The blues become Super Rugby champions, the Warriors take a dive and the Northern stars stay on top, plus more. Video / NZ Herald
OPINION:
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is a positive signing for the Warriors, but what comes next in the recruitment arena will decide the short term fate of the club.
The Warriors have made some good moves in the market over the last year, highlighted by the staggering coup that was Reece Walsh.
Addin Fonua-Blake is the kind of player that a pack can be built around, while fringe Storm prop Arran Pene has obvious potential. Centre Euan Aitken is solid and unheralded back Marcelo Montoya has fitted in well, though the jury is still out on Kane Evans.
Watene-Zelezniak is another piece of the jigsaw and his recruitment makes sense, in many ways.
The Kiwis captain can be an inspiring leader and will help to fill some of the vacuum left when Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is no longer around.
He'll bring experience – in a team that doesn't have a lot in the backline – and will be the perfect deputy for Walsh at fullback, whenever the teenager is unavailable, through injury or otherwise.
Watene-Zelezniak is the right age (25) to be making the switch and is a proud Kiwi, important for the balance of the squad, given the recent influx of Australian players.
He will have something to prove, at his third NRL club and could be a captaincy contender by 2022. Tohu Harris is the obvious person to inherit Tuivasa-Sheck's mantle, given his mana, ability and leadership qualities.
But if Harris doesn't want the role – with enough on his plate as an 80 minute middle forward – there won't be too many better qualified than Watene-Zelezniak.
However, he won't come cheap.
Watene-Zelezniak was one of the highest-paid players at the Bulldogs (around $850,000 a season). The Sydney club is picking up a significant portion of his salary for the next 18 months, but his overall three and a half year deal will represent a significant outlay.
Watene-Zelezniak is versatile, able to cover any position in the back five, but the Warriors have more pressing recruitment priorities.
They desperately need a specialist hooker and their lack of cover at dummy half could be costly. Taniela Otukolo is a good future prospect but the club needs another backup to Wayde Egan.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak of the Bulldogs passes the ball during the round six NRL match between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Canterbury Bulldogs. Photo / Getty Images.
Then there is the halves situation, both for the immediate future and the next few years.
The Warriors already lack depth in that area and Kodi Nikorima has signalled he wants to stay in Australia in 2022, for family reasons. The club needs to find a quality, experienced half or five-eighth.
Evans was a high-profile recruit but the 29-year-old has only started five matches, with four other interchange appearances. Leeson Ah Mau has been much more effective, but his age (31) may count against him. Pene (Storm) is a good pick up for 2022, but the club needs more reinforcements in the engine room.
As well as power, what about a ball playing back rower, in the style of Feleti Mateo, Anthony Watmough or Wade Graham? The team needs a point of difference, though there is hope for Eliesa Katoa if he continues to develop his skills in that area.
The recruitment of Watene-Zelezniak also breaks with a long Warriors' tradition of homegrown talent on the flanks. From Henry Fa'afili and Francis Meli, to Manu Vatuvei, David Fusitu'a and Ken Maumalo, the club has often unearthed wingers from its development pathways.
It has been difficult, with a few notable exceptions, to find hookers and halves among local products, but successful wingers have been plentiful.
