Shaun had a special trip out with two of his fellow students, Vaughn and Mohammed.

Staff arranged for Shaun to visit Mt Smart Stadium for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the New Zealand Warriors.

When he arrived, Shaun was very excited to be greeted by Jerome Ropati, a former Warrior who Shaun had met and watched play many times.

Jerome was our guide for the morning and began by introducing us to all the staff onsite. This was followed by an opportunity to watch the team’s training session.

Mohammed, Shaun and Vaughn watched the team train in their gym and then had a tour of their changing rooms.

The young men also followed the team through the players’ tunnel to watch the on-field training.

The boys were lucky enough to meet and greet some of the players and Shaun Johnston even signed Shaun’s Warriors’ shirt.

At the end of the tour, the trio were each presented with a Warriors’ gift bag containing an assortment of Warriors’ merchandise, which was an extra, unexpected treat.

All in all, it was an amazing day had by all and I know it is an experience they’ll remember forever.