Player James Fisher-Harris

[WahsaurusRex]

I would imagine he wouldn't have felt the best about bugging out a year early and this gives him the vibe that his leaving gap will be filled.

All supposition but I guess that's how I would feel (after a few brownies)

I think he will have a big one (I mean, all his games are big ones these days) but for sort of the opposite reason

Everywhere you look people are raving saying we got just a replacement for him that is just as good, and in more than a few cases, better

While they wouldn’t be saying that, there would be a tonne of chatter about Fish at Warriors HQ today as well

I think it might light a fire, like he has something to prove for the rest of the year.. All the better for us lol

 

[Stalefish540]

First time poster here, long overdue for me personally lol

Dont know what to say about this signing that hasnt already been said but wow! Fish just screams pride, guts and professionalism.

Will miss AFB esp being a cuz of mine lol so i see those posts about him all over social media being labelled this and that since weve got our replacement lol im sure hell continue to finish the year strongly as he is going now.

Debut post

Anyone saying this and that about AFB just can't appreciate what he does because makes it look so effortless.

Maybe I already said it yesterday, but at best it's a level swap between players who both have different strengths.

JFH can't do with AFB can do, and AFB can't do what JFH can do to put it in the most simplest terms. It's not really comparing apples to apples even though they are both props.

I wouldn't be surprised to see AFB come out with a dog mentality tomorrow. If you are a St. George middle you'd be quietly pissed about any shade being thrown his way . AFB is that dude, and he'll come out tomorrow to give everyone a little reminder.

 

[enterthewarrior]

Some people are saying we got the better player in the prop swap lol.
I respectfully disagree. We got a better leader on & off the feild. But they're at least equal on feild. I personally believe addin is better. Don't roast me! Lol

JFH has more mongrel. He runs harder & faster. But if you watch his runs he gets full stopped alot. Granted, He gets there faster than Addin. James will keep going even after getting smashed.

Addins leg drive & strength is incredible. Carries multiple players , shrugs them off like they are nothing. And hardly ever gets driven backwards. He is nearly unstoppable close to the line, Whether it's his power or his footwork that gets him across the line. JFH is a madman and just tries to crash & smash his way over.

JFH occasionally gets dominated by bigger opposition. Which NRL 360 chose to show over & over again with the Regan Campbell Gillard run which fucked up James shoulder. Plonkers!!
I've never seen anyone dominate Addin. Even on defense Addin just has the calm no fuss but effective way about him.

They're both quiet & reserved off the field. And beasts on it.

I rate Addin as the best prop in warriors history. Purely for his work on the field. Closely followed by Pricey.

James brings intensity, mana, leadership(On & off the feild) & most importantly, Loves his country. Won't flee because of home sickness.

In comparing the two, I just wanted to pay Addin his dues. He has done a tremendous job for us. And hate the disrespect some media are showing him by inadvertently (or intentional?) Saying we're a better chance at a title with Fish than if we had kept Addin. Cos that's bullshit. It just means our window is still open getting a like for like.

Overwhelmed with this signing. Didn't think we'll get anyone of this quality to replace Addin.

Thank you Panthers, I respect you even more.

I'd say it's probably because AFB is taller and heavier than JFH so hes able to utilise his stature. Stats wise, Fisher Harris had his best year in 2020, finishing top in post contact metres, runs and metres. He made over 100 metres in the 3 grand finals he won.

 

[FormerlyJamesW]

Anyone saying this and that about AFB just can't appreciate what he does because makes it look so effortless.

Maybe I already said it yesterday, but at best it's a level swap between players who both have different strengths.

JFH can't do with AFB can do, and AFB can't do what JFH can do to put it in the most simplest terms. It's not really comparing apples to apples even though they are both props.

I wouldn't be surprised to see AFB come out with a dog mentality tomorrow. If you are a St. George middle you'd be quietly pissed about any shade being thrown his way . AFB is that dude, and he'll come out tomorrow to give everyone a little reminder.

I thought Willie Mason had a good way to describe it as;

JFH is an up the guts front rower who can dish out and take a hit up. Basically, you don't want him running straight at you because you know he'll smash the piss out of ya.
AFB is skill based player and is scarily quick and illusive. You wouldn't want to be tackled by him, because of size, but it's also more difficult to tackle him.

Both are top of their game, both have huge impact. To compare one as a 'better' replacement is reductive and silly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I'm excited for the switch because of the stories you hear about JFH.
He trains harder, lifts the bar of expectation and inspires those around him to play better.

An out and out leader.

EDIT: That's without mentioning that we already have one of the hardest working players in the NRL at the moment (RTS).

 

[snake77]

I thought Willie Mason had a good way to describe it as;

JFH is an up the guts front rower who can dish out and take a hit up. Basically, you don't want him running straight at you because you know he'll smash the piss out of ya.
AFB is skill based player and is scarily quick and illusive. You wouldn't want to be tackled by him, because of size, but it's also more difficult to tackle him.

Both are top of their game, both have huge impact. To compare one as a 'better' replacement is reductive and silly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I'm excited for the switch because of the stories you hear about JFH.
He trains harder, lifts the bar of expectation and inspires those around him to play better.

An out and out leader.

That was quite a good segment by Mason. Little things like AFB's late footwork throws off the tacker who is lining him up and it ends up an arms tackle.

James Fisher-Harris is a great player and I'm glad he is coming across. I'm also excited we are replacing a top-class front rower with another one. The talk from some commentators of us being favourites next year is premature. It would depend on how we go this following up on 2023 and would be the same in my opinion with AFB or JFH.

It is a key position for us to remain competitive. Replacing AFB would have caused a major headache. That has been sorted now.

 

[Ozwarrior]

Penrith haven’t been everyone’s kettle of fish during their golden run in recent years but they deserve a pat on the back this week. A healthy dollop of praise.
The Panthers have led the way when it comes to developing players and now they have set the standard when it comes to dealing with them.

Penrith could have stood in James Fisher-Harris’ way when he asked the club to release him on compassionate grounds to return to New Zealand.

They could have demanded a player in return. They could have insisted on a transfer fee. They could have held him to his contract rather than weaken their own team.

That, however, would have been the unconscionable thing to do. They owed Fisher-Harris more than that. They owed him the opportunity to return to New Zealand and end his career on his terms.

It was the least they could do because as good as they have been for him, he has been for them. They have helped him win premierships and he has done the same in return.

He arrived at Penrith as a teenager from a small country town on the north island of NZ, so naive he had to be taught how to catch a bus and a train.

James Fisher-Harris arrived at the Panthers as a teen. Picture: Jenny Evans
He had barely a cent to his name and lived above a stables on a farm on Mulgoa Road with former teammate Corey Harawira-Naera.

They had no airconditioning, no blankets and worked the horses to make some cash and finance their dream. Fisher-Harris once laughingly referred to the horses as his roommates.

He toiled away on the farm but was even more relentless in his pursuit of his rugby league career as he became one of the premier enforcers in the NRL.

He had grown up wanting to pull on an All Black jersey but ended up playing for the Kiwis, where he has become a reverential figure among his teammates.

He has made it big. Not many have made it bigger than the brooding Panthers prop but he has been dealing with inner turmoil in recent times, separated from his family and an ill grandfather.

So Fisher-Harris worked up the courage to ask the Panthers for the chance to head home. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Within days, he had requested a release, reached out to the Warriors and inked a deal that will make him the cornerstone of their forward pack.

The time had come and Fisher-Harris will leave Penrith at the end of the season as arguably the best prop in the game, with at least three and potentially four titles to his name.

Fisher-Harris is one of the most feared props in the game. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
He has run roughshod at times over his opponents, his intimidating stare winning most battles before they began. He has ripped in with little respect for himself or his body. His poor games you could count on one hand.

They have been few and far between. Nathan Cleary has provided the brilliance for Penrith in recent years. Fisher-Harris has chimed in with the brutality. Great teams have equal parts both.

He will be sorely missed at the foot of the mountains when he departs not just for what he does on the field but for the impact he has off it.

Penrith will be armed with plenty of salary cap space – a pleasant change for a club that has consistently lost players due to the cap squeeze in recent years – but ask them and they would prefer to have Fisher-Harris in their ranks.

His presence at Penrith demands respect and the Panthers recognised that this week when they agreed to let him leave with two years remaining on his contract.

A few years back, Fisher-Harris insisted there was nothing for him back home for him.

“Only family,” he said.

They now need him and Penrith were right not to stand in his way. The rest of the competition will no doubt be celebrating a decision that weakens a dynasty,

What they should be doing is taking note.