Trying to debrief the New Zealand Warriors season is a complex task, with a handful of different aspects hindering their progress this season. I'm still kinda boggled by the over-reaction of many folk, especially those in the media who drive the dramatic reporting on the Warriors and seem to overlook basic elements of rugby league when labeling the 2016 season a huge disappointment. Instead of wrapping my noggin' around all the issues and what not, I'm going down the route of a swift debrief on each player starting with the outside backs.

Regular readers will know how I feel about the outside backs and how influential the dramas at fullback and then subsequently at wing and centre were. That means that there's only one bloke I can start with...

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

Everyone's expectations about the Warriors went through the roof because of Tuivasa-Sheck, who was quickly rubbed out for the season with a knee injury. I have no doubt in my mind that Tuivasa-Sheck's presence at fullback makes the Warriors a genuine top-8 team, if not a bit above that which is why I'm flabbergasted at the over-reaction of the season's result. Tuivasa-Sheck broke the record for running metres last season, which basically means that every time he runs the footy (often 20 times a game) he's rolling down the field. Having Tuivasa-Sheck lurking in the middle, around the ruck also gives the Warriors a dose of speed/footwork/power that a bloke like Jason Taumalolo has and in combination with the likes of Issac Luke, the Warriors will be able to plug the middle, not only making easy metres but also pulling defences in tight, thus creating space out wide.

If the Warriors were average with Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback, then sure we should all be pretty bummed about 2016. How can we be bummed about 2016 when we've got a weapon like Tuivasa-Sheck waiting to be unleashed?

With Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback, the Warriors will be an immensely better team. Simple. 

Manu Vatuvei

This season marked a significant moment in Vatuvei's career and in a way, the history of the Warriors. Vatuvei will go down as one of the best Warriors players ever, yet in 2016 he was involved in off-field drama and constantly battled injury which obviously resulted in a fairly average season for Vatuvei. What happens now will either be up to Vatuvei and his willingness to push through this and simply get better, or it'll be up to the club to move him on.

The NRL has kinda moved past Vatuvei at this point. Wingers are quicker and more agile, headlined by their ability score those freaky tries. Vatuvei runs over blokes and isn't overly quick-footed or agile, plus he's on decent money - whoever signed a winger who already had a history of injuries and was heading past 30-years-old, is a bit silly.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the club put the responsibility back on Vatuvei and tell him he has a chance to rectify the situation. The Warriors don't really need Vatuvei's salary gone from their cap as they aren't in the market for any big names (Foran aside) and if Vatuvei's not up to par then there's plenty of outside back depth waiting for a run. Stpehen Kearney should get the best out of him though and it will be Kearney's decision, not anyone else's.

Solomone Kata

All we can ask for from our young blokes is that they keep getting better and Kata has done so, building on a great season in 2015 with another top-shelf season. Kata led the Warriors with tackle busts and tries, while also finishing the season in 4th for running metres. He's at his best when stepping off his left foot, with his speed and nuggety frame causing all sorts of problems for slower forwards in the middle.

The only knock on Kata and a possible reason why we're not seeing Vatuvei flourish is that Kata often tucks the ball under his wing or doesn't set up Vatuvei well enough. This is a stylistic problem as Kata's not a play-making centre with plenty of skill, he's a bulldozer and having two bulldozers alongside each other isn't the best in terms of balance. I'm fairly certain that Vatuvei would be better if given early footy more often than not.

Kata has now had two seasons in which he's solely played centre and it is definitely not a coincidence that Kata has steadily improved, compared to the likes of Fusitua and Lolohea. Kata has had the chance to focus on only playing centre, while Fusitua and Lolohea are talented and showcase their talent frequently but haven't been able to learn the craft of a position. 

David Fusitua

In reflecting on the season, I found myself settling on 'what's the best position for Fus?' and that's yet another reason why the loss of Tuivasa-Sheck was so influential. This season could have seen Fusitua establish himself on the wing or even at centre, playing the majority of the season in one position and really nailing that position. Instead, Fusitua played wing, fullback and centre, doing a good job in all those positions but now we're none the wiser about where his future lies.

The Warriors will be a much better team when Fusitua has a home somewhere in this backline and even if he starts the season as a winger and covers centre, that's all good. The issue this season was that Fusitua was all over the show, although I reckon there is some benefit in that as he would have learned a lot. Again, this season's result should come with some context as a guy like David Fusitua has already shown what a player he is, yet he's still approaching his peak and once we see him settle into a role, the NRL will be his oyster.

Tuimoala Lolohea

It's exactly the same situation with Lolohea, who probaby isn't a fullback but spent much of the season there in place of Tuivasa-Sheck. We're another season into enjoying Lolohea's talents but we still don't know where his future lies and regardless of what happens early next season, I still think the presence of Ata Hingano will push/keep Lolohea out of the halves (don't get me started on Kieran Foran).

From a club point of view, Lolohea would be lethal off the bench and could be an option if Kearney is to use him wisely. The NRL is all about speed now and Lolohea would be a nightmare trying to defend at the back-end of either half, plus he can cover injuries which happen on a consistent basis. Don't look down on a utility player, they are incredibly valuable and especially when you've got a freakish talent like Lolohea.

From Lolohea's point of view; I'd be moving to Melbourne Storm. They are apparently interested and Lolohea would benefit greatly from the challenge and opportunity that Melbourne would present. There's a vacant halves spot there for next season and a Cronk x Lolohea halves partnership would be next level. 

Blake Ayshford

Signed as an NRL battler, Ayshford's season went as expected. He plugged a hole at centre and gave the Warriors decent value for money in just doing his job for the team. Ayshford wasn't brought to Mt Smart as a headline act, simply a solid NRL player with some experience and it's hard to pin any negativity on him about the way the season went.

Ken Maumalo

Having big outside backs is an asset and the Warriors used it to their advantage this season when Maumalo was joined by Vatuvei on the other wing and Fusitua at fullback as they all got the set-of-six off to a good start. I really don't think that having two wingers of this mould is a smart move though as neither is overly quick, nor do they have great footwork and tend to run north/south.

The Warriors blocked an approach from the Dragons for Maumalo, which is probably a bummer for the lad as he could have been a decent pick up for them. Right now, it's either Vatuvei or Maumalo and the younger option appears better, however I don't think it is as dramatic as that. Maumalo could just do a job for now and then take over from Vatuvei down the track, at least keep the pressure on Vatuvei to perform. 

Jonathan Wright

See ya.

Mathew Allwood

Andrew McFadden kinda brought Allwood across from Canberra but then persisted with not playing Allwood a whole lot. I reckon Allwood could have been a decent option at centre this season, at least worthy of a crack for a few games but that never really eventuated and I don't think Kearney's arival will be great news for Allwood's future at Mt Smart.