I think you have summed up why we shouldn't even be considering him. I think he is a good example of what we don't want here. Add in that he has done his ACL and wont return until mid season at the earliest.
Highlighted posts
- Fullback: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
- Right Wing: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
- Right Center: Rocco Berry
- Left Center: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
- Left Wing: Marcelo Montoya
- Five-Eighth: Luke Metcalf
- Halfback: Shaun Johnson
- Right Prop: Addin Fonua-Blake
- Hooker: Wayde Egan
- Left Prop: Mitchell Barnett
- Right 2nd Row: Jackson Ford
- Left 2nd Row: Kurt Capewell
- Lock: Tohu Harris
- (14) Dylan Walker
- (15) Marata Niukore
- (16) Jazz Tevaga
- (17) Chanel Harris-Tavita
- (14) Walker as the main “super-sub” utility. Mainly prop/lock
- (15) Niukore as the second-row forward or prop rotation
- (16) Tevaga as the middle-prop bench cover
- (17) Harris-Tavita as the hooking/halves insurance
- Home is only considered home if it’s in NZ. Otherwise, I marked it as away. I don’t think there’s a home advantage without a “home field.”
- If Egan was playing (even if benched initially), I counted him as the hooker.
- The interchange is all over the place. So:
- The 14th is used as impact prop/utility cover,
- The 15th is second-row/prop cover,
- The 16th is another prop cover,
- The 17th is hooker/half cover.
- Freddy Lussick (3 zero-min times)
- Paul Roache (2)
- Tom Ale (1)
- Zyon Maiu'u (1)
- Adam Pompey (1)
Thompson would not be a replacement for Tohu. He's a tuck the ball up the jumper meat and spuds prop. I think people under estimated Tohu's ball playing in our team, he was one of the best in the league at it, and his metres/hit ups were prop like which was just a bonus. Our team operates with a ball player (Walker now) in 13, not a tackle bot workhorse like some teams. The Broncos moving Carrigan is another team moving away from that.
Our props are pretty stacked number wise already, JFH, Barnett, Marata, Ford, Afoa and Ale all offer capable NRL experience. Then you have our juniors coming through. I expect most of Tohu's cap space will go to a spine player.
Our props are pretty stacked number wise already, JFH, Barnett, Marata, Ford, Afoa and Ale all offer capable NRL experience. Then you have our juniors coming through. I expect most of Tohu's cap space will go to a spine player.
tajhay
💙💚❤️
IF that was the case, the news would have been announced at seasons end or before Nov 1. As it stands, the club would have paid him (from the 2025 cap) 1/4 of his salary for season 2025 (if the payments are still still done a quarterly basis). Medical retirement will cover the remaining unpaid cycles outstanding.
Judging by all reports, he tried to give himself as much time as possible to get right and it was still impacting him so made the decision very recently. Its not an injury that is affecting him during games, but his everyday life so the decision would not have been made lightly. He is a true Warrior and should be celebrated as such.
Mitch Barnett.
I feel like he thrived in the role last season in the absence of Tohu Harris and is what helped catapult him to Origin and Kangaroos honours. He already has the full respect of the coach, staff and most importantly his fellow team mates.
The only other viable option IMO is James Fisher-Harris but I think it would put undue pressure on him to waltz into a new club and assume the captaincy straight away. I feel JFH could learn a thing or two from Barnett and will no doubt get the role eventually but I'd like to see him bleed for the jersey first before expecting the same from his team...
I feel like he thrived in the role last season in the absence of Tohu Harris and is what helped catapult him to Origin and Kangaroos honours. He already has the full respect of the coach, staff and most importantly his fellow team mates.
The only other viable option IMO is James Fisher-Harris but I think it would put undue pressure on him to waltz into a new club and assume the captaincy straight away. I feel JFH could learn a thing or two from Barnett and will no doubt get the role eventually but I'd like to see him bleed for the jersey first before expecting the same from his team...
One of my favourites. (hence my handle)
A true elite talent at his peak. Will leave a massive hole.
A true elite talent at his peak. Will leave a massive hole.
There was clearly already planning going on for this day, hence the signing of Clarke. He tried to train this pre season, it wasn’t working & he did what was best for the team and retired. Whilst the timing isn’t fantastic, it shows he was committed to the warriors down to the very last minute & tried to play on in 2025, but his body disagreed with him. His form fell off in 2024, but what he’s done for the organisation during our darkest days during covid can’t be understated. Will be remembered as one of the greatest warriors of all time.
Nah man. I love peak Tohu. I just didn’t like busted Tohu. Plus I’m sad, it’s tough giving up your job because your body can’t handle it.If true thankyou Tohu for your wonderful career you've been a great captain and servant of the game.
Tohu had the ability in his prime to game play and play 5 eighth.
By the way this must be one of @MrFrankWhite s happiest of days.
So not happy, excited though for the future.
Hey dude.
Just wanted to say.
Thanks for all your updates on the breaking news etc from all the outlets and club sites and forums.
I keep an eye on things myself but you are the man in this area.
This is the big picture stuff everyone misses in the debate.
Warriors, Kiwis, and NZ Rugby League as a sport in general all benefit from more pathways and more kids playing the game.
I think webby needs some X factor, I agree I would start halasima for a while and see where it leads him.
I get you dont want to rush some kids but this guy just looks in every way a baller, him and Ali Leiataua would start for me.
To all the passionate NZ Warriors fans, as we close out 2024, let’s reflect on the highs, the challenges, and the unwavering spirit that makes our team and our community so special. This year has been a journey, and as we look toward 2025, let’s carry that same energy, pride, and belief into the new season. Here’s to a year of growth, victory, and unforgettable moments for our Warriors!
May 2025 be the year of the wah!
Lets eat!
May 2025 be the year of the wah!
Lets eat!
Disclaimer: Bit of a long post. TL;DR: some compiled stats for preferred positions, substitutions from injury, and the management of our interchanges.
This is just a breakdown of how injuries shaped how the squad looked for the 2024 season. Hopfully highlighting that some of the chocies made in who goes where, was more of brakedown of who's avaliable. To make predicting the team for 2025 a little bit easier. And give people context to why some players were playing the way they were last season. Not the whole picture of course. But some context.
Context:
I think AW's preferred team for 2024 is as follows:
Niukore was training as a prop/middle, but as injuries mounted, he was our go-to second-row sub.
Tevaga there was never a time this year we got that “one-two combo” off the bench—i.e., the “bald brothers.” Whenever Jazz was on the bench, Walker was either injured or playing lock. His position last year was just all over the place. So this was quite hard to pin down. It could of also gone to Afoa. But as soon as jazz was back up. Even Ale seemed to be more a better pick in AW's eyes.
Harris-Tavita is interesting. I don't think it's Lussick, and here's why: Lussick played 15 games (4 filling in for Egan, 3 on the bench but never subbed on—so effectively 8 real “on-field” games). All those “real” games occurred when CHT was unavailable (injury) or starting at #6. There were also 5 games with CHT out for injury/HIA and 4 “not selected” rounds.
The only times Lussick was picked over CHT were Round 1 and Round 26. I'm striking off Round 26 as a “mistake,” because that was one of Lussick’s 3 bench-only games. Which means in every other opportunity, CHT got that #17 spot over Lussick.
Quick Caveats:
View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQoLHL2JgAXjmDU--qHM8Qu3a_3QZQFaJl32H8Wah1O8SHxJB3Jz7aynjiiIiTQq8_HAT0WQzfrBIjk/pubhtml
But that’s not the only thing.
Here is another Excel sheet of all the Warriors’ player interchanges, including those who didn’t actually get subbed on. This shows how changes in our rotation affect the interchange system and how effectively it was used overall—especially since most of the chopping and changing happened on our bench.
Example stat from this second set:
Above is a quick count of zero-play-time games—where we effectively burned a bench slot. Much of it seemed tied to hooker cover... There's more to dive into, but I'd rather just post all the info first before it becomes yet another unfinished mini-project.
View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTxq-_GJt4Yw5UlJwgtI5clhSFpARXWXNms9AJdRnGbUoTInZnen2mFxNu20ASbyrv9RTSNG64dVgYf/pubhtml
Anyway happy new years eve everyone!
This is just a breakdown of how injuries shaped how the squad looked for the 2024 season. Hopfully highlighting that some of the chocies made in who goes where, was more of brakedown of who's avaliable. To make predicting the team for 2025 a little bit easier. And give people context to why some players were playing the way they were last season. Not the whole picture of course. But some context.
Context:
I think AW's preferred team for 2024 is as follows:
Niukore was training as a prop/middle, but as injuries mounted, he was our go-to second-row sub.
Tevaga there was never a time this year we got that “one-two combo” off the bench—i.e., the “bald brothers.” Whenever Jazz was on the bench, Walker was either injured or playing lock. His position last year was just all over the place. So this was quite hard to pin down. It could of also gone to Afoa. But as soon as jazz was back up. Even Ale seemed to be more a better pick in AW's eyes.
Harris-Tavita is interesting. I don't think it's Lussick, and here's why: Lussick played 15 games (4 filling in for Egan, 3 on the bench but never subbed on—so effectively 8 real “on-field” games). All those “real” games occurred when CHT was unavailable (injury) or starting at #6. There were also 5 games with CHT out for injury/HIA and 4 “not selected” rounds.
The only times Lussick was picked over CHT were Round 1 and Round 26. I'm striking off Round 26 as a “mistake,” because that was one of Lussick’s 3 bench-only games. Which means in every other opportunity, CHT got that #17 spot over Lussick.
The Meat
Here’s an Excel sheet of all the positional changes made throughout the season, based on the original “AW’s preferred team.” Hopefully, it highlights what combinations we were trying to train with vs. what we actually had to play with. I also added the result, opponent, and home/away context to see how this affected the team.Quick Caveats:
View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQoLHL2JgAXjmDU--qHM8Qu3a_3QZQFaJl32H8Wah1O8SHxJB3Jz7aynjiiIiTQq8_HAT0WQzfrBIjk/pubhtml
But that’s not the only thing.
Here is another Excel sheet of all the Warriors’ player interchanges, including those who didn’t actually get subbed on. This shows how changes in our rotation affect the interchange system and how effectively it was used overall—especially since most of the chopping and changing happened on our bench.
Example stat from this second set:
Above is a quick count of zero-play-time games—where we effectively burned a bench slot. Much of it seemed tied to hooker cover... There's more to dive into, but I'd rather just post all the info first before it becomes yet another unfinished mini-project.
View: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTxq-_GJt4Yw5UlJwgtI5clhSFpARXWXNms9AJdRnGbUoTInZnen2mFxNu20ASbyrv9RTSNG64dVgYf/pubhtml
Anyway happy new years eve everyone!
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I think there is more reason for optimism than pessimism.
CNK should hopefully be injury free and back to his best. We have a great back up in TT if he isn't.
RTS and DWZ on the wings are fine and gives us positional coverage.
Ali is x factor and Pompey or Berry are solid enough
TMM and LM are an exciting prospect particularly if TMM captures his form at 7 this year and LM continues where he finished this season.
Forward pack looks strong. Tohu back injury free and JFH inspiration.
A few ifs in there but the main issues will be defensive improvement (in our control), number of injuries (out of our control) and AWs improvement as a coach, which he seems to be saying the right things.
Top 8 looks achievable with an outside chance of the top 4.
CNK should hopefully be injury free and back to his best. We have a great back up in TT if he isn't.
RTS and DWZ on the wings are fine and gives us positional coverage.
Ali is x factor and Pompey or Berry are solid enough
TMM and LM are an exciting prospect particularly if TMM captures his form at 7 this year and LM continues where he finished this season.
Forward pack looks strong. Tohu back injury free and JFH inspiration.
A few ifs in there but the main issues will be defensive improvement (in our control), number of injuries (out of our control) and AWs improvement as a coach, which he seems to be saying the right things.
Top 8 looks achievable with an outside chance of the top 4.
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6 weeks to the first trial match for the Warriors (Feb 7th).
Any time my friend. No risk on that front. Saving up for when we win our maiden premiership and I’m on a bender for fuck knows how long. Whether I’ve still got my faculties or not