Chanel Harris-Tavita of the Warriors heads for the try line. Photo / Photosport
Chanel Harris-Tavita of the Warriors heads for the try line. Photo / Photosport
Warriors utility Chanel Harris-Tavita enjoyed a hell of a homecoming on Sunday night.
The last time he was at Mt Smart for an NRL match, he ended up standing in the rain saying farewell to a small bunch of fans, after a dispiriting loss to the Gold Coast Titansin the final game of the 2022 season.
That defeat, after the Warriors held a 14-point lead with eight minutes to play, was an awful way to end the club’s Covid era and also the start of an uncertain chapter for Harris-Tavita, as he had called time on his career to go travelling.
But now he’s back – after watching the 2023 season with some envy – and there is a sense of the prodigal son about him.
The local product underlined his importance – and mental strength – in the 20-12 win over Newcastle, after coming on in the 11th minute to replace Luke Metcalf, who left the field with a suspected broken leg. Harris-Tavita hadn’t trained in the halves at all over the past fortnight, as he focussed on the back up dummy half role he had filled in Melbourne and Christchurch. But the 24-year-old gave an assured display in the tight game, an effective foil for Johnson in the halves.
“All week I have been talking to Webby and he has just told me, be ready for anything,” said Harris-Tavita. “Playing that utility role off the bench you don’t know when you are going on. In the last two weeks I came on last 10 minutes when the game was in the balance…this week I came on after 10 minutes. For me it is focusing on what I can control, which is my preparation during the week and building combinations with the middles and the back. Just got to be ready for anything.”
He admitted the lungs were struggling – “I didn’t expect to play that long” – but was thrilled to make the most of the opportunity. He also nabbed a crucial try, running off Wayde Egan to put the Warriors 12-0 ahead midway through the first half.
“I was getting flashbacks to the homecoming game against the Tigers [in July 2022],” recalled Harris-Tavita. “Wayde jumped out, made a line break and I tripped over myself in that game. First thing that went through my mind was ‘don’t trip over’ and thankfully Wayde saw me on the left and put me away. I celebrated a little bit too early - I was smiling before I put the ball down - so yeah I’ll take that lesson.”
The smiles were justified though, as he celebrated with most of his family after the match, including his mother who was wearing a specially made Mt Wellington jersey, a tribute to Harris-Tavita’s late grandfather Ray, who was an astute half for his club and province in the 1970s.
Harris-Tavita has worked extremely hard to get back into NRL shape, after his sabbatical. He reported to training early, then had to overcome a groin strain in the middle of pre-season. It’s all worth it now and Harris-Tavita shapes as a vital cog.
Chanel Harris-Tavita heads for the line against the Knights. Photo / Photosport
“That is why he is there, he can play anywhere,” said coach Andrew Webster. “To do it so early and just the concentration, I was rapt for him.”
With Metcalf out for a prolonged period, Webster has an interesting dilemma with the No 6 jersey. Te Maire Martin has impressed in NSW Cup and bringing him back would maintain Harris-Tavita as cover. But it might be difficult to send Harris-Tavita back to the bench after an impressive display, which also included a pinpoint kick – hauled down spectacularly by Marcelo Montoya – for the Warriors’ third try.
“I wouldn’t say I was right back in the groove but I had Jacko Ford making all my tackles and just kicking for Marcelo, he catches everything,” laughed Harris-Tavita. “It’s pretty simple for me; wherever I am playing I just need to know what my role is in the team and then execute it.”
It’s a good problem for Webster and another example of the depth in the current squad. But they’ll need to improve considerably over the coming weeks, with away matches against the Rabbitohs and Dragons along with the visit of a vastly improved Manly.
“We were good in patches,” admitted Harris-Tavita. “We are learning how to close out these games but if we go to the next level we should be able to put on a few more points just so we are not in the position where there is pressure to hold that lead. That is where our improvements are.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. He has also reported on the Warriors and NRL for more than a decade.
