Aotearoa Warriors Diary: Taking Stock Of NRL & NSW Cup Depth
New Zealand Warriors restored their Mt Smart mana for 2024 against Dolphins and while a win over Dolphins was nice, this pre-season window is laying out key information across the NRL and NSW Cup squads. There was a sense of familiarity in watching a near full-strength NZW team in action with attacking shapes peppering the Dolphins middle defence, NZW halves landing kicks on the 10m line to dominate that tackle and Wayde Egan quickly unleashing his craftsmanship.
Egan is the most important NZW player entering the 2024 season. As noted in this yarn about NZW fundamentals, all the attacking motions start with Egan and his crisp passing which is most evident in spiral passes delivered in both directions. Egan's craft elevates when he bounces out one side of the ruck and passes in the other direction...
Not many NRL dummy halves can do that. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad wasn't playing but Egan also sparked a move with Taine Tuaupiki bursting through the middle. Along with Egan's magical touches and or his basic distribution that starts clinical shape, there are combos being developed that add wrinkles to how NZW attack.
The joy of Egan's mahi is the craft. He isn't as fast or powerful as other hookers and he kicks less than Australia's favourite dummy halves. Egan is instrumental in most NZW attacking movements though and if NZW have a roll on, Egan is a pleasure to watch as a he breaks down opposition defence around the ruck.
Egan is also at the focal point of how coach Andrew Webster could build out his top-17. It is tricky to demand 80 minutes from Egan as he loves to tackle and big minutes could limit his zip around the ruck. Usually, Egan doesn't even have the chance to play 80mins because he is often battling a niggle that causes him to leave the field.
This is nothing against Egan, he's so tough and eager to rip in for his team that he cops a whack in most games. Coach Webster usually carries another hooker on the bench for this reason and Freddy Lussick benefits. Lussick doesn't have the same craft or skill as Egan but he is just as tough and a wee bit more robust, which led to a few minutes last season as a small forward.
Coach Webster relies on big minutes from his best forwards. Along with the five starters, Marata Niukore and Dylan Walker will be the main forwards used coming off the bench. Niukore and Walker are likely to roll through the middle, but their versatility makes them key figures on the bench. Niukore can slot in as an edge forward and he got a few reps there against Dolphins, while Walker can play most positions but against Dolphins he also had some game time at edge forward.
That's a fresh wrinkle for 2024 and is aligned with coach Webster making sure everyone is ready to play a role. Things get tricky when selecting Lussick and Walker on the bench together as they are both smaller lads, but coach Webster has embraced smaller, mobile forwards. This leaves one spot for a pure middle forward which could be Jazz Tevaga, Bunty Afoa of Tom Ale.
The example above doesn't have outside back cover and usually, that's not an issue as lads like Niukore or Walker can cover various positions. It gets funky when Ali Leiataua is brewing as an exceptional youngster and he could offer more value as a bench player than Lussick, Tevaga, Afoa or Ale.
This is amplified by the performances of Tuaupiki and Tuivasa-Sheck at fullback against Dolphins. Nicoll-Klokstad is the best fullback, while Tuaupiki and Tuivasa-Sheck are fabulous lads to have in the mix. The best scenario to start the season still seems like Tuaupiki at fullback and Tuivasa-Sheck at centre where he can dominate an edge as well as follow his intuition into other areas. The fullback battle influences who starts at centre and if Tuivasa-Sheck is starting centre, then Pompey and Leiataua are behind Rocco Berry in the backline ranks.
Coach Webster has already leaned into quirky bench combinations, rarely offering a bench of three big boppers and a utility. The key thing for the bench is providing back up for Egan and if Lussick gets that spot, along with Niukore and Walker, there is one spot up for grabs. Some would want Tevaga or Afoa there, others may be open to Leiataua offering just as much power and an outside back option.
Below is a tight NZW squad of players to focus on
Outside Backs
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Marcelo Montoya, Rocco Berry, Taine Tuaupiki, Adam Pompey, Ali Leiataua
Halves
Shaun Johnson, Luke Metcalf, Te Maire Martin
Hookers
Wayde Egan, Freddy Lussick
Forwards
Tohu Harris, Addin Fonua-Blake, Mitchell Barnett, Jackson Ford, Kurt Capewell, Marata Niukore, Dylan Walker
I've got Leiataua in this group but don't have Tevaga, Afoa or Ale which follows on from the above ideas. Chanel Harris-Tavita probably won't be selected ahead of Luke Metcalf or Te Maire Martin and other dummy halves such as Paul Roache are stuck behind Lussick. Coach Webster will probably zone in on the seven forwards listed to play most of the availabile minutes.
Below is the depth NZW have to cover injuries or suspensions to the players listed above…
Outside Backs
Moala Graham-Taufa, Setu Tu, Edward Kosi
Halves
Chanel Harris-Tavita, Luke Hanson, Ben Farr
Hookers
Paul Roache, Etuate Fukofuka
Forwards
Jazz Tevaga, Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale, Jacob Laban, Kalani Going, Zyon Maiu'u, Demitric Sifakula Toni Tupouniua, Leka Halasima, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Eddie Ieremia
Regardless of how folks may view different combinations and rank players, there is plenty of depth in the NZW pipeline. This flows into the NSW Cup team and they had their first outing against Counties Manukau prior to the NZW vs Dolphins game.
Players who aren't named above are and played in the trial vs Tigers: Geronimo Doyle, Quinnlan Tupou, Patrick Moimoi
Returning NSW Cup lads: Maia Sands
NZW juniors moving up: Siale Faeamani, William Piliu
New to NZW: Nehemiah Gordon-Amoroa, Jeremiah Schuster, Potu Leavasa, Dylan Tavita, Garry Tuilekutu, Compton Fuatimau, Cassisus Cowley.
Faeamani and Piliu played NZW SG Ball last year before moving up to Fox Memorial. Tavita is a former Junior Warrior who played for Pt Chevalier alongside Faeamani last year. Cowley is Pacific Sharks junior from Tokoroa who played as a half in the 2020 SG Ball team before the pandemic stripped away all junior teams and Cowley joined Wynnum's junior ranks.
Jeremiah Schuster is a Marist junior who has climbed through the Auckland pipeline to earn an opportunity with NZW. Schuster played in the Auckland Blue Under 20s team alongside Leiataua and Maiu'u, where he apparently started at centre, fullback and in the halves. Compton Fuatimau joins NZW from the Tigers system where he played U21s last year.
The latest additions to Andrew McFadden's funky recruitment moves are Gordon-Amoroa, Leavasa and Tuilekutu. Gordon-Amoroa played 1st 15 for Rosmini College and with Northcote Rugby before playing for Akarana Under 20s last year. Leavasa was a lock/flanker in rugby union and he played 1st 15 for St John's College (same school Quinnlan Tupou went to) before stints in England, USA and Italy.
Tuilekutu played rugby union for Avalon Rugby in Wellington where he made a few Wellington representative teams. The two Andys now have two summers of funky recruitment from rugby league in Aotearoa as well as rugby union. As noted a few times in the Aotearoa Warriors Diary, Going and Roache joined NZW ahead of last season after returning from Australia to play rugby union in Aotearoa. Tupou has re-joined NZW after a stint in local rugby union after his 1st 15 phase as well.
This is boosted by the recruitment of young Aussies. Luke Hanson got a few minutes at the end of the trial against Tigers and while he's still U21 eligible, Hanson was starting halfback for the NSW Cup team. NZW have Jesse Soric in their SG Ball team and NZW also picked up Tallan Egan who is Wayde's younger brother, both are young halves from Australia. This means that NZW have three halves from Australia who are all U21s and while that is incredibly funky, NZW have juniors from across Aotearoa as well so don't worry about that.
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