Mike Morrissey, a super fan from Taranaki, was stunned when his side won the NPC final on Saturday, but he was soon brought back to reality.
Along with hundreds of other supporters, he fractured his ankle racing onto the pitch, and in the ensuing celebration, his bag carrying a shirt autographed by some of rugby’s top personalities was taken.
At Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth on Saturday, the Yarrows Taranaki Bulls defeated Hawke’s Bay 22–19 to win the NPC championship.
It was just their second premier league national rugby championship, and hundreds of supporters flooded the pitch to join the squad in celebrating, much like they did when the Bulls won in 2014.
At that point, Morrissey faltered.
“I tried to get to the boys quickly because I was too excited.”
Arguably the biggest Bulls fan alive, Morrissey said he couldn’t remember a time when he lost track of his luggage since there was so much going on.
The jersey that was taken from the luggage belonged to the Yarrows centenary game that took place in the Manaia Domain earlier this year between the Bulls and Wellington.
The home team wore a commemorative Taranaki shirt, complete with the iconic blue and black hoops of the former Waimate club.
It’s a legendary jersey, Morrissey declared.
“The oldest All Black, Roy Roper, who is no longer with us, signed it.”
Morrissey claimed that despite his widespread social media posts requesting that the thief return the jersey, nobody has stepped forward.
He remarked that it means far more to him than its actual value.
“The individual who possesses it is aware of it. I have a lot of people looking for it, including the rugby union, so you can’t sell it.
“Just return it without asking any questions.”
At Taranaki games, Morrissey was well-known.
For 22 seasons, he had waved a six-meter Bulls flag during games, and he had supported the team for an even longer period of time.
He was so devoted to the Bulls that he had framed jerseys on his walls and a flag pole in his backyard.
Win or lose, he cheers for the Bulls, whom he refers to as his team.
He said, “They’re going to win the bloody thing,” to inquiries about how they planned to do this year.
I told the lads, ‘You play for yourselves, enjoy the game, and play with your heart on your sleeve because this is something that, for some of you, won’t happen again. You play for your family, the fans, and myself, most importantly.'”
Leave a Reply