Father's Day finale features farewells and former players

Farewells for six players and former players being introduced to the crowd will feature among the Father’s Day festivities when the Vodafone Warriors wind up their 2012 season against Canberra at Mount Smart Stadium tomorrow (NYC kick-off 1.45pm, NRL kick-off 4.00pm).

Club legend Micheal Luck, the Vodafone Warriors’ longest-serving Australian player, is at the head of the list of departing players, ending his playing career tomorrow with his 150th appearance for the club and his 226th first-grade game overall.

He’ll be officially acknowledged after the match along with Lewis Brown, James Maloney, Ukuma Ta’ai, Omar Slaimankhel and Ivan Penehe. Brown is set to play his 84th NRL game tomorrow, Maloney his 79th (75th for the Vodafone Warriors) and Ta’ai his 52nd while Slaimankhel will become the seventh player to reach the 50-game NYC milestone for the Vodafone Junior Warriors in the early game (he played five NRL games this season). Penehe, who has been in the NRL squad the last two seasons, was in the club’s NYC premiership-winning squad in 2010 and lined up for the Vulcans in last year’s New South Wales Cup grand final.

More than 20 former Vodafone Warriors are gathering for the club’s old boys’ day, now a fixture for the final home game of the season.

The latest players to register have been Warrior No 5 Whetu Taewa, who played on the wing in the club’s debut match against Brisbane in 1995, and 2007-2010 fullback Wade McKinnon (No 132).

The former players gathering on Sunday are:

Player Club No Games Career
Dean Bell 1 19 1995
Whetu Taewa 5 11 1995
Duane Mann 9 13 1995
Tony Tatupu 12 67 1995-1999
Tea Ropati 15 72 1995-1998
Joe Vagana 18 116 1995-2000
Logan Edwards 21 15 1995
Stacey Jones 24 261 1995-2009
Awen Guttenbeil 33 170 1996-2006
Iva Ropati 35 7 1996-1997
Logan Swann 42 195 1997-2008
Jerry Seuseu 50 132 1997-2004
Monty Betham 61 101 1999-2005
Cliff Beverley 62 44 1999-2001
Wairangi Koopu 64 159 1999-2008
Boycie Nelson 70 5 1999
Talite Liavaa 71 11 1999-2000
Henry Fa’afili 81 94 2000-2004
Jason Temu 89 4 2001
Shannon Stowers 116 2 2004
Steve Price 121 91 2005-2009
Ruben Wiki 123 87 2005-2008
Wade McKinnon 132 54 2007-2010
Corey Lawrie 135 4 2007