'Very large soft spot': Hale readying for emotional homecoming
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Georgia Hale refused to perform an "Up the Wahs" at the NRLW season launch but the Titans captain admits it will be an emotional homecoming to play against the club she has a lifetime connection with.
Warriors captain Apii Nicholls raced from the stage to stand alongside Hale with a microphone after being asked to demonstrate the call and said, "Georgia, say it with me", but the Gold Coast star told her: "I can't say 'Up the Wahs'."
The 2023 IRL Golden Boot winner won't rule out an eventual move to the Warriors, but insists she has unfinished business on the Gold Coast.
Hale spent much of her childhood at what is now Go Media Stadium, supporting the Warriors NRL team of which her father Laurie has been a longtime staff member, and played for the club’s inaugural NRLW team in 2018.
Not surprisingly, the Round 4 trip home has been marked in Hale's calendar since the NRLW draw was released last year but she had never seriously considered rejoining the Warriors for their return season.
“It would be wrong of me to say that I didn’t think about it; of course you think about things like that and I am not closing the chapter to going home, but I feel really comfortable at the Titans right now,” Hale said.
“We have got goals that we want to achieve and we have fallen a bit short there, so I feel really passionate about the Gold Coast Titans, but I do have a very large soft spot for the Warriors.”
A product of the Richmond Roses club in the Auckland Rugby League, Hale has been a stalwart of Kiwi Ferns teams since 2014 and was the Warriors captain before COVID forced the club to withdraw from the NRLW in 2021.
2023 Golden Boot: Georgia Hale
She grew up supporting the Warriors as Stacey Jones led them to the NRL grand final in 2002 and Shaun Johnson repeated the feat in 2011, while never imagining the club would later have a women’s team.
After returning from a one-match suspension for dangerous contact, Hale will play against the Warriors for the first time on Saturday at Go Media Stadium.
“I remember when I was five years old sitting in the stands and eating hot chips, while watching the boys play, so I definitely have very strong ties back to the club,” Hale said.
“It is very special just for the opportunity to go back and play, especially at the ground I spent so much time watching the Warriors.
Hale to the chief
“A few of their games are at Hamilton, so I feel quite fortunate that I have had the luck of the draw there and my family will be in the stands watching.
"There were a few requests [for tickets], but thankfully my dad works for the Warriors so he has kind of sorted the family side of things and then I have a few friends who are going to be in the stands, so it will be nice to have some people cheering for the Titans."
Nicholls, who was also a Warriors NRLW foundation player, has returned home to be closer to family after a stint with the Raiders.
The importance of returning home
The superstar fullback said Hale was a mentor as well as a friend, and she tried to adapt to her leadership style many of the attributes she had learned playing for the Kiwi Ferns.
"Georgia is an awesome leader. She walks the talk, she leads by her actions, she is just so composed during the game, and she is just such a good friend off the field," Nicholls said.
"She is there for everyone, she is not just about herself and that is what I really like about her. She definitely makes everyone else more significant than herself and is very welcoming
"I would love to be like her, I think she is one of the best leaders that I know and I would love to learn more about how she leads so I can take that back to our girls."
Match: Warriors v Titans
Round 4 -
home Team
Warriors
9th Position
away Team
Titans
10th Position
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
