New Zealand Warriors

I haven't done a Diary Of A Warriors Fan yet because this season review doubles as my last Diary entry for the season. Finishing 13th is never really going to go down well for Warriors fans, but as I wrote about the Warriors twice a week for the past 26 weeks, there were many trends and topics that I found myself touching on a regular basis. That's why I found it a bit weird when the Warriors climbed the NRL ladder to step into the top 4, but I didn't need to worry because eight loss in a row saw the Warriors slide back down to 13th spot which is probably a fair reflection of this team.

When the Warriors were flying high, Shaun Johnson covered over a lot of their problems in attack and it wasn't until their last game against the Bulldogs in which we saw a few well designed attacking plays. This is was one of my biggest gripes with the Warriors this season, more specifically Andrew McFadden as they looked to lack the creativity and execution of the NRL's best teams. The halves relied on bombs, the hookers weren't keen to run the footy and didn't even contemplate kicking while the sweeping backline moves that the Warriors used looked like they were taken from the Melbourne Storm's playbook from 2008, albeit they were executed far worse. 

Another of my pet peeves was McFadden's selection decisions, which resulted in a rotating cast of players being yo-yo'd between NRL and NSW Cup for no real reason. This was nothing more than confusing because players like Konrad Hurrell and Sebastine Ikahihifo were unable to build on poor performances while players like Sione Lousi got more game time than they should have. 

Injuries happen, shit happens and all we have to do is look at the Penrith Panthers for an example on how to deal with injuries. They suffered a greater injury toll than the Warriors but finished above them on the ladder thanks to a superior defensive record as they had the depth and mental fortitude to deal with adversity. The Warriors of 2015 had some depth, but mental fortitude was absent which reflects poorly on the coach.

I want to get on to the positives asap, but I must highlight that both Sam Tomkins and Chad Townsend simply didn't deliver in their last seasons in Auckland. They could have both offered classy touches and control that no other player on the Warriors' roster has, but instead the Warriors got inconsistent performances they didn't exactly inspire.

There were however many positives and now that the 2015 season is over, I would like to announce that we will only speak positively about the Warriors as we embark on the annual journey of hope for next season. That journey is made much easier by the signings made this season, but more importantly by the host of youngsters who stood up admirably.

Tuimoala Lolohea always looked like the best non-SJ7 threat for the Warriors thanks to electric feet and strength that his odd frame offers. Lolohea is best described as 'chunky' and he catches you off-guard with just how quick he is. We saw that Lolohea can fill in a variety of positions but I'm not really sure which position is his best, which doesn't really matter because there's an opening in the halves next season. The term 'footballer' gets thrown around a lot by NRL pundits and if you are unsure as to what it means, just watch Lolohea who is a natural league player; bouncing around the field capable of kicking and passing without much effort.

Solomone Kata played 24 games this season which is a mighty effort for a rookie with only Nathan Friend and Simon Mannering equaling that mark. Kata showed that he's a dangerous ball-runner with the same combination of natural attributes as Konrad Hurrell. Kata's upside overshadows any negatives, whether him missing tackles in all but two games this season or his tendency to hold the ball instead of feeding the beast outside him. At times I think Kata showed some fatigue, which is understandable but I would never say that playing all those games in your rookie year is a bad thing. McFadden clearly had faith in Kata and gave him the opportunity to get acquainted with the NRL where you come up against a Justin Hodges one week and a Blake Ferguson the next week, this will serve Kata extremely well moving forward.

Just on Hurrell; I would have loved to have seen McFadden show Hurrell the same faith. Hurrell looked distracted all season, but instead of being told to figure it out in the NRL, Hurrell was promptly dropped which has zero benefit for Hurrell. The same can be said for Ken Maumalo, while Matt Allwood was strangely kept in NSW Cup for much of the season. Kata, Hurrell, Maumalo and Allwood are all young which means we as Warriors fans must endure the ups and downs that come with inexperience and strange coaching decisions, but they all showed us glimpses (to varying degrees) of what they can do.

I can't speak highly enough of Albert Vete, Sam Lisone and Charlie Gubb. All three of these forwards had strong seasons and overtook the likes of Sam Rapira and Sione Lousi who were and will be moved on. We also saw Raymond Faitala-Mariner prove himself as a dangerous ball-carrier who is difficult to stop, but his strong work with the ball was shaded by some horrible work on defence. I'm not sure how Faitala-Mariner fits into this squad moving forward but the lack of depth in the back-row will ensure that he gets opportunities again, I just don't think he can be relied on for big minutes just yet.

The Warriors' season will be remembered as a failure, but it's hard to find fault in the core group of Warriors who form the foundation of the team. To see the back-row of Simon Mannering, Bodene Thompson and Ryan Hoffman rolled out most weeks was awesome; we can't sleep on how nice it is to have these three playing 80 minutes at a high level plus they are all tough customers. The weight of another season of fluff was clearly evident with Mannering, but he was again a key man for the Warriors and ranked 2nd in the most tackles made of any NRL player ahead of Cameron Smith, Shaun Fensom and Elijah Taylor. That plus Mannering being the 4th best off-loader in the NRL makes all this negative talk about Mannering quite strange as he pumped out one hell of a season.

Ben Matulino was the 2nd best off-loader in the NRL this season and he had another huge season while Jacob Lillyman couldn't quite pump out the consistency needed to make the Warriors forward pack a ruthless one. Any forward pack that has Matulino, Mannering, Lillyman, Thompson and Hoffman in it should always be a tough pack to play against and when these five were on the field together the Warriors were at their best.

Oh and how could we forget Mr 10 in 10 Manu Vatuvei, my favourite Warriors and just the all round mantis.

2015 was a bit of a stinker really but in keeping with this positive theme looking towards next season I would like to remind everyone that before you enjoy success you must endure hardship. 2015 will be remembered as the season in which the Warriors slumped with eight losses when their season was on the line but one look at this team list for next season should keep some sort of smirk on the faces of Warriors fans...

Tuivasa-Sheck, Vatuvei, Kata, Hurrell, Wright/Allwood/Maumalo, Lolohea, Johnson, Matulino, Luke, Lillyman, Hoffman, Thompson, Mannering ... Leuluai, Gubb, Lisone, Vete.

Player Of The Year - Ben Matulino

Youngins' Of The Year - Solomone Kata/Tui Lolohea

2015 In A Tweet - Sooooooo, next season aye?