There’s a big game to focus on as well
It will be a special night for the Warriors in Auckland tonight, but the club don’t want to turn it into a testimonial type occasion.
The Warriors will play the Raiders their last regular season game of the year and there will be a sell out crowd on hand to witness Simon Mannering’s 300th game for the club.
While Mannering’s career is worth celebrating, it shouldn’t be forgotten how vital this game is in determining who the Warriors will face in the playoffs.
‘‘There is plenty to play for, but we’ve got to keep the players’ focus on the task, which is our preparation going into the game,’’ Warriors assistant coach Andrew McFadden said.
‘‘So we’ve tried to do that by getting as much of the presentations for Simon out of the way.
‘‘Obviously, we’ll be aware of the sellout crowd, that’s fantastic for the players and Simon in particular. But it really is about us preparing to make sure we’re focused on the game against Canberra.’’
While it will be an emotional occasion for Mannering, the same could be said about McFadden, as he’s leaving the club at the end of the season to return to Australia.
He joined the Warriors as an assistant coach to Matt Elliott at the end of 2012 and early in the 2014 season was promoted to the top job.
Although he was replaced by Stephen Kearney at the end of the 2016 campaign, McFadden chose to stay on with the club.
However, for family reasons he has decided it’s time to head back to the other side of the Tasman.
‘‘I’m aware that the end is near, but hopefully it’s still five weeks away,’’ he said.
McFadden says he hasn’t got anything sorted yet for once he finishes with the Warriors, but is hoping to remain involved in rugby league.
While the club wasn’t able to finish in the top eight during his time as Warriors head coach, he did put the team on the right path, and the rewards are now coming.
He doesn’t get enough credit, but he set about changing the team culture and realised that standards needed to be lifted.
Without doubt, the Warriors are in better shape now than when he joined.
‘‘That’s for other people to judge I suppose,’’ he said.
‘‘I feel like I’ve worked incredibly hard for the organisation, I’ve always put the organisation first, I love coaching in rugby league, I love being involved in a team sport.’’