Vodafone Junior Warriors fashion exceptional record

The Vodafone Junior Warriors will take an enviable record into their fifth consecutive NYC finals campaign this weekend.

They face one of the most challenging road trips in the game – the Raiders in Canberra on Sunday – when they launch their bid for a third straight title.

They’ve played at Canberra Stadium only twice before, losing heavily there in 2009 and conceding three late tries in falling 28-32 in April this year.

Playing finals football in Australia is an assignment the Vodafone Junior Warriors have become accustomed to. In their first four play-off campaigns only one of their 10 finals games has been at Mount Smart Stadium (in 2008) and they were on the road for every one of their six matches on the way to snaring the 2010 and 2011 premierships; they face the same task if they’re to succeed this year.

Despite the challenges involved the Vodafone Warriors have lost only two finals match, edged out of making the first NYC grand final by Brisbane in 2008 and eliminated by St George Illawarra in the first week of the play-offs in 2009.

No club comes close to the level of success the Vodafone Junior Warriors have achieved in the five seasons the NYC has been running.

They’ve just finished their latest regular season programme sharing top spot on the ladder with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs but missing out on the minor premiership on points for and against.

Among their achievements from 2008-2012 the Vodafone Junior Warriors have:

• Finished second, first and second in their last three regular season campaigns after being third in 2008 and seventh in 2009

• Won a total of 79 regular season matches (the next best is 67)

• Won 87 of a possible 130 games including finals, a winning strike rate of 67 per cent

• Scored 4082 points

• Won 20 home games on end from May, 2010 to March, 2012

• Lost only 10 home games in total

The Vodafone Junior Warriors’ week one finals clash against third-placed Canberra will be shown live on SKY Sport this Sunday starting at 3.30pm (NZ time).

The full schedule for next week’s NRL and NYC finals is (local times listed):

Friday, September 7
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Toyota Cup Elimination Final 1:
3.15pm: Penrith Panthers (5) v St George Illawarra Dragons (8)
Toyota Cup Qualifying Final 1:
5.15pm: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (1) v Wests Tigers (4)
Telstra Premiership Qualifying Final 1:
7.45pm: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (1) v Manly Sea Eagles (4)

Saturday, September 8
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Toyota Cup Elimination Final 2:
3.15pm: South Sydney Rabbitohs (6) v Sydney Roosters (7)
Telstra Premiership Qualifying Final 2:
5.45pm: Melbourne Storm (2) v South Sydney Rabbitohs (3)

Saturday, September 8
Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville
Telstra Premiership Elimination Final 1:
7.45pm: North Queensland Cowboys (5) v Brisbane Broncos (8)

Sunday, September 9
Canberra Stadium
Toyota Cup Qualifying Final 2:
1.30pm: Vodafone Warriors (2) v Canberra Raiders (3)
Telstra Premiership Elimination Final 2:
4pm: Canberra Raiders (6) v Cronulla Sharks (7)