The 2016 NRL season started with Shaun Johnson and Jeff Robson playing as the halves combination. That experiment lasted a few weeks before Robson was yanked, with Andrew McFadden putting Thomas Leuluai in the No.6 jersey on the left edge and the Warriors were tasked with building cohesion and chemistry around a new halves combination.

In reflecting on the season, we need to piggy-back off of yesterday's debrief of the outside backs. Remember that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was ruled out for the season and the Warriors were left with a rotation of Tuimoala Lolohea and David Fusitua at fullback; not only did the Warriors lose their numero uno fullback for the season, they had a different lad at fullback most weeks. Then, on top of that the Warriors had two new halves combinations who were not only trying to figure out playing alongside each other but also with a different fullback more often than not.

Absorb that paragraph and then look around the NRL, where many teams were able to roll out the exact same spine or at least a halves combination for the whole season ... if not for the second season in a row. Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford are in their second season as a halves combo for Brisbane, or take Jonathan Thurston and Michael Morgan with the Cowboys who are also in their second solid season together. Oh, Cooper Cronk and Blake Green have been together for two seasons at Melbourne as well. 

Shaun Johnson

At no stage this season did I think that we were graced with Shaun Johnson playing his very best footy and that's why I had to set the scene above. Not only was Johnson coming off a badly broken leg and spent much of the season playing with a different leg injury that hampered his training, he was trying to suss out how Lolohea and Fusitua each played fullback or the differences between Robson and Leuluai. All while he's still learning about being an NRL halfback himself.

Given that, it's no real surprise that Johnson was unable to showcase his best footy and that the Warriors did not make the top-8.

We saw Johnson's dazzling running game and we also saw Johnson's control in dabbing kick after kick into the in-goal area, all of which is very encouraging. Unfortunately - or understandably - we just didn't see Johnson combine it all to steer the Warriors around the park as a halfback would do while also offering immense x-factor. I think it's pretty crazy to expect Johnson to do both and at this stage I'm not even sure that Johnson is good enough to do both; he needs another half to control things, freeing up Johnson to add his spice.

2016 certainly wasn't a shocker of a season for Johnson and on the whole, I was pretty damn impressed with what Johnson offered. With ever-changing combinations in key positions, coming off of a hectic injury and then playing through injury, Johnson still played decent footy and we should be excited by the fact that Johnson did good this season but will have Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback next season and a consistent halves partner.

The best is coming from Johnson folks.

Thomas Leuluai

Running the Warriors' left edge in conjunction with Ryan Hoffman and Solomone Kata, Leuluai did as good a job as he could have all season. More often than not, despite having a weapon like Kata there and the strong-running Hoffman on his shoulder, the ball went to the right which left Leuluai with fewer opportunities than were granted to Johnson. 

There were constant accurate kicks, slick no-look passes and plenty of whack on defence from Leuluai. What held Leuluai back though for me was the lack of balance between Leuluai and Johnson, which meant that teams could often load up pressure on Johnson because Leuluai was never really called upon to kick long for example. I'm not sure why this was the case, however I'm fairly certain that the Warriors would have been better off if Leuluai was given more responsibility instead of being pushed solely over to that left edge.

Now, it doesn't really matter because Leuluai is off back to Wigan and good on him. 

Ata Hingano

Good on Leuluai because I reckon the time is now to give Hingano the job alongside Johnson, keeping in mind that Lolohea could get first-dibs there. We only saw a brief glimpse of Hingano at the NRL level and some of that glimpse was at hooker, but I've seen enough of Hingano to know that he's a silky half with fantastic footy instincts and a handy left-sided nature. 

This is also kinda why I don't want the Warriors to sign Kieran Foran (yeah he'll be good and all but let me be a romantic). Hingano is a pure half, who has come through the club and is ready to be given a decent crack as an NRL half; signing Foran would be a fantastic short-term coup but I reckon the Warriors are already well-equipped to move forward into a slightly new era.

I was chuffed to see Hingano get a run this season as he got a taste of what the NRL is like, now it's up to him to push hard for selection and impress Stephen Kearney over the summer. There's no reason why Hingano can't be looked at as a long-term halves partner for Johnson and when you think about all the different halves partners Johnson has had, a settled halves combination is exactly what he needs.

Hingano would be the ideal man to step into Leuluai's role on the left, giving the Warriors a kicker on either side of the ruck and I'd love to see Hingano given plenty of responsibility. Get him in there steering the ship from first-receiver more often than not, free up Johnson and have Tuivasa-Sheck popping up on either side of the field offering a hand on Hingano's left edge.