Seriously, if you think Jack Bird is better than Shaun Johnson you obviously live in Cronulla and are dumb.

After the New Zealand Warriors roped in the best fullback in the NRL right now, then convinced Issac Luke to jump the ditch, brought Ligi Sao home and bolstered their squad with Blake Ayshford, they have signed Jeff Robson on a one-year deal.

Robson will effectively take Chad Townsend's place in the roster, with Townsend going the other way - back to Cronulla. My first thought when hearing about Robson's signing was of surprise. I knew that the Warriors were making a play for Robson, but I also knew that Robson had a family situation that I thought would lead to him wanting to stay in Australia. But Robson is making the move, a decision which when you connect the dots will probably mean that Robson will feature heavily in the halves with Shaun Johnson next season.

For the Cronulla Sharks, letting Robson leave is a smart decision. First of all, Robson was off-contract and with James Maloney heading to the Shire next season, Townsend returning and the presence of Jack Bird and Fa'amanu Brown, there wasn't going to be much room for Robson.

I would imagine that the Warriors offered Robson more for a one-year deal than what the Sharks would have offered; if the Sharks offered anything. That's important because if the Sharks had little need to keep Robson, then the Warriors won't be paying a whole lot for Robson. The Warriors have a whole bunch of players who must be on decent money - between that $400,000-$800,000 a season mark, which doesn't leave much wriggle room.

That's why I like this signing, just how I liked the signing of Ayshford. The Warriors will roll out the line about signing experienced professionals who can help influence other players, which is a smart PR move and obviously holds some truth, but really Ayshford and Robson are signings that ooze value for money.

So where will Robson fit in with the Warriors?

There's a high chance that Robson will partner Shaun Johnson in the halves next season, which I would love. This season it was incredibly frustrating to watch Johnson try and do everything as he had to control the game and then come up with the highlight-plays as well. Which is why people's expectations of Johnson were so crazy - no other really good NRL team relies on one half to control the game and hold the key with immense x-factor.

Townsend was underwhelming and never really showed any ability to consistently lead the team around, so all the Warriors' hopes rested on Johnson. Hence why I reckon Johnson had a great year.

Robson is certainly a limited half. But whereas at the Sharks Robson had a young and highly inconsistent halves partner in Jack Bird, Robson will now have Johnson. Robson's bread and butter is finding open pastures with his long kicks, landing them on a dime close to the line and shoveling the ball on. He won't do much more than that - the Warriors don't need much more than that.

Right now I am highly excited about the prospect of Robson at first-receiver, allowing Johnson to slide out wider where his attributes (running, nifty passes etc) are better used.

The ramifications of Robson's signing aren't overly heavy either. I had Tuimoala Lolohea partnering Johnson in the halves with Thomas Leuluai coming off the bench as a hooker/utility.

Now, instead of a young and raw half in Lolohea partnering Johnson, there is Robson #Great.

Lolohea will now likely compete for a spot in the backline which is also #Great when you consider that he is a weapon at either centre or wing. If any back goes down injured or suspended, Lolohea can fill their boots or if he can step in for Johnson or Robson ... or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. I'm sure Andrew McFadden will have a plan for Lolohea and I'm excited to see what is in store because Lolohea was one of Warriors' top-5 players this season.

Some would have Leuluai starting in the halves, but Issac Luke's excessively poor record at the judiciary means the Warriors need a regular back-up option. Leuluai will likely come off the bench when Luke's not suspended to give Luke a breather and when Luke is suspended/injured, Leuluai slots in.

Lolohea's ability to slot in anywhere and having Leuluai offering depth mean that the Warriors have upgraded their depth stocks simply by signing Robson.

Robson won't set Mt Smart on fire and you might not even notice his presence, but don't let that trick you into thinking he's not offering value. I expect Robson to be the steadying hand for a backline that has two of the most potent weapons in the history of the NRL - Tuivasa-Sheck and Johnson, which when combined with what must be a reasonably cheap one-year deal is #Great.

Signing Robson = a shrewd bit of business from Jim Doyle who is proving to be a funky leader of the Warriors.