KEY POINTS:
It's often said that all good things must come to an end and the end is much closer than the beginning for Steve Price and Ruben Wiki.
The pair have been two of the best signings at the Warriors and, while they aren't gone yet, the club have already prepared for life without them.
The expectation is that Sam Rapira and Evarn Tuimavave will initially step into the void and there is a bevy of younger players, including Russell Packer, Herman Retzlaff, Mataupu Poching and Leeson Ah Mau.
It's not as if Rapira and Tuimavave are absolute novices. Between them they have played more than 100 NRL games and Tuimavave made his debut for the club as an 18-year-old in 2002. It's just it's a different matter when two warhorses aren't there to go into battle beside you.
Warriors fans have had a snapshot of the future with the hamstring injury to Price, which will keep him sidelined for another six weeks.
While the 34-year-old could yet return in 2009 - the club would be mad not to offer him another contract for next season if he is able to recapture the form of 2007 - Wiki has already announced this will be his last year with the Warriors before a sabbatical in the UK Super League.
The Warriors clearly see prop as a critical position. They signed Rapira to an extraordinary five-year contract last year, a clear indication the 20-year-old is seen as the future of the front row. Tuimavave's contract runs out at the end of next year.
"We saw that having long-term, established props was a critical thing well past the Price and Wiki era," Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said. "Our recruitment process has improved quite a lot and we are [now] working towards a shadow squad for 2011 and 2012.
"We pencil in the guys who are coming through in development. Things change quite dramatically because you don't sign everyone, some don't kick on and others got better but we certainly have a good development process in place."
While prime beef can be replaced with fresh meat, it will be a whole lot harder to fill the leadership void Price and Wiki will leave.
Again, the club are trying to soften that blow and have introduced a leadership group, through a company called Leading Teams who also work with the Blues, Storm and Geelong AFL club.
They put more of an onus on others taking responsibility for everything from training and travel to pre-match preparation.
Tuimavave and Rapira have also been advised by Price and Wiki to be more vocal, particularly off the park.
Although only 20, Rapira is into his third season with the NRL squad and already has 38 games under his belt. He played all 26 games last season, as well as all six tests for the Kiwis (he made his debut against Australia in the Anzac test).
He has even started the last 12 games as coach Ivan Cleary looks to bring Wiki on later to ensure an experienced campaigner on the park at all times.
Rapira has the physical attributes of a modern prop - tall and athletic without being too heavy - and has already been talked about as a future Kiwis captain.
He knows he's being groomed to take over from Price and Wiki but, for now, is soaking up as much from the pair as he can.
"For me it's still trying to learn what I can off them," he says. "Until they've gone, [taking over from them] is not something I'm thinking about. We have still got them now so I follow their lead. When it comes, that's when I will really have to step up.
"When I first came into the side it was a bit scary being a part of the same team as those two. Playing alongside them is still a buzz and I'm learning things from them on and off the field, like little tricks to save energy on the field to last that extra 10 minutes. For them it's more of a mental thing, pushing through those tough times, and that's what I have been working on."
Rapira has seen his game time increase significantly in the two years since his debut. In his 10 games in 2006, he averaged 24 minutes a game. Now, it's closer to 40 minutes.
It's a similar story for Tuimavave, who last weekend played 56 minutes straight in Price's absence, the longest of his 76-game NRL career. He has, though, started only 12 games.
"With this being Ruben's last year and we're still not sure what's happening with Steve, someone has to fill that gap," Tuimavave says.
"I'm looking forward to it. I have always wanted to be a starting front-rower and I want to cement a top spot."
Price is adamant the club will survive when he and Wiki depart. He says they're coping without him now.
"The best thing that happened was get rid of that 34-year-old," he quipped after last weekend's 30-16 win over the highly fancied Eels.
It's easy to say after a good win but Price was being disingenuous - he made close to 200m and averaged 64 minutes a game last season. He was not only named Dally M Prop of the Year but also captured successive Warriors Player of the Year awards.
But he did emphasise that league is a 17-man game, not 13-man.#"You can't afford to have 13 and then guys who come on and fill in a bit of time," he says. "When I was at the Bulldogs, we had Sonny Bill [Williams], Reni Maitua, Johnathan Thurston and Roy Asotasi on the bench, and they are all now superstars of the game.
"There's always a natural progression, through injuries, lack of form or retirement so they will get their chances. If the club can hang on to those two guys they will be very important to how successful the Warriors will be in the future. Both of them are still learning and developing but they are both great people and have some football ability as well. It fits the ideals of the type of ethics and culture we're trying to generate."
