Sir Peter Leitch - better known as 'Mad Butcher' - didn't mince his words, when asked to send a message directly to those responsible for the theft of several of his prized NZ Warriors jerseys from Mt Smart Stadium.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, 14 jerseys from Sir Peter's collection of memorabilia on display at the team's Auckland headquarters were stolen in a ram raid.
Looking down the barrel of an AM camera on Thursday, Leitch launched into his plea.
"Listen, if you went to Mt Smart and stole those jerseys, give them back and I'll forgive you," he began. "We just want the jerseys back. Be nice.
"If you don't give them back, I'll hunt you down."
While there's an obvious sense of jest in the 78-year-old's warning, it's clear exactly how much the jerseys mean to him.
Sir Peter's love for the embattled Warriors goes beyond fandom, transcending to a role of spiritual guardian in his unwavering support of not only the Auckland-based NRL team, but rugby league in New Zealand in general.
The Butcher isn't angry, he's just "disappointed" - less on a personal level than for his fellow rugby league die-hards, who'll be denied the chance to see them on their weekly pilgrimages to the Warriors' home during the NRL season.
"People love to hear the stories about them and that's the main thing - they're robbing the public of sharing in those jerseys," he said. "That's the most disappointing thing.
"We are working very hard to get them back. The public and the media have been very good promoting it."
At this stage, it's still unclear how many people were involved in the burglary, with Sir Peter set to head straight from the studio to the ground to meet with police and the local council for an update on their progress.
He said he's been "overwhelmed" by the messages of support from his fans since the news broke and can sense the impact it's had.
"It has upset the public," he said. "They're robbing their own people".
"They would be very silly to wear them in public. I won't tell you what some of my friends have said that they would do to him."
Leitch admitted the thought that the crime had been - as has often been the case during the recent spate of ram raids across New Zealand - carried out by young people was difficult to stomach.
"It's very sad. And I actually feel sorry for those young kids because I don't think they've been brought up properly.
"'I'd be asking myself - 'would my daughter be out at that hour of the morning?'. No way would she be out at that hour of the morning."
But the exuberant Waiheke Island resident added a dose of timely perspective to the incident.
"We move on because it's not the end of the world. To be honest with you, I feel much more sorry for the people at the [recently ram raided] Michael Hill stores… where they come in and smash the joint and threaten them," he said.
"We were lucky. These are just jerseys."
If anyone has any information regarding this incident, contact Police on 105, quoting 221012/7722. Information can also be passed on anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
