Diary Of An Aotearoa Warriors Fan: Less Whinging, More Gratitude
With no expectations to cloud this view, Aotearoa Warriors are sitting comfy in their fringe-finals abode they know so well and now face the trendy Cronulla Sharks. Sharks are 4th on the NRL ladder with a 5-3 record while Warriors are 11th with a 4-4 record and this highlights a hefty pack of teams chasing the two best teams in Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm. Warriors are in that pack, just lurking at the back while everyone else does the mahi.
These teams are low key closer than many would assume and that flows into general stats. There is a large disparity between the two teams in Tackle Breaks, Linebreaks and Offloads. This is rather different for Post Contact Metres, Errors, Penalties Conceded and Missed Tackles though as these teams are ranked within two spots of each other for these stats.
Channel the toxicity to ponder how Warriors 'make so many errors, miss so many tackles and concede so many silly penalties'. Well, Sharks are just as bad and that provides roots for hope in this match up. Sharks also have losses against Raiders and Broncos, two teams Warriors have beaten. While the general theme will be Sharks as favourites, there is a simmering premise of these two teams being closer than expected.
Plenty of Warriors news bits have been floating around this week. Ash Taylor has retired and Kodi Nikorima is apparently off to Rabbitohs, which now appears to be countered by Roosters releasing Ronald Volkman (halves) and Freddy Lussick (hooker) early in a mid-season move to Warriors. Both Volkman (19yrs) and Lussick (21yrs) are young lads hunting opportunities. Lussick has played 11 NRL games, while Volkman has already transitioned from Jersey Flegg (five games) to NSW Cup (three games) this season.
Taylor and Nikorima are older, Volkman and Lussick are younger. There is a senior core at the Warriors and we are now seeing a fairly talented group of youngsters being assembled. Folks love to whinge and moan about Warriors struggling to build a junior development system, while overlooking what is actually happening.
Any time things skew younger and less experienced, patience is required. Warriors are still competitive and this is not to throw excuses up because I've got no expectations. This is merely to suggest that Warriors folk enjoy the rise of young players, connect with these players and celebrate them. Instead of complaining, tap into the fact that six Warriors juniors (Chanel Harris-Tavita's another notable junior) from Aotearoa are in the top-17 this week and Sharks have eight juniors from their system.
Warriors have Viliami Vailea and Rocco Berry named at centre. Both were scouted, recruited and brewed by Warriors so let's enjoy their footy. Eliesa Katoa, Jazz Tevaga and Bunty Afoa are cult-hero status and have all been primed for right now via Warriors systems. Sure, this isn't Panthers with a majority of local juniors in their team. Then again, Warriors operate in two different countries and this isn't an even playing field right now.
This is all perspective and the Warriors Diary is here to help folks work through their Warriors feelings. The same folks who spin media yarns about a crappy Warriors junior system, don't know who the local juniors are in the NRL team let alone who the Warriors have invested in to move from Aotearoa to Redcliffe. A pocket that just got a bit funkier...
Tome Poona played his first game with Redcliffe Under 21s as the starting halfback last weekend. This is notable because Poona has been in the wider Warriors system for a few years and he is the only half from Aotearoa in the Warriors/Redcliffe pipeline. That's all good because recruitment is plugging those holes (Volkman, Luke Metcalf, Daejarn Asi) and Poona was joined in the U21s team last week by Eric Va'afusuaga, Zyon Maiu'u, Ali Leiataua, Lleyton Finau and Kina Kepu.
That's six Warriors juniors from Aotearoa in a Redcliffe U21s team. The Redcliffe U18 team had Jacob Laban, Tamakaimoana Whareaorere and Sefanaia Cowley-Lupo sprinkled across their games. Demetric Sifakula is yet to feature and must be out injured, while Ben Kosi’s status is also unknown.
Outside the NRL team this week are Taniela Otukolo, Edward Kosi and Lingi Kepu. All three are Aotearoa juniors and this wiggles out for six U21s, three U18s and three fringe NRL right now. Chuck in Sifakula and there are 12 Aotearoa juniors across the Warriors/Redcliffe system, all of which is happening in a different country to Aotearoa.
Flipping perspective is easy, all it takes is gratitude that the NRL team most impacted by the dramas of the world right now is still churning out Aotearoa juniors. Gratitude that Vailea and Berry are the starting centre duo, two fun youngsters settling into the NRL grind. Gratitude that Afoa has blossomed into a fantastic up the guts forward and that the best local junior Shaun Johnson loves the club. Gratitude that Aotearoa Warriors can show up mid-2022 with an NRL team featuring Aotearoa juniors and have Aotearoa juniors in all three Redcliffe teams.
One would be wise to challenge their own perspective right now. Things are funky, change is in the air and the stars are shifting their alignments. Warriors have the fewest offloads in the NRL and only Raiders have fewer Post Contact Metres, so release those old perspectives and embrace the new. This may help you enjoy whatever happens against Sharks on Sunday evening.
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Peace and love.