Diary Of An Aotearoa Warriors Fan: Signing Leeson Ah Mau and Building On Foundations
Pap city.
Leeson Ah Mau's return to Mt Smart and Aotearoa Warriors is now official, a three-year deal that will see Ah Mau leave St George Illawara Dragons after this season. With the Dragons, Ah Mau has blossomed and his career arc is an inspirational tale for you and I, or any other joker trying to get somewhere; keep up the mahi.
Even Ah Mau's time at the Dragons is a microcosm of that as Ah Mau left North Queensland Cowboys for the Dragons back in 2012, yet didn't start to truly flourish until 2015/16. The way Ah Mau has leveled-up as part of a strong Dragons team in 2018 shows that Ah Mau has development in him and his career has seen him steadily improve. All that cute career stuff is important, because it captures who Ah Mau is and the type of character the Warriors are signing.
On the field, Ah Mau will be a great addition to the Warriors squad. Albert Vete has left mid-season for Melbourne Storm and we still don't know what's happening with Simon Mannering, then we have Jazz Tevaga and Patrick Sipley coming off contract this summer, while Tevita Satae will likely get an upgraded contract with that weird thingy in his contract.
As always, it's annoying to not know any details about salaries and salary cap. The Dragons yarn about Ah Mau leaving highlighted Ah Mau's desire to be back in Auckland and that may have allowed the Warriors to sign Ah Mau on less than other offers in Australia. I reckon this is the same scenario with Agnatius Paasi and Leivaha Pulu, both of whom signed multi-year deals to give them security for a couple years and return to Auckland where their family is.
I find this interesting because the story has always been about the Warriors having pay 'overs' or a wee bit extra to lure players across the ditch. My hunch is that the signing of Ah Mau and to a lesser extent Paasi and Pulu, is the opposite of that and in bringing the winds of change through Mt Smart, the club now targets players it knows that it can get a bit cheaper than others.
I'd love to break it all down for youz, but without any information, it's silly to speculate on how much cap room the Warriors have and how that will impact Mannering's situation and/or re-signing Issac Luke, Ken Maumalo and Tevaga. Vete's move to Melbourne and the departure of Anthony Gelling opens things up a wee bit , but again, we simply don't know.
Point being; Ah Mau has been signed as a top-17 middle forward. He'll probably play the same role off the bench as he is with the Dragons and this gives the Warriors a damn impressive forward pack, with or without Mannering.
With Mannering: Gavet, Luke, Paasi, Harris, Papali'i, Blair/(utility?), Afoa, Mannering, Ah Mau.
Without Mannering: Gavet, Luke, Paasi, Harris, Papali'i, Blair/(utility), Afoa, Ah Mau, Pulu.
Anyone who watches the NRL each week knows that this is a good signing. What will go under the radar is that this is another experienced professional who is committing to the Warriors long-term (2+ years) and that Ah Mau is exactly the sort of character we want at Mt Smart.
The character bit isn't so much about Ah Mau being a good guy, it's about Ah Mau having to toil for a decade just to get to this point. Obviously that highlights work ethic etc, but more importantly, it highlights someone who has had to bust their backside for a long time just to get a sniff of consistent NRL minutes. Ah Mau knows exactly what needs to be done, each and every week to perform at this level, mainly because he had to go the longer route.
This is one of the clear changes in the club since Stephen Kearney has taken over as coach and the winds of change blew through the offices. Ah Mau joins Blake Green, Gerard Beale, Tohu Harris and Adam Blair as guys who have all been in and around the NRL for a long time and are recent recruits to the Warriors. They have have different experience, but nothing has been gifted to them and they've been kinda ... humbled by professional footy.
Even Paasi and Pulu fit that mould. They were reserve graders when they arrived at Gold Coast Titans and worked their way into consistent top-17 selections.
As opposed to the old Warriors way, which was perhaps seduced by the success of the Under 20s team and relied heavily on those players coming through. Probably far too quickly and while a few have gone on to bigger and better things, many from the Warriors Under 20s dynasty haven't lived up to the, or their own hype.
I don't put Sam Lisone in that latter category, but Ah Mau's arrival will likely keep Lisone out of the team for a while next season and Lisone is already battling on the fringes. This is great though, because Lisone was thrown into the NRL quickly, ushered in after Under 20s success and now, Lisone has the chance to actually develop. To be surrounded by the new Warriors vibes and be influenced by the graft of Ah Mau, for example.
The other aspect of this is the core of this Warriors group that has bought in to the Warriors long-term. Ah Mau, Beale, Blair, Green, Harris, Pulu, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Peta Hiku and youngsters Hayze Perham and Nathaniel Roache, oh and Lisone, have all signed on until end of 2020. If we're building a club around Ah Mau, Beale, Blair, Green, Harris and Tuivasa-Sheck, I'm bloody chuffed and that's only the guys who are locked in for 2020 as of right now, not counting further re-signings or new recruits.
Players who are coming to Mt Smart, experienced professionals who have plenty to offer, can obviously see the vision. There is and will be consistency in the roster, but this vision also involves the quality of people in the front office and the front office/footy roster is looking equally as impressive; Kearney, Alex Corvo, Brian Smith, Peter O'Sullivan, Cameron George. Big dawg George is running the show and the moves he is making are nothing but fantastic.
We a literally just stepping into this vision. We are in year two of Kearney's coaching tenure, but year one was more a case of him sussing out everything at the Warriors that needed to change, hence the winds of change swept through Mt Smart last summer. Warriors angst is around, I can feel it and I don't blame anyone for feeling that way because we've only known the Warriors to be all highs and lows.
If can't see that major moves have been made in every aspect of the club, to ensure a brighter future in the next 10 years, I can't help you other than saying watch it unfold. The club has been flipped over, experienced and talented people now fill roles throughout the club and they have all come on board because the share the vision. Wins and losses right now matter, but as we live in the moment, know that we have started a new Warriors cycle and the foundations have been laid for the next decade.
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Peace and love 27.