Kieran Foran, Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck are among the big signings made by the Warriors over the years. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION
Without a shadow of a doubt, Warriors management have pulled off the signing of the year in capturing Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris on a four-year deal.
While the Kiwi club have pulled off more than one shrewd piece of business over the past two years, this one trumps the lot.
But where will his arrival rank in the pantheon of the greatest Warriors’ signings?
It’s important to note, the Warriors have made many important signings since their inception in 1995.
However, many signings which have turned out to be important ones were not heralded as major when they happened.
Similarly, not all signings that were billed as top-tier have had the success expected of them.
With that in mind, here are the Warriors’ biggest signings, in terms of pure hype:
Another serial winner, Harris’ capture from the Melbourne Storm can’t be understated.
Harris was a key cog in Craig Bellamy’s Storm side and made more than 100 appearances, including winning the 2017 premiership.
And when the Warriors came calling, Harris answered.
Now 32, Harris has led the Warriors through some of the club’s darkest days, and fittingly stands at the front as they enter a new golden era.
A signing that won’t be remembered fondly, but Kieran Foran’s arrival promised to be one that transformed the Warriors into contenders.
After injuries and personal troubles impacted Foran’s time at Parramatta, the Warriors swooped in 2017 to bring him back to New Zealand.
It was hoped that a halves pairing of Foran and Shaun Johnson would bring the best out of both players.
However, as had happened at the Eels, injuries and being away from his Sydney-based family ultimately saw the Warriors fail to get the best out of Foran and he returned to Australia with the Bulldogs after one season.
Admittedly, Stacey Jones’ return wasn’t one that pulled up any trees for the Warriors on the field.
But for the fans, the Little General coming home was a shot in the arm for a team that were eliminated in the preliminary finals a season earlier.
After he left the club to move to the Super League in 2006, Jones gave his last days as an athlete to the club where it all started.
However, the club’s results couldn’t match what they’d done the year before – even with Jones’ return – and the Warriors limped to 14th on the ladder, seven points off the Eels in eighth place.
As the Warriors sought a franchise player to be the face of the club for their debut in the NRL, the signing of Greg “Brandy” Alexander did plenty to put bums on seats for the first year at Mt Smart.
In 11 years with the Panthers, Alexander played close to 200 games, but the personal tragedy of his brother’s death saw him head to Auckland for a fresh start.
As the Warriors sought to cut through rugby’s dominance of the back pages in the mid 90s, Alexander’s arrival bought credibility to the club, after managing to secure the services of a genuine Australian star.
And as we’ve seen in the decades since, convincing Australia’s best to make the move across the ditch is no easy feat.
Alexander spent two seasons with the Warriors, including the second as captain, before returning to the Panthers in 1997.
The return of the king.
Warriors fans were heartbroken in 2018, when Johnson was told by club management he could test his value on the open market, after not wanting to commit more than $1 million per year of their salary cap to one player.
Johnson called the club’s bluff, and promptly picked up a new deal with the Sharks. But after three seasons in Sydney, Johnson’s return was sealed in 2021, and the Warriors’ record point-scorer came home.
Now playing the best football of his career under coach Andrew Webster, Johnson has only added to his legacy as one of the best to play for the club.
Already a legend of New Zealand rugby league, Ruben Wiki signed for the Warriors in 2005, and finished his career in front of his home fans.
As one of the most significant Kiwis to ever play in the NRL, Wiki made more than 200 appearances for the Canberra Raiders, and won the premiership in 1994, before becoming the first New Zealander to play 300 first-grade matches.
Like Fisher-Harris, Wiki signed for the Warriors when he was Kiwis captain, and is the only player to have represented New Zealand more than 50 times.
The Warriors had made a play for Wiki 10 years earlier but finally got their man, who proved to be worth every penny.
Not to mention, his hit on Roosters forward Sia Soliola in 2008 will forever be remembered as one of the Warriors’ most iconic moments.
History will show Tomkins’ arrival never quite hit the heights expected. But let’s not forget just how big his signing was at the time.
The fullback was the star of the UK Super League during his time with Wigan and headed down under in 2014.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out for the star fullback, who just couldn’t acclimatise to his new challenge.
In two seasons, Tomkins made 37 appearances for the Warriors and scored 14 tries.
However, all parties cut their losses in 2016 and Tomkins headed back north, where he finished his career with stints at Wigan and the Catalans Dragons.
After more than 200 games for the Bulldogs, including a premiership win in 2004, Queensland great Steve Price stunned the NRL by moving to the Warriors.
Price’s capture was significant in the fact he left a Bulldogs side that were consistent finals contenders, to come to the Warriors – who weren’t.
What’s more, his arrival also paved the way for fellow Australians to follow suit, notably Queensland teammates Brent Tate and Jacob Lillyman.
It was feared Tuivasa-Sheck was lost to New Zealand when he left Auckland for the Sydney Roosters fresh out of high school.
But after winning an NRL premiership and Dally M fullback of the year award in 2013 and 2015 respectively, Tuivasa-Sheck returned home in 2016.
In his first stint at the club, he more than justified the hype of his signing.
Making more than 100 appearances for the club, Tuivasa-Sheck also succeeded Simon Mannering as captain in 2017.
And to make things even sweeter, fans got another dose of Tuivasa-Sheck in 2023 when he returned from rugby union.
If Fisher-Harris’ arrival isn’t the biggest in the Warriors’ history, it’s somewhere near the top.
A serial winner with the Penrith Panthers and captain of New Zealand, Fisher-Harris will arrive at Mt Smart when the Warriors need him most after Addin Fonua-Blake moves to the Cronulla Sharks.
At just 28, Fisher-Harris’ peak years will be with the Warriors, having committed to four years in Auckland.
On and off the field, this is as big as it gets for Warriors fans.
Honourable mentions: Matthew Ridge, Issac Luke, Addin Fonua-Blake, Marata Niukore, Marc Ellis, Sir John Kirwan, Andy Platt, Dennis Betts, Dean Bell
Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.
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