KEY POINTS:
Brent Tate often refers to a piece of advice his mum gave him when he was a youngster growing up in the small, wheat-growing region of Roma in Queensland.
"Whatever decision you make, it's always the best decision," she would say to him.
Tate has been
making good decisions on a rugby league field for years but his decision to join the Warriors on a three-year deal has turned out to be one of his best in recent times.
It's fair to say the club are quick to agree they have got good value for money out of one of the biggest signings in their history.
There were rumblings at the time that his reported $450,000-a-year deal would have been better spent on a quality halfback. That argument had some merit although would have been hard to fulfil given the paucity of those available.
They also needed a good outside back and few would question the impact he has had on the club this season.
It could be argued, with some conviction, the 26-year-old has been the best buy of any NRL club in 2008.
Teammate Aidan Kirk was adamant he should at least be on the short-list. Coach Ivan Cleary, though, wouldn't be engaged on that. He's too wily to be drawn into a hypothetical debate.
"I don't know. I'm just very happy with how he's going," Cleary says with the sort of grin rare on the often straight-faced coach.
"He has been everything that we hoped for. "He's extremely competitive. It was a little like when Wade [McKinnon] came in last year. He's the same sort of creature. Ian Henderson is a little bit the same. Those guys have brought a never-say-die, positive mindset to the club.
"I also think Brent, and I'm not sure if it's because he's from the Broncos, has been really good at educating the guys about hanging in there during the games and doing the same sort of things. It's worked for us."
It's a different kind of Brent Tate to the one who spent seven successful seasons with the Broncos. The skill, intelligence and passion are still there, as well as an ability to beat a man on the outside with pace. This saw him top the Warriors statistics in offloads (36) and runs with the ball (337) before Saturday night's match with Manly and he was also near the top in a number of other categories like total metres gained, line breaks and tackle breaks.
But perhaps his biggest contribution has been the fact he is now a leader. It was something Tate wanted. At the Broncos, he was just another indian. At the Warriors, he is working himself up to chiefly status. Chief Ginger Chin.
"It has been a completely different role to the one I was used to in Brisbane," he says.
"In Brisbane we had so many senior guys - Darren Lockyer, Shane Webcke, Petero Civoniceva - and there have always been five or six guys who have done it all.
"I have come to the Warriors and I have had to play that role. It's been a real learning curve for me, but it's something I have really enjoyed. At the stage of my career I was ready to take that next step and it comes with fitting in with a new team and culture.
"I have definitely taken some stuff from Brisbane. I have always been a player who has listened and I have had great mentors in Wayne Bennett and guys like Darren Lockyer so I could sit back and listen to how they go about their business.
"You learn from others and I have learned from them. Hopefully I can bring some of that to this club. Sometimes I have been OK at it and sometimes I haven't and have struggled with it."
Cleary laughs when he hears of Tate's insecurities.
"He worries too much about what he says and whether it's right or wrong," he says.
"I have tried to encourage him, if he's got something to say, just say it. He likes the leadership thing. When he got here he wanted to ease his way in but when Pricey [Steve Price] and Wado [Wade McKinnon] were out injured we really had to fill a void there."
There were difficult times, Tate admits that. Not only did he and his wife have to leave family and friends behind but there were also occasions during the season when he didn't think the Warriors would get as far as they have as they lingered in the lower reaches of the competition ladder.
He also had doubts after his knee reconstruction as he struggled to find the speed and confidence of old. It was a challenge he was after, and it was a challenge he got. But the rewards are so much greater when things are difficult.
"This has probably been the biggest year I have had personally," the Queensland State of Origin representative says.
"The fact I have played so much footy with Origin and club, and becoming a dad. It's just gone so fast. "Last month we had been here 12 months. In that time I've played all that footy and had a baby boy. We have moved country and started again but I can't complain. We have loved every minute of it.
"It's been great, awesome. It's been a hell of a ride this year and we have had a lot of ups and downs but the way we have finished the season, the way we have dug in, has given us a lot of belief."
TOP 5 BUYS OF 2008
1. Brent Tate (Warriors)
With a reported $450,000-a-year price tag, Tate ought to have been good. He has been. The 26-year-old started the season slowly as he regained form, speed and confidence following a serious knee injury last season but since Origin he has been excellent. He tends to take the right options on attack and rarely takes the wrong one on defence, is a good organiser on the Warriors' right side, has had a major influence because of his experiences at Brisbane and has run for more metres in 2008 than any season in his eight-year career. "He has to be one of the best buys in the competition," says Warriors winger Aidan Kirk. "Definitely. Definitely." Agreed. Agreed.
2. Petero Civoniceva (Panthers)
The big Fijian never wanted, nor expected, to leave the Broncos but was virtually forced out over a contract wrangle and Penrith were the lucky recipients. Civoniceva has been excellent for them this season. He ran for nearly 3000m during 349 hitups and made 485 tackles but his leadership and presence was the most significant contribution to a Panthers outfit that looked like making the top eight until they ran out of steam down the stretch. The 32-year-old turned down much bigger offers from UK clubs to stay in Australia and remain eligible for Origin and international football but he is said to tiring of the internal politics at Penrith - something he didn't encounter at Brisbane - and is hopeful of a return to his spiritual home when his contract expires at the end of 2009.
3. Peter Wallace (Broncos)
Although Wallace's form dipped towards the end of the season, he was excellent for the Broncos in his first year. The former Penrith halfback won man-of-the-match awards in consecutive weeks, guided the side well when skipper Darren Lockyer was out injured and was rewarded with an Origin call-up, where he was a standout in the first game. His form was so good, the Broncos even extended his contract with the club mid-season until the end of 2012 to ward off potential suitors.
4. Ian Henderson (Warriors)
The self-confessed 'grub' (for his style of play, not his living habits), has got better and better as the season has progressed. His darts out of dummy half have troubled the opposition all year and he had crossed the white line seven times this season before last night. Teams know he's going to run with the ball but it doesn't mean they know how to stop him. His service is also tidy and he gets through a power of work on defence (more than 700 tackles). The English-born, Australian-raised Scotsman also had one of the best beards in the club before shaving off most of it recently to leave a classic porn-star moustache.
5. Joel Monaghan (Raiders)
After being tipped for the wooden spoon, the Raiders were a success story this season. The reasons for that were Neil Henry's coaching, five eighth Terry Campese's skill, lock Alan Tongue's work-rate, winger/centre Colin Best's running game and centre Joel Monaghan's penetration at centre. Monaghan's return to the Raiders after three years with the Roosters was described as the return of the prodigal son and he backed it up by winning the Mal Meninga Medal as the club's player of the year.
