Winds Of Change Through Mt Smart Part One

Winds Of Change Through Mt Smart Part Two

Winds Of Change Through Mt Smart Part Three

Winds Of Change Through Mt Smart Part Four

After making his debut for Tonga in 2015, not making any Tongan squads in 2017 kinda sums up where Aotearoa Warriors forward Albert Vete is at right now. Vete wasn't selected for the mid-season Test against Fiji thanks to a lack of NRL footy and after breaking his arm in round 17, Vete was out of the mix for Tonga's Rugby League World Cup campaign. Given Vete's absence in the mid-season Test and Tonga's forward pack being bolstered by numerous inclusions, the chances of Vete earning a RLWC spot were slim even if he was healthy.

Injury and not commanding an NRL spot have however combined for Vete to currently sit in a precarious position. This also coincides with the arrival of coach Stephen Kearney at Mt Smart and after Kearney sussed a few team things out in the first three rounds of the season, Vete fell victim to Kearney's axe; James Gavet on the other hand flourished for example. Vete didn't demand selection and dropped down the pecking order, not ideal when you're trying to earn a new contract.

Vete has now officially been re-signed for two years and that security offers a platform from which he can re-build his NRL career upon. The Warriors wouldn't have offered too much money as there's only so much dosh you can offer a forward who is outside the top-17 right now. From the Warriors perspective they have secured depth and they will benefit from having a middle forward can step into the NRL at any moment, when injury or suspension strikes. That also means competition for places in the top-17 and with the Warriors forward stocks now full (they don't really need to sign anyone else), we are now looking at an intense battle for bench spots.

I've alluded to this numerous times thanks to the Warriors signing Adam Blair, Leivaha Pulu and Agnatius Paasi. Each of those signings involved me pondering the competition for places in the Warriors forward pack and this even saw me highlighting the development of Tevita Satae; new players coming in and players already at Mt Smart moving up results in a plethora of options for Kearney.

To set the scene, I believe that Pulu and Simon Mannering will be in this middle forward mix. Tohu Harris will lock down the left edge, while Bunty Afoa and Matiu Love-Henry compete for the right edge. Afoa has been doing his NRL internship in the past two years and is ready for consistent selection, although he'll need to prove himself better than Love-Henry. Kearney may think differently and view Pulu or Mannering as edge forwards, which will obviously shake things up in terms of the middle forward boil up pot.

And that boil up pot is full with hearty flavours.

Blair, Mannering and Gavet are in my top-tier. With Paasi and Pulu not too far behind them, then Lisone, Ligi Sao, Vete and Satae. Patrick Sipley will be gunning to make his NRL debut and if Kearney needs to balance out the big boppers he can roll through smaller workhorse forwards like Jazz Tevaga and James Bell. Afoa has also played through the middle and the wildcard is Isaiah Papalii.

This will effectively become a royal-rumble between Lisone, Sao, Vete, Satae, Sipley, Tevaga, Bell and Papalii. What I love about this boil up is that there is variety for Kearney to work with as he can go the smaller/workhorse route, he can go the beastly monster route or he can opt for the ball-playing. The latter of which is why Lisone is the likeliest of these options to maintain a consistent spot as he has something none of the other forwards have.

If the Warriors need more offloads because Blair or Mannering is absent, then Vete can be promoted. If Gavet's absent then Satae could become an intriguing option as he's a similar shape/size to Gavet. This isn't just about NRL-ready depth, you need to have different bases covered with that depth and such depth as the Warriors have now will ensure that they can deal with the inevitable injuries/suspensions, while also bringing out the best in all players as they need to be performing to earn minutes.

We are all familiar with these names because they have been in or around the NRL team for at least two years. The experience that the likes of Vete, Lisone, Satae, Tevaga, Sao, Bell, Papalii and Sao have gained has culminated in the Warriors having depth that is actually NRL-ready and not still in the 'sussing NRL footy' stage of their careers. Vete was the last ingredient thrown into the boil up and we're now ready to start cooking.

This will make for an incredibly competitive pre-season in which these forwards will have to impress and this will start with adjusting to Alex Corvo's fitness expectations. I view this as the most intriguing storyline of the Warriors ahead of the 2018 season and whoever earns a bench spot for those early rounds would have done so by ticking every last box, impressing all in pre-season. That level of competition for one or two spots is something that has rarely existed at Mt Smart and those winds of change are feeling like a glorious spring breeze right now.

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Peace and love 27.