Warriors fans have plenty to be excited about ahead of the 2021 season. Photo / Photosport
Warriors fans have plenty to be excited about ahead of the 2021 season. Photo / Photosport
The Warriors are at the dawn of a new era, and they have put plans in motion to ensure the next chapter in the club's history has a positive beginning.
A new coach has taken the helm in experienced campaigner Nathan Brown, and the club has been active in theplayer market, securing the services of several established NRL stars while maintaining some bright young talents.
For the players who recently returned to New Zealand from an arduous 2020 season based in Australia, the club has largely left them alone.
As Warriors chief executive Cameron George explains, every small detail is part of a bigger picture.
"The guys were stoked to get home. I've seen most of them, but it was very important for me that we allowed them to go and have their break, get away from it and not come back to work until they had to," George says.
"By that, I mean even me and the club, or any personnel at the club, are not annoying them; just letting them have the break because they put so much on the table this year and we need them to freshen up, come back to us with a really great attitude and to work hard and get ready for 2021, because it could be a hell of a year for us if we get it right."
Warriors coach Nathan Brown is now in Auckland for the team's pre-season. Photo / Photosport
While there are aspects of the upcoming campaign the Warriors are unable to plan out fully – such as exactly where they'll be playing – they have built a squad that looks competitive on paper, and have established bases in both New Zealand and Australia at which the players on both sides of the Tasman can get in their preseason work before the team comes together.
Among the new signings, Euan Aitken and Marcelo Montoya bring some competition to an otherwise established backline, while forwards such as Addin Fonua-Blake, Kane Evans and Ben Murdoch-Masila will provide strength and aggression through the middle.
With the new signings, the Warriors will have a squad depth they have not known for some time.
"First and foremost, they're terrific people," George says of the new recruits. "That's a big thing for us, making sure we get the right style of people in our club. It takes you a long way when times are tough if you have the right quality.
Tohu Harris and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will again be vital players for the Warriors in 2021. Photo: Gregg Porteous / NRL Photos / Photosport
"That aside, the footballing ability of the guys we've recruited is very exciting. It balances the team out in different roles and what they bring to the table. From a salary cap perspective, it works extremely well for us. Our fans should well be happy with what we've done so far, and you never know what could be in the pipeline for some other changes.
"From where I'm sitting, I think it's one of the most exciting seasons we're going into – purely on the recruitment and coaching staff we've had in my time."
As it stands, the Warriors will likely at least start the 2021 season based in Australia, with no sign of a transtasman bubble being established soon. It's not an ideal situation for the club, who would love to be able to bring a game day back to Mt Smart Stadium, however George says the players and staff have all been good about the probability of another season across the ditch.
With some players in the squad already based in Australia and working out of the team's base in Kiama, a town south of Sydney, George says the club has several plans they can implement for whatever the situation might be for travelling when the time comes to do so.
"We're used to abnormal," George says.
"There's a lot of options that we can look at after Christmas, but up until then it's just trusting that each group are doing the best they can before they join each other as one big group."
