Three-time NRL premiership-winning five-eighth Luke Keary believes the New Zealand Warriors have stumbled upon the perfect halves formula, one that could prove a blessing in disguise as Luke Metcalf returns from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Metcalf wasn’t expected back for several more weeks but was a surprise inclusion in the No 6 jersey for Friday’s clash against the Wests Tigers, with Tanah Boyd retaining his spot at halfback.
It will be the pair’s first time playing together in the halves.
Warriors coach Andrew Webster is confident Metcalf is ready, although Keary cautions it may take time for the playmaker to rediscover his best form, speaking from experience after multiple ACL injuries.
That’s where Boyd’s rise becomes crucial. The 25-year-old has been one of the NRL’s form halfbacks to start the season, making him almost impossible to leave out.
In three games, Boyd has scored three tries and laid on six more, while steering the Warriors to an unbeaten start and the top of the table.
Metcalf, who wore the No 7 jersey in 2025 before his injury, now returns at five-eighth, a position he has filled for much of his career.
Speaking to the Herald, Keary said Webster has made the right call with his decision, saying the current set-up is ideal for easing Metcalf back into the side without the weight of expectation.
“He doesn’t have to be the man straight away or the main ball-player straight off the bat,” Keary said. “He might end up taking that role back over by the end of the year, but it gives him a little bit of time just to get settled back in.
“I’ve seen so many players go through ACLs. It might take him two months, it might take him four months, some boys it takes 12 months before they get back to their best.
“It’ll relieve a lot of the mental load and the psychological load off him if he knows he’s got a guy there who’s in red-hot form and is going to pick up a lot of the load.”
Metcalf suffered the injury in June last year against the Brisbane Broncos, the second ACL rupture of his career after a previous tear in 2019.
As he wasn’t expected back for a few more weeks, there had been plenty of discussion around what the Warriors should do.
Boyd’s form has been one of the talking points of the NRL season so far, with many wondering where this form has come from, particularly given his journey to this point.
He was released by the Gold Coast Titans at the end of 2024 after 69 appearances across five seasons, before joining the Warriors and spending time in the reserves prior to Metcalf’s injury.
So comfortable was Boyd in Auckland, he turned down approaches from two Queensland clubs to return, while Keary revealed Boyd’s name was also mooted as a potential signing for the Catalans Dragons last year.
When Boyd finally got his chance in 2025, the Warriors were on a downward trajectory as they limped into the finals, before bowing out in the first round, losing to the Penrith Panthers.
Now, after a full pre-season running the side, Boyd is beginning to show signs of an elite organiser, to the point where Keary believes only Nathan Cleary is performing better in the halfback role.
“He’s just been able to come up with some really big moments, try assists, line breaks and tries,” Keary said.
“We expect these halves to be finished products at 20, but for most, it takes time. The special ones can do it, but the majority develop later.
“I love that he’s stayed there too. He sees something in the club and Webster, he probably feels like he’s being coached and developed really well.”
The Warriors’ forward pack has also played a key role in the side’s early success, led by James Fisher-Harris, while the emergence of Jackson Ford, who is leading the Dally M race, as a prop has added further punch.
Keary believes the group have the potential to be among the best in the competition.
“What they did to Canberra was impressive because that’s a tough, gritty pack and they bashed them in that second half and took the game from them,” he said.
“You need those boys setting the platform, and I think Jackson Ford and Fisher-Harris especially have done that for Tanah and the halves in the opening rounds.
“It’s been even more impressive with guys like Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Chanel Harris-Tavita missing. He’s had to work with Taine Tuaupiki and then Luke Hanson on the weekend, so what Boyd is doing is quite amazing.”
Boyd is off contract at the end of the season and can negotiate with other clubs, but the Warriors will likely be keen to retain him, based on his start to the season, while Metcalf is locked down until the end of 2028.
Keary began his career with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, winning a premiership in 2014, before joining the Sydney Roosters and claiming back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019.
He retired at the end of 2025 following a stint in France and has since moved into media roles, while also helping out at the Roosters.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.