The kiwi summer is a thing of beauty. Combining long days and warm weather with brews and cricket, barbeques and banter until one of your mates starts talking about the Warriors. Not the Golden State Warriors who currently have a perfect record, although the dazzling work of Stephen Curry will provide much conversation this summer. Instead, just like jandals, reduced cream dip and sunburn, hope for the New Zealand Warriors is a staple of the kiwi summer.

We all know the Warriors should be good and when you look at their roster for the next season in November, it's hard not to get caught up in any sort of excitement. Veterans however, those who have seen the Warriors disappoint on an annual basis are quick to tell that mate of yours to pipe down. 

The Warriors will be shit again mate, shut up.

How can you argue? I could write an entire thingy-ma-jig about how the Warriors have generally underwhelmed each season, yet here I am again. It's November 26, 2015 and we are just under a month away from Christmas; the perfect time to conjure up some delusional hope.

Next year will be different though.

You've heard that before haven't you? 

Really though, next year will be different. In my lifetime I haven't witnessed the Warriors snatch a player like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck away from an NRL powerhouse like the Roosters. With all due respect to Issac Luke who is another quality signing for the Warriors, Tuivasa-Sheck is currently the best fullback in the NRL and is coming off of a record-breaking season.

In my travels, I get the feeling that quasi-NRL fans don't quite understand how good a season Tuivasa-Sheck had or how good a player he is. If you like to judge kiwi athletes on the respect they get from Australians, as many do with Kane Williamson then you should be left with no questions about Tuivasa-Sheck. 

Focus too much of your attention on his freakish stepping ability where he generates speed and power while breaking a defenders ankles and you will miss the tough one-off-the-ruck hit ups that Tuivasa-Sheck takes. If you are disappointed when Tuivasa-Sheck passes the ball instead of running it and you might miss an assist, a beautiful pass whether short or long delivered exactly how good modern fullbacks should deliver passes.

The highlights will have Tuivasa-Sheck stepping a poor soul, ignoring the fact that Tuivasa-Sheck sat behind only James Maloney and Mitchell Pearce in try-assists for the Roosters this season with 12.

There simply isn't another fullback or player in the NRL who is as powerful and subtle as Tuivasa-Sheck.

Tuivasa-Sheck comes to a Warriors team and a group of loyal fans who desperately want a quality fullback to aid Shaun Johnson. Sam Tomkins was alright, nothing more and nothing less but Tomkins rarely found a way to impact a game and simply couldn't flip the game on its head thanks to footwork or power. Tomkins averaged 10 hit ups and 64 running metres per game in 2015 while Tuivasa-Sheck averaged 22 hit ups and 229 running metres, oh and guess who averaged .50 try assists per game and who averaged .31 try assists.

The combination of Tuivasa-Sheck and Johnson is nothing less than mouth-watering and this alone should have Warriors fans across Aotearoa proclaiming that 2016 will be a year of great things. I find it hard to believe that Jeff Robson would have been signed by the Warriors if the Tuivasa-Sheck x Johnson combo wasn't there. Robson is a super solid NRL halfback and when you have the two most lethal attacking weapons in the NRL there's no need for a half who does anything more than kick, pass and at least try to tackle.

To view Tuivasa-Sheck's return to Auckland only from an on-field perspective would be naive. The appointment of Justin Morgan as an assistant coach to take care of the defensive duties was met with "oh he's from the Melbourne Storm, he must be good" and when you hear about how the Roosters club is run, it's silly not to think the same about any Roosters play or coach. The ooze professionalism with stories of raw-meat diets the stuff of folklore, so for a young Pacific Islander to leave home and experience the Roosters way as well as living in Sydney and then come back to Auckland where he can share his experiences with his peers is priceless.

Ali Lauitiiti's signing made me ponder what value he would have in guiding the younger lads. Lauitiiti has experienced far more than any other current Warriors player has and while Manu Vatuvei is a great leader - specifically for the Island guys - Lauitiiti has lived in England for over 10 years and has a different perspective. Tuivasa-Sheck is similar, but he's younger and will set the bar extremely high for others to follow suit. 

While Lauitiiti, Luke and Robson offer experience and thus leadership, Tuivasa-Sheck can't be slept on as a leader. I can't believe that Tuivasa-Sheck (nor any other new recruit) hasn't heard the talk of the Warriors' culture etc and I have a funny feeling that Tuivasa-Sheck will make it his personal mission to change that.

For all of that, Tuivasa-Sheck himself and in combination with Luke, Johnson, Ben Matulino, Tui Lolohea etc (I could go on) will/should make the Warriors fun again. Johnson has taken this responsibility upon himself, getting fans into Mt Smart and putting on a show for them but now the Warriors have two of these players, who can also enhance the players around them. Not only will there be a greater chance of grabbing all important wins, the Warriors will have a buzz about them; you had better be at Mt Smart when the Warriors are playing.

I don't blame you if you want to argue with your mate about how the Warriors will let you and all of us down again. You have seen it all before and so on. I just know how excited I am to see Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, the Warrior darting around the Mt Smart pitch in front of his fellow Aucklanders.