A week is a long time in rugby league.
This time seven days ago, Luke Metcalf was the Warriors’ premier halfback in-waiting but still sought an early release from the final two years of his contract to join the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Now, after a cruel injury to incumbent Tanah Boyd, Metcalf looms as coach Andrew Webster’s saviour at No 7 for the rest of 2026.
It’s a twist of irony for all sides. Boyd’s suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury against the Brisbane Broncos will likely rule him out of the rest of the year, and came on the same ground where Metcalf suffered one of his own in 2025.
And while Te Maire Martin was excellent in deputising for Boyd in Brisbane, no player on the Warriors’ roster has the raw ability of Metcalf – abilities that were rewarded by him being made the highest-paid player at the club in October.
But now, having confirmed his future lies elsewhere, Metcalf could well be the man to don the No 7 jersey as the Warriors push for an elusive maiden premiership.
The 27-year-old played no part in the Warriors’ first grade or New South Wales Cup sides and didn’t take part in full training while negotiating his new contract with St George.
Webster didn’t outright say Metcalf will be the man to replace Boyd when the Warriors travel to face the Dragons next week, but his emphasis that he won’t be released before the end of the year to join his new club speaks volumes.
“I don’t know if he’s available for selection next week, but he’s available for the rest of the year,” Webster explained. “We just have to tidy up his contract.
“He hasn’t trained, he hasn’t done one rep of footy because of the bye – and because of his contract negotiations – for two weeks.
“If he wasn’t important to us, we’d ask him to leave now. We don’t want him to [leave], we want him to stay.
“We want him this year, prior to [Boyd’s injury]. He knows that and he wants to stay, he wants to be part of this for the rest of the year.
“He becomes important. But we’ve got Te Maire Martin, Luke Hanson, Jett Cleary. We’ve got a host of players who can do a really good job.”
First, Metcalf will have to prove he’s the right man to lead the club.
While Webster and club co-captains Mitch Barnett and James Fisher-Harris all emphasised Metcalf has remained professional in training, he wouldn’t be the first player to taper off after deciding his fate lies elsewhere.
Further complicating the matter, Martin has a proven track record in the halves for the Warriors, emphasised when he deputised for Shaun Johnson during the 2024 NRL season, and could well be called on again.
Spare a thought, then, for Boyd. After leaving the Gold Coast Titans at the end of 2024, Boyd was forced to be patient to wait for his chance.
Metcalf’s brilliant form at the start of last year saw Boyd forced to wait until round 19 to play his first game. However, he also knocked back interest from the North Queensland Cowboys to remain in Auckland, and fight for a place – a feat Metcalf, through his actions, has seemingly refused to do.
And while scans will all but likely confirm the worst, Webster said the club’s “next man up” mentality will ultimately decide just how much of a setback Boyd’s absence is.
“We’re really behind him and feel for him right now,” he added. “Fingers crossed, hopefully it’s good news.
“He’s very strong, typical Tanah. He’s thinking of the team first, he’s with the boys congratulating them. He’s emotional.
“We know that Te Maire’s going to come on and do his role. He did a terrific job tonight. It’s a real celebration of our whole system, to our assistant coaches [for] preparing him. And to [Martin] himself.
“We’ve got really good depth in that position.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.