The best thing Warriors fans can do right now is take a breath. And another one.
Ahead of the opening NRL match against the Cronulla Sharks on Friday (8pm), the hype has been building to insane levels. In fact, it didn’t really pause since the end of last season, thanks to the “Up the Wahs” movement, the mountains of merchandise shifted, some astute signings and two big trial occasions.
Across 29 previous seasons, there has never been this level of expectation.
Not in 2003, off the back of the first grand final appearance. Not in 2005, after the signing of Ruben Wiki and Steve Price, or 2016, when Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck first came to town. Not even in 2012, after all three teams, including the reserve graders and the Under-20s, had featured on grand final day the year before. Nothing has topped this, even 1995.
The Warriors are not going to reinvent rugby league in 2024, nor win every game.
They are not going to keep Donald Trump out of the White House, nor stop David Seymour from making unpopular cuts to community services, nor bring back Han Solo.
But they will be a very good team and make a lot of people happy. As a team, they will improve on last year, thanks to smart signings, a productive off-season, the growth of many young players and the entrenched confidence and belief in their system.
The key question is - how much can they improve? Because the NRL never stands still.
Mitchell Barnett (centre) elebrates a try with Taine Tuaupiki (left) while Wayde Egan runs in. Photo / Photosport
The big three from last season (Penrith, Brisbane, Melbourne) will be back, while the Roosters have assembled a fearsome squad. It’s hard to see the Rabbitohs missing the top eight again while Manly look completely revitalised. All of the Queensland teams should be stronger, along with the Eels, even if their pack isn’t completely convincing.
There’s jeopardy everywhere. The Warriors could have a really good campaign and finish seventh, or go nuts and be in the top two. Somewhere in between is most likely (Herald prediction - fourth).
Having had a taste of success, hunger shouldn’t be a problem, even if dealing with the constant expectation might be.
Shaun Johnson will again be key for the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Keeping Shaun Johnson healthy is a critical success factor, even with the crazy depth in the halves. The same goes for Addin Fonua-Blake, Wayde Egan, Kurt Capewell, Tohu Harris and Tuivasa-Sheck.
Luke Metcalf and Rocco Berry could be the big improvers, while some of the youthful talent in the pack will turn heads later in the season. Aside from continuing to evolve their style and game plan, one of the biggest challenges for coach Andrew Webster will be keeping everyone happy, with a lot of big names set to play reserve grade. But the Australian is an astute man manager - with the human touch - and it’s a good problem to have, as it is hard to remember a Warriors squad with so much depth.
Go Media Stadium Mt Smart should be a fortress again and no team will look forward to crossing the Tasman. But the Warriors’ away form will be key to ultimate success, as it was in 2023 when they won a remarkable eight games on the road.
Cronulla are a perfect test first up. They are just below the top tier but have plenty of offensive threat, including 2022 Dally M medallist Nicho Hynes.
“They play tough footy and they can play with a lot of skill too,” said Webster. “They have threats all across the park, a big forward pack. So they’re going to be hard to beat.”
Although it’s only one game - and won’t make or break anything - a good performance is vital. The 2023 season opener in Wellington exhibited a gritty, resilient defence, which became the template for the season.
“[Round one] sets the tone of your mentality,” said Webster. “If we come out and we try hard and we don’t get something right because we’re not going to be perfect - no team is.”
“[But] you can correct those things as time goes along and make adjustments to make that better. But if our mentality is good and our effort is good and we’ve got good intentions about what we want to achieve, then [we’ll] be fine.”
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.
