Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Some athletes seem to have all the skill sets from a young age, while others have a journey to reach the top in their chosen sport.

A good example of the two roads to success is provided by pair of elite sportsmen, who learnt their craft in the Bay of Plenty.

Black Cap skipper Kane Williamson excelled at a number of sports from an early age, but cricket was always his passion, with constant practice and self-evaluation the key to his success.

All Black front-rower Kane Hames had a more unconventional path to wearing the Black jersey of New Zealand.

Playing club rugby for Tauranga Sports premiers was the initial step, then prgressing to the Steamers, followed by Super Rugby before selection for the Maori All Blacks and the All Blacks.

Another Bay of Plenty young man that seems to have sporting ability in spades, is 2018 Warriors new recruit Hayze Perham.

This time last year, the potential rugby league star of the future was captaining rugby school powerhouse Rotorua Boys' High School.

While Hayze has chosen rugby league, he is another that excelled in a number of other sports in the age-group ranks.

The Rotorua born young man is the youngest Bay of Plenty Cricket player to have won a BOPCA Player of the Month award, since introduction in 2003.

In December 2012, Hayze Perham simply blasted a Western Bay of Plenty Year Eight representative side out of the game, smashing 172 runs in his sides total of 335 for the loss of seven wickets.

The hugely talented youngster smashed an incredible 16 sixes and 11 fours in his whirlwind innings.

Hayze's huge score follows hard on the heels of his feats at the ND Primary Cricket tournament in Hamilton, where the youngster belted 101 runs as Bay of Plenty Lakeland defeated a strong Counties Manukau team.

The young Rotorua born Warrior is at the start of a professional sporting career, where he could be become a rugby league household name or go down as just another promising young player who didn't make the big time.

Only time will tell, whether Hayze Perham fulfils his undoubted sporting potential at just 18 years of age.

Sideline Sid has to admit that he is a fair-weather New Zealand Warriors fan.

At the end of last season, when the Warriors limped out of the NRL title race with nine straight losses, he muttered enough is enough and vowed to give up supporting the team that call Mount Smart Stadium home.

A new season has brought a rejuvenated Warriors team, with the grey headed sports fan again following the countries hopes in the super tough NRL competition, albeit with a touch of reality that you can't win every game.

What the 2018 Warriors seem to have re-found is RESPECT - for their coach, for the game and most importantly for the fans.

Go The Warriors!