The Warriors aren't in action this weekend, I've got something in the oven that should be perfectly cooked by then to help you get your fix. Conveniently, our friends at Mt Smart announced a gang of player signings and the release of young prop Toafofoa Sipley yesterday, so while I try to focus on the here and now, let's dive into these moves to suss them out ahead of 2018.

Releasing the younger Sipley brother is an interesting move from the Warriors and in their press release they pointed out that Manly Sea Eagles offered Sipley a better deal than the Warriors. So, it's interesting that the Warriors didn't view Sipley as someone they really wanted to keep around for a few more years. Manly do have a link to Sipley as his older brother Patrick spent time there during his Under 20s days and this looks to be a case of Manly really wanting a player who the Warriors only kinda wanted.

The 'Toff' is coming to the Northern Beaches! You would be smiling too if you were playing for Manly in 2018. https://t.co/aEJO1JLRg4 pic.twitter.com/Ccz6UL8NWR
— Manly Sea Eagles (@SeaEagles) June 13, 2017

Nothing wrong with that and when you consider Manly's current prop stocks, it's logical that they would make Toafofoa a nice offer. Manly have just released Nate Myles to Melbourne and there's some noise about their other veteran forward Brenton Lawrence possibly being on the move; rumour has it that Lawrence could be on his way to Mt Smart.

Manly are clearly going younger in their middle forwards and opting for more size, power and skill #understandable. Adding Sipley to a forward pack that has Martin Taupau, Jake Trbojevic , Lloyd Perrett and Addin Fonua-Blake gives Manly a dynamic middle presence and there's scope for Fonua-Blake and Sipley to form a brutal tandem off the bench. Manly have identified a desire to spruce up their forward pack and targeted Sipley, giving them a core group of forwards, Daly Cherry-Evans, Tom Trbojevic and Dylan Walker to build around.

The big bopper situation at Mt Smart is messy but that's exactly what you would expect when boss-dawg Jim Doyle is trying to suss their salary cap after the previous administration and coach Stephen Kearney is trying to build a squad that he wants, not one he has inherited. We know Ben Matulino is gone for next season and now one of the best young forwards his leaving as well.

I must stress that Sipley's departure feels like Manly really, really wanting him and making him an offer he couldn't turn down. I don't think the Warriors did much wrong here, not when they are also trying to re-sign Jacob Lillyman and Albert Vete who will require some decent cash. Vete has bounced back from playing reserve grade and is doing a fine job with a contract on the line, while Lillyman simply needs to show that he can be a solid prop as he moves into his twilight years.

The Warriors should re-sign both; Vete has a decent future ahead of him and can't really demand a big salary just yet, Lillyman is another veteran presence. Neither should be overly expensive and offer value for money.

Ligi Sao and James Gavet have already been re-signed, probably because there wasn't as much interest from other clubs and they weren't demanding hefty salaries. Leivaha Pulu will arrive for next season, plus the Warriors have Patrick Sipley and Chris Satae doing a fine job in reserve grade which could see them develop into intriguing NRL prospects.

Chris Satae does look the goods - spent time at Penrith, 2016 @PtChevPirates Player Of The Year
— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) March 5, 2017

Expect Charlie Gubb to leave, giving the Warriors a possible middle forward group of Gavet, Lillyman, Lisone, Pulu, Sao, Vete, Sipley and Satae. Chuck in Simon Mannering, Tohu Harris and Bunty Aofa and the Warriors forward pack looks fairly decent for next season. Here's how I reckon they could line up:

Starting: Lillyman, Luke, Gavet, Harris, Thompson, Mannering.

Bench: Lisone, Pulu, Afoa, Cherrington (?).

Depth: Vete, Sao, Sipley, Satae, Isaiah Papalii.

Keep in mind that we don't know what is going to happen with Ryan Hoffman and Bodene Thompson. When the Warriors signed Harris and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was made captain, we knew Hoffman's future didn't really fit in with the Warriors so expect him to sign elsewhere, while I've got Thompson staying with the Warriors. Thompson won't want heaps of money (unless the Super League's an option for him) and if Thompson stays, then the Warriors would have a quality back-row that would allow Afoa to continue to find his feet at this level.

To counter news of Toafofoa Sipley's departure, the Warriors announced six re-signings: Blake Ayshford until 2019, Ata Hingano until 2020, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad until 2019, Mason Lino until 2019, Lewis Soosema until 2019 and Joseph Vuna until 2019.

Soosemea and Vuna are prospects working their way through the grades, so there's not much to their re-signings. Ayshford gives the Warriors a reliable centre option and he would have been fairly cheap which in conjunction with Nicoll-Klokstad re-signing, locks in some nice outside backs depth for the Warriors along with Zac Santo and Junior Pauga.

The elephant in the room is Manu Vatuvei's future.

With Hingano re-signed, it's almost a certainty that he will partner Shaun Johnson in the halves next season. In my debrief of the win over Gold Coast, I highlighted how Hingano picked up from where Kieran Foran left off and given Hingano's pedigree, I have no doubt he will continue to develop nicely. Lino's re-signing will give the Warriors a depth-half who isn't spectacular, but Lino is exactly the sort of cover the Warriors need. Lino has toiled away in reserve grade for a few years now, giving him a chance to suss out his style of play and instead of promoting a youngster to the NRL in place of Johnson or Hingano, the Warriors have a halfback who can step in and do a job immediately.

That's the overall vibe of Kearney's impact at the Warriors and this is becoming more evident as he has more influence on how he wants his squad to look. As Warriors fans, we are used to young players being promoted when there is an injury or suspension without really figuring out how to play footy against men. Nowadays, any promising young forward like say, Isaiah Papalii, is going to need to prove himself to be a better NRL forward than Lisone, Vete, Gavet, Sao, Pulu, Sipley and Satae.

Or young forwards need to be better than impressive performers in Auckland's premier competition. That's where Patrick Sipley and Chris Satae were picked from and the Warriors have moved back to using local footy as a genuine resource.

We know Bunty Afoa is a great prospect, yet he's gotta prove himself to be a better option than Harris, Thompson or Mannering, or he's got to show that there's more benefit in having him on the bench than one of the big boppers.

Any young half like Chanel Harris-Tavita must be better than Lino, who is now super comfortable with his own game.

Many people have found fault in what Kearney has done thus far. That's incredibly short-sighted though as Kearney is coaching someone else's squad and as we progress through Kearney's tenure, we are starting to see a rugged, experienced, gritty group start to be assembled. There may be a few more signings to come as well.

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