Its the stuff nightmares are made
of

After a tough year for the Kiwis and the Warriors, New Zealand rugby league fans will be praying 2005 brings a turnaround in fortunes.

If a week can be a long time in politics, a year can seem like an eternity in sport.

Just twelve months ago, New Zealand's rugby league fans were looking ahead with justified optimism.

The New Zealand Warriors had almost made it two National Rugby League grand finals in a row, while the Kiwis had pulled off a thrilling end-of-season upset over world champions Australia.

But events in 2004 did not even come close to panning out as hoped.

The Warriors self destructed, star second rower Ali Lauitiiti and coach Daniel Anderson making shock exits mid-campaign.

The Kiwis, after losing the Anzac test in Newcastle in April, went on to finish last in the revamped tri-nations series in October and November.

For the Warriors, the demise was swift.

Five losses in the first six matches were followed by the bombshell in mid-April that Lauitiiti had been told he could pursue his future elsewhere.

According to club management, the man once dubbed the Michael Jordan of league had "different objectives" to other senior players and didn't care about winning a premiership.

With English and Australian clubs hard on his heels, chasing his signature, Lauitiiti headed for the north of England.

His move to Leeds - who went on to end a 32-year championship drought by lifting the English Super League title - did not arrest the Warriors' dismal fortunes.

After the 42-20 home defeat to lowly Manly soon after Lauitiiti departed Anderson complained about an "ugly malaise" within a team rooted at the foot of the ladder.

Two weeks later, in the wake of a 58-6 drubbing by the Sydney Roosters at Aussie Stadium, it was Anderson's turn to part company with the club.

Assistant coach Tony Kemp was elevated to the top job, but the Warriors remained stuck in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.

As the regular season drew to a close, only a points difference separated them from last-placed South Sydney.

Still, there were promising signs for rebuilding in 2005. The Warriors made notable signings in Bulldog skipper Steve Price and Canberra's Kiwi captain Ruben Wiki.

Both have been part of premiership-winning teams and can be expected to add go-forward and composure to the pack.

Price has been named the club's new captain.

The former Kangaroo did not believe the Warriors' finish this year was a pointer to their prospects for next season.

"I just know that, with a few things, a little bit of hard work, the club would certainly be back up where it was," he said on his arrival at Ericsson Stadium.

The coaching staff has been augmented by the return of two respected former players - Ivan Cleary as assistant coach and Kevin Campion as defence co-ordinator.

The season contained a personal milestone for club icon Stacey Jones, the only survivor from the Warriors' first premiership campaign in 1995. In May, a day after his 28th birthday, he became the fifth New Zealander to reach 200 first-grade games, when he ran on against North Queensland in Townsville.

Sadly, the Warriors could not mark the occasion with a win.

Overall, it was a difficult year for Jones, who struggled to reproduce his best after coming back from off-season ankle and groin surgery.

He was subbed for the first time in his career and found himself shifted by Anderson from his normal halfback spot to five-eighth, before being reinstated by Kemp to the No. 7 jersey.

Jones made himself unavailable for the Anzac test, citing poor form, and also missed the Kiwis' end-of-season tri-nations tournament with Australia and Great Britain.

In August, he was one of three long-serving Kiwis, with forwards Stephen Kearney and Richard Swain, to confirm they were stepping down from the test arena.

Melbourne skipper Kearney, 32, will join Swain at English club Hull next year.

During his 13 seasons in the Australian competition, he clocked up 264 first-grade appearances, the most by a New Zealander.

He made his debut for Western Suburbs (now part of Wests Tigers) in 1992 before spending four seasons with the Warriors. He then headed to Melbourne Storm, winning a premiership ring (with Swain) in 1999.

The youngest skipper in Kiwi history at 21, Kearney ended his test career with 45 caps, one short of the world record shared by five players, including former Zealand teammate Gary Freeman.

His last international was in the 37-10 defeat in the Anzac test, when the build-up was dominated by Lauitiiti's departure from the Warriors.

By the time the tri-nations began in October, the Anderson-coached Kiwis were in transition.

Apart from the retirements, off-season surgery meant a clutch of other players were either ruled out of the tournament or available for only part of it.

A total of eight Kiwis made their test debuts during the series and the one-off match against France.

The tri-nations proved to be a big disappointment for New Zealand, who had begun encouragingly with a 16-16 draw against the Kangaroos in Auckland.

But when the tournament shifted to England, the Kiwis lost every match - to Australia 32-12 and to Great Britain 22-12 and 26-24 - despite having led at halftime on each occasion.

They also only just avoided an embarrassing defeat to France at Carcassonne, needing a late Lauitiiti try to scrape through 24-20.

One of few positive aspects for the Kiwis was the emergence of 19-year-old lock Sonny Bill Williams as a superstar in the making.

Williams was given his first cap off the bench against Australia in April, when still 18.

In early October, he took part in the Bulldogs' grand final triumph over the Roosters, along with compatriots Matt Utai and Roy Asotasi.

During the tri-nations, his ability to offload in the thickest traffic and his crunching shoulder charges made him the most talked-about Kiwi.

He ended up being named Newcomer of the Year when the International Rugby League Awards were handed out.