Warriors’ coach Andrew Webster has allayed fears over captain Tohu Harris, saying he expects the 31-year to be available for their first NRL playoff match next weekend.
Harris has been managing a lower back issue for several weeks and aggravated the problem in Friday’s 18-6 win over the Dragons, whichled to him suffering back spasms over the weekend.
That has ruled him out of Saturday’s trip to face the Redcliffe Dolphins and there are concerns about his potential involvement in the finals.
But Webster, while admitting that the situation will need to be managed carefully, is “super confident” about the prognosis.
“It’s one of those things if you don’t get it right it can go the other way,” said Webster. “It’s his lower back. You need it to move, you need it to bend over. So we’re just taking it with care and making sure we’re smart with it. There’s certain things that are good for him and that is to keep moving, keep mobile, not sit down for long periods of time. He’ll play next week, but he’s going to have to work hard at his back to keep it where it is.”
That positive forecast will be a relief for Warriors fans, given the importance of Harris to the team’s systems, structures and style of play, not to mention his mana. There was not such bright news on Luke Metcalf, who is unlikely to be seen again this season, after his hamstring strain against the Dragons, though Webster didn’t completely rule him out, saying he could recover in time for the grand final, if the Warriors were to progress that far.
“We’ve got to work hard to get there first but no one is giving up on Luke just yet,” said Webster.
Thankfully, fellow half Te Maire Martin has just returned, after being out with a broken leg since early April. He got through 50 minutes in NSW Cup last Sunday, with two try assists and a line break, before the coaches decided they had seen enough.
“He had some great touches,” said Webster. “It looks like he hasn’t missed a beat at the moment.”
Along with Harris, Webster has also rested Shaun Johnson, Addin Fonua-Blake, Charzne Nicoll-Klokstad, Wayde Egan and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Aside from being important players, they’ve all had significant workloads this season, while Nicoll-Kokstad and Egan have also dealt with concussion and injury issues.
It was a great chance – with the dead rubber match against Redcliffe – to make sure the quintet freshened up and got over various minor problems.
Warriors' utility Dylan Walker
“It was a really good opportunity and I’d kick myself if we lost players [for next week] that had those little niggles,” said Webster.
Those players will still train as normal back in Auckland, with sessions scheduled for Friday and Sunday, as preparations ramp up for the finals.
“We’re going to tailor the training to where their bodies are at and what they need this time to play the best football they can next week,” said Webster.
At the same time, the coach doesn’t want to look too far ahead. He expects a strong performance this Saturday – even without seven frontliners – that will position them well for the playoffs.
The 30-8 home win against the Dolphins in May was pivotal, one of the best defensive performances of the year, at a time when they had lost four of their previous five games and Webster hopes for a similarly fruitful display on Saturday.
“We’ve got to attack the week,” said Webster. “Out of the 17 that will play [next week], there’s a lot playing this week. So they’ve got to put on the board what we want to do. I want to see a win. I want to see a style of play that puts the opposition under pressure instead of relieving it. And I want individuals to play to their strengths.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
