Cam George Interview | NZ Warriors CEO Discusses Warriors v Dolphins

0:00Spoiled at this Father's Day at Chemist Warehouse, with Biogland Vitamin K2 plus D3, 120 captures now 49.99, safe 14, and save 20% on EHP Lebs, Oxysred, Kiwi Strawberry, only 47.99, Chemist Warehouse, great savings every day. Speaking of great teams, the warriors are certainly that, and their chief executive Cameron George does a bloody good job at their HQs with us. Yeah. Can thanks so much for joining us. Again, look, I know it's been known for a while that you are heading towards the playoffs, but now that week is finally rolled around. What's the buzz like at Mount Smart HQ? It's, yeah, it's cool. It's, um, everyone's, I feel like everyone's just stepped up at under level, um, right across the board here and, and yes, well, we thought for a couple of weeks now, we're, we're in the finals. They have it a, um, confirmed that we're in the top two and B playing at home. Um, just as has allowed us to really zero in our focus for this week, what were the numbers, Camo, today obviously selling out an, an instant.

1:03Do you have the numbers handy? No, not in terms of, um, you know, sold out on that, but I think it, I think it only took a matter of 15 minutes beyond 12 p.m. I just sell out. So, um, yeah, look, it's, it's just great to have such a passionate fans that deserve to, you know, hear it home to watch your team. Do you know how many tickets eventually went on sale to the public by the time you're loyal members and geez, they, they snapped them up pretty quickly. Was there any idea how many actually went on to the general public today? No, all that information sits with the, um, the NRL, because they, they control the whole mechanism and, uh, you know, the planning, the execution of timings and, and tickets and so on. I, I know that this will be also an NRL thing, Cam, but there's been a bit of chat about the, um, eight ticket limit and some people getting up and arms about it. Is that something that maybe, uh, might have to be chatted about in terms of if they get the job

2:04done this weekend? Um, yeah, look, everything will be up for review as, you know, as you learn through these processes, little blast, it was 10. I think every other club is 10 in the NRL. So, I know our staff said it was too high and I think they took it down from 10 to 8. Um, it is 8 to high. Yeah, look, that, that's, that's a discussion we can, we can take up with the NRL. Well, no one's trying to do the wrong thing here. Everyone's just trying to do the right thing and, but you just, it's hard to get it right. The suit everyone. You got so many people, but I do understand it. It's up around 10 at other clubs and other games. Cam, before we start looking forward a little bit, let's look back at the weekend and I suppose the last few weeks as well. How, how do you feel this team is traveling, heading towards the first round of the playoffs? A lot of people talking about perhaps a few too many points leaked, but still scoring more points than the opposition and you're still winning, which is the main thing. But you personally, how do you, how do you feel like the team is tracking?

3:05I think that it's fair to say that, um, yeah, there's, there's improvement in them, which is the great thing. I, I hate to be just playing max levels for the last eight weeks. And if you have a little bit of changes we've had in our team, particularly the, the positions of our team, um, it has had an impact on performance, um, for sure, but we just keep winning. And at the end of the time of the year, you just want to be able to say that you've won more than you know, you lost firstly and secondly, you winning games that people would have expected you to get beat. And, um, I think the last two games you demonstrate to the Zoderv resilience and everything that everyone carries, um, in each jumper and you know, the windmines games, um, it's just crucial at this point of the year and it doesn't matter now. What it did matter at the time is we won them and we got the second place and we're in the final for first place. What matters now is who we win the next three or four. Camo, uh, uh, there may be a little bit of a niche question here.

4:07I was just wondering what the northern side of the ground might look like, um, in terms of all of those sponsorship, uh, things that have been put up this year, considering it's an NRL run finals, will they have to come down as I saw it was GA standing on the north side? Um, no, look, it's, yeah, there will be, you know, to claim stadium and only NRL final partners will be visible through all advertising and the likes, but you know, most of that, um, infrastructure that's down the northern end will remain. There will be a couple that do come down, but, um, at the end of the day, most of it can be changed out from signage. So, um, it'll mount smart day media will pretty well as it does all most games. Jack, I forward back this weekend. Just how big will he be? I'm not sure whether he gets named or not. It's a good leading question. He just asked me to. Well, whoever that was, sorry. Yeah, I'm not sure. Um, what they name and when they, um, you know, when they expect them to be

5:09back, but he's been trying well. So hopefully he's named and it'd be great to have him back in the squad if he is. You can tell us your real thoughts because your coach Andrew Webster has told the media that he will be back this weekend. See, don't have to hide it. Very professional, though, camera. That was pretty impressive, but that made me so good. Yeah, well, we can never criticize me for not holding the information. But based on the fact that Andrew may have said that, if you do say it, I agree with him. He'd be great addition to the team. So, um, yeah, it'd be awesome to see Jackson back. That is too good. The dolphins, mate, we probably need to talk about them because I think it would be fair to say they are the form team of the competition at the moment. They are on a, what I think it's a seven game winning streak since they lost to the Sharks Beck in early July. How much of a threat do they bring to your team? Yeah, plenty of threat right across the park as you appreciate.

6:10And the stats will show you that every time you play and, you know, not any of these years in the last few years, they've just been such classic games of foodie. So we're going to have to be absolutely at our best to beat them. They are the form team and probably favourites and deserve to be safe for this week's game and we're just going to have to aim up and go after it. So, that they'll be, yeah, they'll be hard to beat, but I wasn't trying to outtaste for anyone else. That's for sure. We got the SEO on shortly in Terri Reader and I'm going to talk to him about this, but what do you make of, or how impressed are you as another chief executive of another club, the fact that they've only been in the comp for four years and they're already in the playoffs. Like to me, just that fact alone says that they must be doing something right over the year as well. Yeah, they're good for the club mate. They're great people, to be honest. We obviously had a lot to do with them when we were at Redcliffe and we'll base their up and through, they can

7:14mention the competition. So it may be territorial. Thank you for being there. They're feeding clubs for the first few years. But what you can't forget around Redcliffe dolphins is that they've been around for about 70 or years. What do you lot more in the Queensland Robby League? And for years and years and years, they've been producing NRL talent. So they're pathways and it's another good lesson how strong pathways actually under pinnew success at the NRL level. They're pathways have been in place and structurally perfect, really, for an NRL team for like 70 or years. So it's a credit to them. They got the law. So it's just guys to show what good pathways can do and it's a credit to Terry, how they've been managing the club for the last few years. They're good guys. Terry's a good fellow telling me he's got too much money to spend because they're a rich club. And he can lend us our spatless of money if he wants. But yeah, it's way again, it's us for the same and regardless of our relationship in the past, we want to win. But it just goes to show you what

8:18pathways can do and they've got very good established ones. Well, let them know your thoughts, Cameraw. I wanted to ask you about the NRL W season. Obviously, didn't go the way that many were planning it. Lots to learn from this year. Yeah, plenty and disappointing. And we all agree that that is the case. We expected better and we want better. So I was only talking about wrong group this morning. I'd say, Mike, going to the last job done this week against the Broncos, which will be a tough game, get home and we'll start with you next week. And we're going to fix it and be ruthless about getting everything right. It's a really tough environment. Be pretty sort of half professional, half part time with that makes sense. And it's tough, but we've got to get it right the best we can. And you know, the environment that we grow up in here and prepare for an NRL W season is vastly different to Australia. Like if you think in Australia, before the NRL W season keeps off, they've played three state of origins. They've already at that

9:21league level training was in preparation and playing was we don't have any of that over here. So we're going to get our preseason much better. So we're starting as fit and as strong as possible in round one, not not building up into the season. How do you go about that? Do you have any initial ideas on how you could be so that side of things? I would just go to work domestically with the competition structures here and get them better as best we can. Maybe we'll look at putting a half-enormant team in Australia that's in the first part of the year where all those origin players play and get prepared for the origin series. So I don't know, but that's all a very costly exercise, but it's one we've got to at least consider for what's best for our future. And we should probably ask you before we let you go, if the Warriors, well, when you host your second playoff game in this playoff series, I see Peter Vlandese come out and said, quote, 90% chance you will be at Eden Park. Has he told you that and have you had to budge or are you

10:25still trying to convince him that Mount Smarter's the way to go? I'm not going to hide the fact that I was a big effort for us all to get this game here for this one. But equally, my word to Peter is maybe through round one of the finals. Let's go back on the table and you know more position about getting at home. However, from the best interest of the game, the fans, the crowds growing and all that sort of thing, let's visit the opportunity around Eden Park and see what it looks like. You've got to be balanced, you've got to be fair when you're negotiating and you've got to understand their position as well as they understand ours. And respectfully, he went with us this time. But foolishly for me, I'll be stupid to think that, you know, I can't take on board the opportunity to go to Eden Park next time, but we'll discuss that at the appropriate time. Okay, very good. Appreciate your time, mate. Thank you very much, Bester Luck this weekend. I know there'll be a lot of people listening. Who wish you the same. So go well. Cheers, Camer. Back to you, let's call boys. Cheers, but