Warriors consultant and rugby league icon Phil Gould has flown from Sydney to New Zealand and he's on a mission.
Part of his current trip to New Zealand is about getting the NRL to invest more money into the game here, given how well Aotearoa is represented in the competition.
Gould has already worked some magic previously, helping New Zealand Rugby League more than double its funding from the NRL.
As such, part of that new revenue has gone towards a brand new under-20s competition which NZRL boss Greg Peters believes will pay off 10-fold in the long run.
“It’s a fantastic showcase of talent,” he said.
“Six teams across the country, and that's here to stay. We'll build on that next year.”
The competition is just a start, though, if Gould and Peters get their way.
Both agree the Kiwi game deserves more, especially when you consider 26 per cent of all NRL players started their career right here in New Zealand.
“A lot of passionate people who have an interest in development of the game, the development of the players have probably been spinning their wheels a little bit,” Gould said.
“Whether it be financially, or other interests, they've just all gotta get on the same page.”
Part of the work being done is to strengthen the relationships between our biggest governing bodies, which are all on the same Penrose street.
“We want to have a strong relationship with the Warriors, we'd like to see our best players playing in the warriors — both men and women,” Peters said.
“Are we even near our maximum potential? Nah. Nowhere near it. Haven't even scratched the surface yet,” Gould added.
It doesn’t take a trip from Sydney to realise that, but it’s a great gesture regardless.
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