Tuivasa-Sheck keeps Warriors captaincy
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will keep the captaincy at the Warriors for the upcoming NRL season as they try and retain their star fullback.
The New Zealand international was made skipper by coach Stephen Kearney for the first time last year.
However, the Warriors endured yet another miserable campaign after slumping to nine successive defeats to finish 13th on the ladder and 12 points shy of the finals.
But the 24-year-old was their standout player throughout the season.
He was named the Auckland’s club player of the year for 2017.
And the arrival of experienced forward Adam Blair, who captained New Zealand in 2017, hasn’t prompted Kearney to consider changing skippers after making Tuivasa-Sheck captain instead of Ryan Hoffman, who has since left to return to Melbourne Storm.
The Kiwis crashed out of the World Cup after losing 4-2 to Fiji at the quarter-final stage and Blair, as captain, said post-match the result wasn’t a negative, which angered supporters in the wake of such an embarrassing defeat.
‘‘Stephen and I have spoken about it a number of times over the off-season and we have no doubt that Roger is a very suitable and appropriate person to be our captain and lead the club forward,‘‘ Warriors chief executive Cameron George told NRL.com.
‘‘Nothing has changed in my mind.
‘‘Roger is a winner, he is a quality person and he has a very good rapport with people on and off the field. He is the type of person we are very comfortable having lead our club and someone we can continue to build around.’’
Tuivasa-Sheck will be off contract with the Warriors at the end of 2018 after joining from Sydney Roosters on a lucrative three-year deal from the start of 2016.
George said they would do all they could to retain him amid speculation of a return to a Sydney club or a possible switch of codes.
Reports from Sydney claim that South Sydney Rabbitohs are just one club chasing his signature for 2019 and beyond.
‘‘The local tennis club will be ringing him, he is that type of player so there will be significant interest in him.
‘‘We have had initial discussions with Roger and his management, he is a priority for us and at this stage we are just letting Roger focus on the off-season.
‘‘His manager and I are in constant contact and hopefully at the appropriate time in the near future we can progress those discussions.’’