who will have the deciding vote in which blockbuster game is shown on ‘Game Day Saturday’ each week until the 2020 season resumes.
Each Monday we’ll launch a poll listing three memorable clashes against that week’s opponents for you to vote on. Voting will close on Thursday with the highest-polling game filling the game day slot that week.
Get in that game day mood, dress up in Vodafone Warriors colours and create your own stadium atmosphere in lockdown. Show you’re ALL IN by posting photos on your social media accounts using the hashtag #ALLIN.
‘Game Day Saturday’
3.00pm, Saturday, April 4, 2020
SS4, Channel 54
What a classic Sky Sport has dug up from the archives winding back to June 29, 2008.
On a stunning Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney, the match was notable for Ruben Wiki’s 300th career appearance, the first New Zealander to reach the mark.
He led the team out in a match he and his teammates celebrated with a memorable victory, the late Sonny Fai among the try-scorers on a day when the Vodafone Warriors were without Steve Price, Brent Tate and Manu Vatuvei.
Especially poignant were the scenes after the match when the Wests Tigers players gave Wiki a guard of honour with Wiki’s original coach at Canberra Tim Sheens presenting him with a jersey signed by the Tigers players.
Match details:
At Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Wests Tigers 26 (Taniela Tuiaki 3, Robbie Farah, Chris Lawrence tries; Brett Hodgson 3 conversions).
Vodafone Warriors 28 (Sonny Fai, Nathan Fien, Ian Henderson, Lance Hohaia, Sam Rapira tries; Lance Hohaia 2 conversions; Michael Witt 2 conversions).
Halftime: 16-6 Vodafone Warriors.
Referee: Steve Lyons.
Teams:
Wests Tigers | Brett Hodgson (c); Taiela Tuiaki, Dean Collis, Chris Lawrence, Beau Ryan; Benji Marshall, Mathew Head; Bronson Harrison, Robbie Farah, Bryce Gibbs; Ben Te’o, Chris Heighington; Liam Fulton. Interchange: John Morris, Dene Halatau, Daine Laurie, Ryan Tandy.
Vodafone Warriors | Lance Hohaia; Aidan Kirk, Jerome Ropati, Simon Mannering, Malo Solomona; Grant Rovelli, Nathan Fien; Ruben Wiki, Ian Henderson, Sam Rapira; Sonny Fai, Logan Swann; Micheal Luck (c). Interchange: Michael Witt, Ben Matulino, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki.
