New Zealand Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck eyes 150th game for NRL club

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will bring up 150 games for the Warriors this week. Photo / Photosport

By Grant Chapman of RNZ

The rollercoaster rugby league ride of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck may be nearing an end – or not – but it takes one more twist, as he brings up 150 games for the New Zealand Warriors.

After bringing up his ton during Covid incarceration, the former Sydney Rooster forsook the 13-man code to chase his All Blacks dream, a move that seemed to slam the door shut on that chapter of his decorated career.

“Going to rugby was awesome, I enjoyed it and was lucky I got to do it,” he reflected. “I got to don the black jersey, the Blues jersey and the hoops [Auckland] jersey.

“I didn’t expect to come back. I was all set to go to Japan and was looking forward to that transition, but sat down with the current coaches here and leaned in, when they started talking about rugby league.

“Now I’m stoked I’m back and no regrets.”

Tuivasa-Sheck was already a complete player, when he arrived at Mt Smart, after 84 games for the Roosters, winning Dally M Winger of the Year in 2013 and then Fullback of the Year in 2015.

He helped Sydney to the championship in 2013 and became an international superstar with the Kiwis.

A knee injury curtailed his first season in Auckland after just seven games, but the following year, new coach Stephen Kearney named him captain and, in 2018, he won the Dally M Medal as the NRL Player of the Year. Two years later, he was named Dally M Captain of the Year.

“We didn’t start too well in 2016, had a bit of success a few years after that, then Covid hit and now we’re here playing finals footy, so we’ve been all over the place and I’ve enjoyed every minute,” Tuivasa-Sheck recalled. “Pretty stoked to be here now.”

“I think I’ve grown massively. I came over as a marquee signing, I was still 22, 23 and got thrown into captaincy ... I’ve grown a lot.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in action for the Warriors. Photo / Jason O'Brien, Photosport

“I felt like I matured over the years and learnt a lot. So many lessons I’ve learnt at this club and I think it will make me better for the future and for my own family.”

After his two-year hiatus in rugby, Tuivasa-Sheck, 32, tried to reinvent himself in the midfield, where he had played for the All Blacks, but has settled back on to the wing, where he began his career.

Last season, he won the Simon Mannering Medal as the Warriors Player of the Year for the fourth time – he was already the first to win the award three straight years in 2017-19.

When Tuivasa-Sheck runs out on to Go Media Stadium today to face the Canberra Raiders, he joins select company as the 13th to log 150 appearances for the Warriors.

“We joke around, because he’s the oldest in the team now,” teammate Chanel Harris-Tavita revealed. “He doesn’t look like it, but we do joke around.

“He’s a legend of the game, he’s done everything there is and, personally, I’ve looked up to him my whole career. He was a fullback when I debuted and to rub shoulders with him this week is pretty special.”

Harris-Tavita plays on the same left edge as his idol and was the beneficiary of some deft playmaking for a try double against the Roosters in last week’s season-opener.

“As an edge, we like to compete for everything and the ball’s never dead,” he said. “My first try, the ball went to the ground, he capitalised on the opportunity and I was there to pick up the scraps.

“The same happened for my second try, which was nice.”

Tuivasa-Sheck hoped those around him might return the favour this week.

“That’s the plan,” Harris-Tavita grinned. “It doesn’t always go to plan, but we’ll try and get him one for his 150th.”

Tuivasa-Sheck’s future with the Warriors is uncertain, with his current contract ending this season and no extension in sight, as he considers a possible switch back to union for the rebel R360 competition, now delayed until 2028.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Photo / Photosport

Last month, he insisted he wasn’t thinking about what came next, just the here and now. Coach Andrew Webster went on record as saying he hoped his star never left the club.

“I think his journey is unbelievable,” Webster said. “He started as a young local boy in the area, obviously he went off and progressed, learnt his trade and came back to captain the club.

“He’s done almost everything in the game, became an All Black. He’s come back and added so much value ... the amount of times he’s won Player of the Year, the energy he brings, the experience he brings and just the workrate as well.

“I’m really happy for him – a local boy getting to play 150 games for the club where he grew up is awesome.”

How many more games did Tuivasa-Sheck think he had for the club, tested the reporter.

“We’ll find out, eh,” he winked. “We’ll see how this body goes.”

He didn’t bite.