A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2003 New Zealand Warriors season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 6th | |||
| 2003 record | Wins: 15; draws: 0; losses: 9 | |||
| Points scored | For: 545; against: 510 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Mick Watson | |||
| Coach | Daniel Anderson | |||
| Assistant coach | Tony Kemp | |||
| Captains | ||||
| Stadium | Ericsson Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 16,842 | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Francis Meli (23) | |||
| Goals | Stacey Jones (29) | |||
| Points | Francis Meli (92) | |||
| ||||
The 2003 New Zealand Warriors season was the 9th in the club's history. They competed in the National Rugby League's 2003 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season in 6th place. The Warriors then came within one game of the grand final, losing to eventual premiers the Penrith Panthers. The coach of the team was Daniel Anderson while Monty Betham was the club captain.
Milestones
- The Warriors had the youngest squad out of all the 15 clubs in the 2003 NRL season.[1]
- 23 March — Round 2: Monty Betham played in his 50th match for the club.
- 6 April — Round 4: Francis Meli, Wairangi Koopu and Mark Tookey played in their 50th first grade games for the club.[2]
- 22 June — Round 13: Motu Tony played in his 50th match for the club.
- 12 July — Round 18: Ali Lauitiiti played in his 100th match for the club.
- 10 August — Round 22: Richard Villasanti played in his 50th match for the club.
- 6 September — Round 26: Awen Guttenbiel played in his 100th match for the club.
Jersey & Sponsors
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The Warriors launched a new jersey design in 2003, finally removing completely the blue and white colours the owners had inherited when the purchased the company.[3] |
Fixtures
The Warriors used Ericsson Stadium as their home ground in 2003, their only home ground since they entered the competition in 1995.
Pre-season
The Warriors played a pre-season trial match against the Penrith Panthers in Invercargill on 28 February. 15,000 fans attended the match, which was sold out.[4]
Regular season
Final Seriesedit
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 September | Qualifying Final |  Bulldogs |
Showgrounds, Sydney | Win | 48 - 22 | Meli (5), Webb (2), Faumuina, Tony | Webb (5), Faumuina (1) | 18,312 | 25 |
| 20 September | Preliminary Final |  Canberra Raiders |
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Win | 17 - 16 | Fa'afili, Swann, Toopi | Webb (2), Jones (FG) | 31,616 | 26 |
| 28 September | Preliminary Final |  Penrith Panthers |
Telstra Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 20 - 28 | Swann, Toopi, Villasanti, Webb | Webb (2) | 43,174 | 27 |
Ladderedit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Penrith Panthers (P)
|
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 659 | 527 | +132 | 40 |
| 2 |  Sydney Roosters
|
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 680 | 445 | +235 | 38 |
| 3 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 702 | 419 | +283 | 36 |
| 4 | Canberra Raiders
|
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 620 | 463 | +157 | 36 |
| 5 |  Melbourne Storm
|
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 564 | 486 | +78 | 34 |
| 6 |  New Zealand Warriors
|
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 545 | 510 | +35 | 34 |
| 7 |  Newcastle Knights
|
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 632 | 635 | -3 | 32 |
| 8 |  Brisbane Broncos
|
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 497 | 464 | +33 | 28 |
| 9 |  Parramatta Eels
|
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 570 | 582 | -12 | 26 |
| 10 |  St George Illawarra Dragons
|
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 548 | 593 | -45 | 26 |
| 11 |  North Queensland Cowboys
|
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 606 | 629 | -23 | 24 |
| 12 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 497 | 704 | -207 | 20 |
| 13 |  Wests Tigers
|
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 470 | 598 | -128 | 18 |
| 14 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
|
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 557 | 791 | -234 | 18 |
| 15 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 457 | 758 | -301 | 10 |
Squadedit
Twenty eight players were used by the Warriors in 2003, including five players who made their first grade debuts.
