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Nine Kiwis - six Roosters, three Sea Eagles - will line up for Sunday's NRL grand final, the highest number of any excluding those featuring the Warriors.

The All Whites are close to finalising a deal to play Trinidad and Tobago later this month in their final hitout before November's World Cup playoff, but will have to do it without striker Chris Killen who has undergone Achilles surgery.

Seven years ago, Russell Crowe wined and dined Roy Asotasi and sold a vision to the front-rower.

Lydia Ko has a few decisions to make around her professional career but one thing is clear - she wants to win Olympic gold in Rio in 2016.

The All Whites have a rare chance to win a trophy after beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Riyadh this morning, but it's hard to ignore the real prize on offer towards the end of the year.

Kevin Payne, the man who handed Ryan Nelsen his first job as a football manager, has been sacked as Toronto FC president and general manager and it seems a breakdown of relationship with Nelsen was behind the split.

It's the only thing people are talking about and, ultimately the only thing that really matters, but the Warriors are trying to put playoff permutations out of their minds ahead of Saturday's game against the Dragons.

In the same way teams are judged on results, captains are also largely evaluated on a side's level of success.

Finals football has come to the Warriors two weeks early because the team are approaching Saturday's match against the Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium like a knockout game.

A lot has been learned about the Warriors over the past couple of months, good and bad, and it's also been highlighted why the club have moved to sign England fullback Sam Tomkins.

What seemed almost inevitable three weeks ago has suddenly become almost impossible.

Jerome Ropati is in the frame for a return to the Warriors side after having been included in an extended bench to face Penrith at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

Like most players, Issac Luke rattles out the line that he just hopes he makes the New Zealand side for the upcoming World Cup. In reality, he's the one players the Kiwis can't do without if they're to defend their world title.

A desire to please his parents was behind Steve Matai's decision to switch allegiance from New Zealand to Samoa at this year's World Cup.

For All Whites striker Shane Smeltz, it wasn't quite the lasting impression he was hoping to take from the Olympics.

The Warriors have had the misfortune of running into a few ambushes and they face another one this weekend when they tackle a Manly outfit under the spotlight of the drugs probe across the Tasman.

Odd years seem to go well for Feleti Mateo, and the Warriors second-rower will hope 2013 ends at least as favourably as the last couple.