10 reasons why 2023 is our year
The Warriors are in for a fresh start in 2023 with a new coach and flurry of key recruits set to help launch a new era at the club. After more than two years on the road, the Warriors will return home to Auckland permanently, one of the many reasons to believe the club can find some success under new coach Andrew Webster next year.
Nrl.com reflects on some key moments and talking points for the Warriors ahead of their return to New Zealand in 2023.
No place like home
Home ground advantage in the NRL is huge, and after three seasons of disruption, the Warriors will be back on home turf looking to turn their Auckland base to their advantage once again.
The Warriors’ past three campaigns can be excused to a degree, but with majority of their home games back at Mt Smart Stadium in 2023, there will be few excuses.
The Warriors have a 57.1 per cent win record on home turf overall and, in their four games at the venue in 2022, they recorded victories over the Wests Tigers and Bulldogs, while suffering narrow losses to Melbourne and Gold Coast.
Development rebuilding
In addition to the side playing back in New Zealand, the club will also have teams back playing in NSW Cup and SG Ball in 2023.
The lack of game time for players in New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic shouldn’t be underestimated with the Warriors suffering from the top as a result of the lack of development that’s taken place during this period.
The return of teams in these competitions ensures consistent week-to-week game time for the next crop of talent in New Zealand.
Fresh coaching start
Andrew Webster’s appointment may bring more questions than answers early but one thing the rookie coach will bring is an understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
Webster has been at the Panthers for the past two seasons, playing a part alongside Cameron Ciraldo as Ivan Cleary’s assistant coaches to help develop the side into being the most dominant in the NRL.
Webster has a huge task ahead of him and despite recent history against him — the Warriors’ last most successful coach was Cleary in 2011 — he has some time with little expectation externally on the club next season to immediately get results.
Reinforcements arriving
Even before the appointment of Webster, the Warriors were planning for a mini rebuild under former coach Nathan Brown.
The signings of Marata Niukore, Mitch
Barnett and Dylan Walker are all significant while Kiwi international Charnze Nicollklokstad returns to the club a better player than when he first left.
Likewise, Te Maire Martin will offer value after resurrecting his career at the Broncos. Dragons recruit Jackson Ford and former Shark Luke Metcalf both got limited game time in first grade in 2022 but will be handy depth purchases by the club.
Tohu Harris’ return
There was no better sight for the Warriors in 2022 than when Tohu Harris ran onto the field during Magic Round to complete his return from an ACL injury.
Harris has been dogged of a decent run at the Warriors since joining the club in 2019 but, when he does stay on the field, it doesn’t take him long to be at his consistent best.
It will be interesting to see where Webster uses Harris next season with the arrival of Mitch Barnett.
Harris has played at prop, lock and in the back row throughout his Warriors stint.
Fonua-blake’s long-term vision
Addin Fonua-blake has quickly become the leader of the pack at the Warriors and his resigning earlier this year until at least the end of the 2026 season is a major boost for the club’s future.
Fonua-blake averaged 153 metres per game in 2022, slightly down on his first season at the club, but his power through the middle couldn’t be more dominating.
On his day Fonua-blake is one of the most damaging forwards in the game but similiar to the likes of Jason Taumalolo and Payne Haas, you want his workload to be as effective as possible during a match and the Warriors can help him more in this area.
Unlocking SJ
Shaun Johnson’s mixed form in his return to the club generated some criticism throughout the 2022 season but Warriors fans should take solace from the fact the star playmaker managed 21 games — his most in a season since 2016.
There were glimpses of the Johnson of old but overall he was kept quiet more times than not as the side struggled overall.
Johnson racked up a solid 14 try assists for the year but couldn’t get the Warriors into winning positions, particularly with his own running game slumping to a career-low 49 metres per outing.
He slotted two field goals for memorable victories against the Cowboys and Raiders but was affected by the constant shuffling at fiveeighth with Daejarn Asi and Chanel Harristavita sharing that role throughout the season.
After being overlooked for the World Cup, look for a big improvement from the Kiwi international, who is off contract at the end of next year.
Kosi’s turnaround
The late season form of Edward Kosi in 2022 should bring a smile to Warriors’ fans faces after the 23-year-old endured a rough match against the Storm on Anzac Day.
Kosi’s three errors saw him dropped a week later but, when he got back into the side, his form surged with seven tries in his next four games.
His performances brought back memories of the days the Warriors had flashy wingers like Manu Vatuvei and Francis Meli consistently making an impact in matches.
It should be a lesson to all that young players can learn from their mistakes quickly and deserve a second chance.
World Cup benefits
Although they’d rather have a strong contingent at the World Cup, the fact only five current players are at the World Cup means others can prepare early for 2023. Dallin Watene-zelezniak and new signings Niukore and Nicoll-klokstad are featuring for New Zealand while Addin Fonua-blake and Ben Murdoch-masila are turning out for Tonga.
The late start to pre-season for players who play at the World Cup can often have its disadvantages with limited time available for the new NRL campaign.
It won’t be the case for the Warriors with Watene-zelezniak, Nicoll-klokstad, Fonuablake and Murdoch-masila already having some time off before the World Cup started.
Niukore will be the only player due back at the latest possible start in January.
It’s the club’s lowest representation of New Zealand players ever at a World Cup, but with promising campaigns at the international level you’d expect all players to return with valuable experience.
Remember the names
Twin towers Otukinekina and Valingi Kepu are yet to make their NRL debuts with the talented teenagers upgraded to the top 30 in 2023 but Warriors fans should be very optimistic but these two when they get their chance.
The pair are reminiscent of Newcastle’s Saifiti brothers coming through the junior system with tall frames as middle forwards and having already made an impact at SG Ball and senior level at a young age.
Both brothers featured for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Cup during 2022 with border restrictions keeping them in Australia for the year.
This article was first published on Nrl.com and is reprinted with their permission.