Griffin finds his new sporting passion at Warriors
When former Kiwis hooker Slade Griffin was coming through the grades on the South Island’s West Coast, there wasn’t much of a pathway to break into the Warriors’ system.
That’s why he and Hastings product Tohu Harris went to the Melbourne Storm. It was either that or switch codes.
Countless local rugby league talent has been lost to Australia over the years, for the very same reason Griffin boarded that plane to Melbourne at just 17 years old.
But now there’s a programme in place to ensure New Zealand’s best talent stays right here, and the onetime Kiwi is steering the ship.
It’s called the the Future Warriors programme, set up by the NRL club’s former general manager of football Brian Smith.
Following Smith’s departure from the club Griffin has stepped in to help take the programme forward.
Previously, the Warriors haven’t been able to offer young players a clear pathway to first grade. A review last year identified the need to better provide opportunities to retain and develop young talent.
Now, kids as young as 15 will have the opportunity to pull on a Warriors jumper, train, play and learn here in New Zealand, so that the next Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is not lost to a rival club.
Griffin, a Greymouth product, won an NRL premiership title with the Storm before signing a deal with the Newcastle Knights in 2018.
He made his Kiwis debut later that year against England in Denver, but a fourth knee reconstruction forced him into medical retirement in 2019, at just 29 years old.
‘‘I didn’t have much of a plan, for me I sacrificed pretty much everything to play footy,’’ Griffin said.
‘‘I was lucky enough that while going through rehab [at Newcastle] Nathan Brown kind of let me help out with some coaching. I really enjoyed that side of things.
‘‘After I retired there was some work opportunities there with Newcastle but nothing steady. Then I got word there might be
Slade Griffin something going over here so I had a chat with [Warriors chief executive] Cameron [George] and we teed up to meet.’’
It was a meeting, not a formal job interview. But the professional in Griffin was not about to let a potential opportunity slip. He dusted off his best suit and apparently impressed the Warriors chief executive so much with his football IQ and commitment to the programme, he won the job on the spot.
Now, Griffin helps coach the under 15s through 18s Warriors players two to three times a week, and believes they’re building a system that will ensure long term success at Mt Smart.
‘‘In previous years the Roosters or Broncos for example [would] come here and pluck two good kids each. We couldn’t match them in terms of offering a full pathway, and that’s talent gone,’’ he said.
‘‘And if every club does that, suddenly 30 of your best homegrown players are off playing in Australia.
‘‘That’s what we want to try and stop. Getting them in a Warriors jersey early is key.
‘‘Especially for some of the regional kids like myself or Tohu, there wasn’t anything like this for us back then – if there was we never would have left.’’
Now kids from outside Auckland get to come up for camps, specialised training, representative games and get to rub shoulders with the first grade stars.
‘‘We are also working with New Zealand Rugby League and Auckland Rugby League on developing coaches as well because we want these kids to be getting the right kind of guidance when they leave as well,’’ Griffin said.
The Warriors, historically, have had success at under 20s level.
Players such as Shaun Johnson, Ben Matulino and Konrad Hurrell were all graduates of the junior programme, though the majority who came through that system were not NRL ready.
A large part of Griffin’s programme is geared around getting the natural athletes available to the club into the environment at a young age and teaching them the fundamentals of the game.
That way when their time came they’re ready for the challenge, he said.
The former hooker is committed to staying at the Warriors, and has aspirations of moving into the first grade coaching team one day.
‘‘Yeah, look coaching is something that really appeals to me. I loved Melbourne and the Knights, but it does feel different pulling on the Warriors colours,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m really enjoying my time here, this programme is something that really excites me and I really believe in. And on top of that I’m learning so much from a personal development standpoint.
‘‘Just hanging around and watching the first grade coaching team here is something I get a real kick out of.
‘‘When this next group [under 15-16s] come through we will really see the benefits of what we have put in place here so, it’s an exciting time to be involved with the club.’’
‘‘Getting them in a Warriors jersey early is key.’’