Tuesday 24 July 2012 9:47 PM
Feleti Mateo and Nathan Friend aren’t the only Vodafone Warriors players who have been acknowledged this week for success off the field.
While Mateo and Friend graduated in a life-after-football programme on Tuesday night, first-year Vodafone Junior Warriors David Bhana and Mason Lino were also being honoured with scholarships from Auckland Co-operative
Taxi to help them with their university studies.
Quite apart from having impressive debut campaigns in the NYC, loose forward Bhana (19) and halfback Lino (18) typify what playing in the competition is all about as they mix their football dream with high-end studies. Both players are doing a bachelor of science degree; ex-Birkenhead College pupil Bhana is studying at the University of Auckland and former Avondale College student Lino is at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
Vodafone Warriors platinum member Auckland Co-operative Taxi – commonly known as Co-op Taxis – was keen to assist Vodafone Junior Warriors after learning about the study-to-play policy for NYC players.
The presentations were made to Bhana and Lino in front of their team-mates last night. There for the ceremony were Vodafone Warriors owner Eric Watson and Owen Glenn as well as Vodafone Warriors chairman Bill Wavish.