Warriors excite well-travelled Green
League Now at his seventh club since making his debut for Parramatta in 2007, Warriors recruit Blake Green knows a lot about change.
The 31-year-old has already been a big driver of transformation at the Penrose-based club since he arrived late last year. And he’s confident his game management will produce the expansive game plan the Warriors are seeking by allowing halfback Shaun Johnson a roaming brief in attack.
An injury-affected pre-season limited their time together but the pair gelled quickly in the trial win over the Titans a fortnight ago.
“We’ve had two weeks since then to dive into some footy stuff and everything’s been going really good,” Green said ahead of tonight’s season opener against Souths in Perth.
“We’re quite comfortable with the style of footy we want to play.”
Johnson is similarly enthused about their partnership but knows from experience that combinations take time to build, having lined up alongside James Maloney, Thomas Leuluai, Chad Townsend and Kieran Foran since making his debut in 2011.
Numerous others have filled in alongside the 27-year-old, including Carlos Tuimavave, Tui Lolohea, Mason Lino, Jeff Robson and Ata Hingano.
“I’m excited about our combination this year but a lot of people who have watched the Warriors over the last few years know that we’ve had a few different halves partners there and things don’t always click right from the start, so I’m not going to force anything,” said Johnson. “We’re working really hard in training and off the field, and more importantly, once we string some games together on the field, it will build naturally.
“I was sort of in this position with Foz [Foran] last year. There was a lot of hype around that as well and we didn’t rush it.
“The times we got to play together, we clicked really well, and I’m sure it’s going to be no different with Greeny.
“He controls the team, he’s got a great voice, he’s a very calming influence, so that allows my role to change a bit, which I’m really excited about as well.”
Regardless of whether the Warriors return home with the win or not, it won’t be for a lack of commitment or effort. Green said fans could expect those traits to define their performances through the season.
“I’m not going to make any predictions but we’ve had the best preparation possible to perform how we want to [tonight],” he said. “And that’s going to be the case every week.
“We’re going to make sure, as we did with every training session since we come together, that we’re going to give our best effort and be competitive and be accountable for our actions and that’s going to be no different this week.
“A lot of talk has been said, a lot of work’s been done. It’s just about [tonight] now.”