- Opinion, by Henry Lee, AUT Journalism Student
After a shock retirement from one of the New Zealand Warriors’ greatest players of all time, the upcoming season has taken quite a sharp turn.
Tohu Harris played 117 times for the One New Zealand Warriors and was the side’s current captain.
His retirement, due to an ongoing wrist injury, opens up salary cap space, but it’s unlikely the Warriors bring in a high-quality signing this close to the season.
It leaves the Andrew Webster-coached side in a sticky situation that will likely result in a season of rebuilding.
The Warriors have had a whirlwind past two campaigns since Webster joined, losing in the 2023 preliminary final just 80 minutes away from a Grand Final.
The 2024 NRL season was quite the opposite, missing out on the top-eight playoffs in a disappointing campaign that highlighted how quickly things can change.
In 2024 the attack was predictable and lethargic and often became the reason last season was so underwhelming.
Webster stuck with the same game plan that worked in 2023, hoping and praying fortunes would remain.
It didn’t happen, which became frustrating for fans who had such high hopes heading into last season.
The ever-present question about where star back Roger Tuivasa-Sheck played in the backline continued to haunt fans throughout the year, as it was clear the positional change to centre wasn’t working.
Webster will need to put last year’s horror show behind him and hope the team is on the up in 2025.
For the upcoming season the Warriors will be without star playmaker Shaun Johnson, who’s also retired from the sport after 223 appearances for the Warriors.
Let’s take a look at the 2025 Warriors squad:
Mitch Barnett will likely step into the captaincy role this season, with the help of other experienced players like Tuivasa-Sheck and James Fisher-Harris.
The biggest news for Warriors fans this year is the addition of four-time premiership winner Fisher-Harris from the Penrith Panthers.
The Kiwis captain will bring a wealth of winning experience to a team that’s lacked it in recent times.
Two Gold Coast Titans 2024 squad members, Tanah Boyd and Erin Clark, have also made the move over the ditch to join the Warriors.
Webster’s side will struggle without the firepower and class of many other NRL teams, which will hopefully leave space for up-and-coming young backs like Moala Graham-Taufa and Ali Leiataua to develop and grow into seasoned NRL players.
It’ll also be interesting to see how much young forwards Jacob Laban and Demetric Vaimauga feature in the opening rounds, two players who have clear promise.
They’ll also need to lean on current five-eighth Luke Metcalf, who will be given the keys to the team if he can stay away from his recent injury worries.
Predicted finish: 12th
Predicted round-one line-up:
- Taine Tuaupiki
- Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
- Rocco Berry
- Charnz Nicoll-Klokstad
- Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
- Luke Metcalf
- Tanah Boyd
- Mitchell Barnett
- Wayde Egan
- James Fisher-Harris
- 11.Marata Niukore
- Kurt Capewell
- Dylan Walker
Subs:
- Sam Healey
- Jackson Ford
- Demetric Vaimauga
- Erin Clark
