New Zealand Warriors had four wins in a row without James Fisher-Harris and now they welcome the hearty Northlander back into the team to play Dolphins. This will be their third consecutive game in Australia and while it seems unrealistic to expect this winning streak to continue across the ditch, there is no reason for a lack of faith in this organisation right now.

We have been here covering all aspects of NZW footy in the NRL, NSW Cup and the whole system all season long. Before rolling into some key points to digest and fuel your korero, tap in with some of this year's break downs where you will find a few seeds that have led to the key points below...

New Zealand Warriors Return To The Temple Of Mt Smart vs Manly Sea Eagles

New Zealand Warriors Start To Lay Foundations & Roosters Aren't Scared

New Zealand Warriors Winning Footy Observations Early In The 2025 NRL Season

New Zealand Warriors Get The Claws Out vs Wests Tigers

Five Things About New Zealand Warriors Winning Footy In 2025

New Zealand Warriors Early Season 2025 Youngster Report

Updated New Zealand Warriors Youngster Report With An Easter Sunday Glow

New Zealand Warriors Winning Notebook After Another Win In Christchurch vs Knights

New Zealand Warriors Canterbury Celebrations & Aussie Tour Begins vs Cowboys

Threads Of Mana For New Zealand Warriors In NRL & Harold Matthews Cup

New Zealand Warriors Winning Notebook vs Dragons & NSW Cup Dominance

Team Stat Zones

NZW have the best completion rate in the NRL and have conceded the fewest number of penatlies. There are decent margins in both as NZW have a completion rate of 83% and the next best is Sharks on 81%, while NZW have conceded 39 penalties and the next best is Dolphins on 49.

NZW are seventh for post contact metres and while NRL.com can't figure out how to sort by averages, NZW have the second most post contact metres for teams who have played nine games. More importantly, NZW have maintained 580+ post contact metres per game even though they lost the biggest post contact metre eater Addin Fona-Blake.

As well as sustaining a high level of post contact metres per game, NZW have improved from their 2023 season in this stat and have improved in each season under coach Andrew Webster in completion rate and penalties conceded...

Set Completion

2023: 79% (6th)
2024: 82% (1st)
2025: 83% (1st)

Penalties Conceded per Game

2023: 5.55
2024: 5.12
2025: 4.33

Post Contact Metres per Game

2023: 511.7
2024: 587.79
2025: 581.66

Notable youngsters locked in for NRLW...

Trinity Tauaneai: Dragons - Wainuiomata
Tatiana Finau: Raiders - Mt Albert
Fane Finau: Knights - Otara
Sarahcen Oliver: Bulldogs - Petone
Jaydika Tafua: Sharks - Papanui
Makayla Eli: NZW - Manurewa#NRLWahine https://t.co/5YNPeTFjUj
— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) May 13, 2025

Wayde Egan and Dummy Half Running

Wayde Egan is the busiest dummy half runner in the NRL. Not only that, but Egan's 60 dummy half runs are far more than Blayke Brailey (49) even though Brailey has played one more game. Egan has increased his dummy half running with each season under coach Webster and it has peaked in 2025.

Wayde Egan DHR/game - all metres/game

2023: 4.1 - 51m
2024: 5.1 - 49m
2025: 6.66 - 75m

More dummy half running from a bloke like Egan, who has sublime passing skills, gives NZW better attacking motions as Egan ties up the defenders close to the ruck, which either leads to easy metres or dragging defenders in to create space out wider. There is also a clear increase in team dummy half running for NZW in the two Andys era which adds to the change in attacking flow...

Team Dummy Half Runs per Game

2023: 6.4
2024: 7.1
2025: 9.77

Because Egan has impeccable mana, there aren't many opportunities for other lads to play hooker. In the three games that Egan has not played 80mins, three different lads have plugged that hole and while Te Maire Martin wasn't required to scoot from dummy half vs Dragons, Chanel Harris-Tavita and Samuel Healey both hit the 10m/DHR mark that Egan does most games...

Chanel Harris-Tavita vs Broncos: 13mins at DH, 1 DHR - 11m
Samuel Healey vs Cowboys: 8mins at DH, 1 DHR - 12m
Te Maire Martin vs Dragons: 7mins at DH

Erin Clark

With Egan being even more crafty around the ruck, NZW also have the speed and distribution of Erin Clark. Clark has been the best player for NZW to start the season and while Aussies can't bother to look across the Tasman Sea, Clark has been the best buy of the 2025 NRL season.

Here's how Clark ranks in a few stat zones for NZW...

Post Contact Metres: 1st
Run Metres: 2nd
Offloads: 1st
Tackles: 3rd

With Clark leading NZW for offloads, there has also been a slight increase in team offloads per game for NZW and this has slowly increased with each season of the two Andys era...

Team Offloads per Game

2023: 7.2
2024: 7.4
2025: 7.6

Clark is faster and more aggressive than Tohu Harris and Dylan Walker. He is just as good at passing as them given that he was a play-maker in the junior grades before switching to hooker to start his NRL career. These attributes are on display every game and the opening exchanges of the win vs Dragons offered easy examples of Clark's speed and passing...

Clark has also stepped up without Fisher-Harris. In the first five games he played less than 50mins and then elevated to play 60+ minutes in the last four wins, while also providing the most passing for NZW forwards and brutal mahi...

vs Broncos: 60mins, 20 runs - 160m @ 8m/run, 2 tackle breaks, 1 offload, 16 passes, 29 tackles @ 100%
vs Knights: 64mins, 17 runs - 155m @ 9.1m/run, 1 try assist, 3 tackle breaks, 4 offloads, 16 passes, 45 tackles @ 90%
vs Cowboys: 69mins, 23 runs - 204m @ 8.8m/run, 1 tackle break, 9 passes, 38 tackles @ 100%
vs Dragons: 65mins, 18 runs - 177m @ 9.8m/run, 1 tackle break, 1 offload, 8 passes, 52 tackles @ 92.8%

Kicking/Play-Making Balance

There is magical balance in the halves combination between Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita. This is most evident in Metcalf leading NZW for tries with seven and Harris-Tavita leading NZW for try assists with seven, which flows in Metcalf having three try assists and Harris-Tavita having three tries.

They both average 50+ run metres per game. Metcalf averages 80m/game and is the more dynamic runner, but Harris-Tavita also offers more than enough running with his 55m/game. Both are tackling with 86-90% efficiency and they are both capable of offloads with Metcalf having two and Harris-Tavita on three.

Aside from the try/try assist wrinkle, the best bit of balance is their kicking mahi. This is especially funky for NZW because Shaun Johnson was the dominant kicker in the two years prior and instead of Johnson's 450+ kick metres per game, now the NZW halves are both between 200-360 kick metres per game.

When Johnson was doing most of the kicking, NZW were below 600 kick metres per game as a team. Now they are above 600 kick metres per game with a better balance, all of which is amplified by Metcalf kicking from his right booth and Harris-Tavita being a lefty.

Team Kick Metres per Game

2023: 580.92
2024: 576.95
2025: 617.77

Shaun Johnson Kick Metres per Game

2023: 524
2024: 476.5

Luke Metcalf Kick Metres per Game

2023: 38.81
2024: 45.56
2025: 354.03

Chanel Harris-Tavita Kick Metres per Game

2024: 173.66
2025: 240.56

NSW Cup

As has been the case throughout the two Andys era, NZW are awesome in NSW Cup. This revolved around Ali Leiataua, Demitric Vaimauga, Jacob Laban and Leka Halasima before they were promoted to steady NRL roles. Now there is another young cluster that has sustained their reserve grade dominance and as the NZW pipeline starts to flourish, there are less veterans and more promotions through the system.

Here are all the basics for NSW Cup as well as some information for the Under 21 Jersey Flegg Cup level that is the trampoline bouncing players into a winning reserve grade team...

2023: 3rd | 14-9-1 | 7-5 home | 7-4 away
2024: 4th | 14-9-1 | 8-3 home | 6-6 away
2025: 1st | 8-1 | 5-1 home | 3-0 away

321 points for - only team over 305

170 points against - two teams below 180, second behind Panthers on 168