If the Warriors were a child they wouldn’t be on Santa’s Christmas list. They’ve promised much but delivered little. Despite this, they have still been rewarded. The Warriors have been given a gift, a gift from the north. Not quite the north pole, but the northern region of a country, north of us. Sam Tomkins isn’t a very good Christmas gift considering he cost a couple million which is the opposite of Christmas spirit, but every single Warriors fan should be happy. But they’re not and it puzzles me. I’m bloody chuffed that Santa Claus is delivering us one of the best players in the world and can’t wait to see how he influences the lads from Mt Smart.

The 2013 Warriors lacked a classy touch. Shaun Johnson offered immense talent and game breaking ability but hasn’t developed the qualities of the game’s best halfbacks quite yet. I’m talking about getting repeat sets, finding the turf with every kick and executing plays when the game is on the line. Thomas Leuluai is a fantastic player but hasn’t and won’t be able to single handidly lead an NRL team to victory. He’s best working alongside others – which you will see, is very important. Kevin Locke could possibly be the most inconsistent player in the NRL. He played some fantastic games, then would go missing game after game. Nathan Friend is also a superb player, but not one who can dominate a game. In Sam Tomkins, I reckon that we have a player who fits perfectly in to this group and who will add class, composure and most importantly – a winning ability.

Many times during last season, the game was there for the taking and no one stepped up. No one was capable of making the play needed to experience glory. This didn’t just mean that the Warriors didn’t have a clutch, they became too comfortable with that feeling. The Warriors turned things around thankfully, but their start of the season came back to haunt them as they fizzled when the spotlight focussed on them. No one wanted to step up, well obviously I know they all wanted to but were they capable of doing so? No. Instead of a collective effort to grab the game by the balls, the 2013 Warriors were designed to fail as they relied heavily on individual brilliance and effort. The arrival of Sam Tomkins could change this.

The gift from the North comes to us on the back of a fantastic season with Wigan and a reasonable World Cup campaign. He comes with form and desire. It takes some serious kahunas to up and leave a contract you recently signed, leave the club you grew up at and risk it all in the toughest competition in the world. The money obviously helped that decision, but realistically Tomkins was gonna make serious money wherever he went so don’t get caught up on the cash. Prepare yourself for some 2014 Warriors speculation…. I believe Tomkins will find himself at fullback. This way he can chime in and out of the attack, provide distribution as well as offering a threat any time a break/half break is made. This will also limit the amount of defensive work he’ll have to do which is fair enough. Don’t expect Tomkins to play how any other fullback plays. Get rid of any thoughts, aligning Tomkins with another player in the NRL. Matt Elliot will have a plan for Tomkins where he’ll be able to float wherever he likes, whenever he likes. Yes you’ll see the sweeping second man plays like Billy Slater, you’ll see the broken play threat of Ben Barba and Greg Inglis, but you’ll also find Tomkins coming in to the line to get his hands on the ball, whether it be at first or second receiver and he loves to get in to dummy half. I’m open to having a spine of Friend, Johnson, Locke and Tomkins with Leuluai coming off the bench. It gives cover in all positions and each player offers a different skill set. Matt Elliot is a coach who likes to try new things and do things a bit differently so I’m excited by possibilities especially with nearly all of these guys being able to cover many positions.

Sam Tomkins gives the Warriors variety. They’ve had some level of variety for a while but haven’t had the quality across the board. With Tomkins, the Warriors now have a variety of weapons to choose from whether they decide to run or kick the ball. How frustrating was it last year when the Warriors repeatedly threw scoring opportunities down the drain thanks to a lack of composure and class. Tomkins will help out hugely as he will not only provide another option, but his presence will mean more space and time Leuluai and Locke but in particular, Shaun Johnson.

If you asked me a few months ago what I thought about the signing, my answer would have been "yeah, cool" ... now it's "I bloody can't wait". Having watched him in the World Cup KNOWING that he was destined for Mt Smart, I'm excited by what he brings. I've also stopped being so dumb and looked beyond the price tag. My only advice, to myself and to Warriors fans is to ease Tomkins in. Tomkins isn't getting millions of dollars a season and any money he gets, isn't coming from our pockets so don't give him shit after a few poor performances. He's a professional footballer so he already has enough pressure placed on himself, by himself without a bunch of Lion Red guzzling (myself included) jokers calling for his head after he drops the ball ... "why'd we pay so much money for this bloody pom". I can already hear it. 

It's Christmas and England's best player is coming to our club, so smile.