Fittler fancies the Warriors to push for top-eight spot

‘‘So this is [coach] Nathan Brown’s real test, to actually improve a pretty good footy team and he’ll be judged on how he coaches that team, not on getting a team off the basement.’’ Brad Fittler

New South Wales State of Origin coach Brad Fittler says the Warriors have a good chance of finishing in the NRL top eight this season.

In his preview for the upcoming campaign, Fittler told Chanel Nine he feels optimistic about what the Warriors can offer this year, giving them a 60 per cent chance of finishing in the top eight and a 25 per cent chance of progressing even further and making the top four.

The Warriors play against the Titans in a trial game in Lismore today and Fittler feels the club’s new coach Nathan Brown will have plenty to prove this season, as he prepares for a different challenge to the one he faced at the Newcastle Knights, where he had to rebuild the club’s roster.

‘‘When Nathan Brown went to Newcastle there were a lot of high hopes, what he ended up doing was giving them a roster, the on-field stuff, not so much,’’ Fittler said.

‘‘So this is Nathan Brown’s real test, to actually improve a pretty good footy team and he’ll be judged on how he coaches that team, not on getting a team off the basement.’’

The Warriors have made a large number of signings for 2021, with Addin Fonua-Blake being the stand out.

But it’s the former Rabbitoh forward Bayley Sironen who Fittler finds interesting.

‘‘I feel like he might be a player that Nathan Brown would like to coach,’’ Fittler said.

‘‘He can play a bit of footy, has that ability to play like a back rower and like a five-eighth as well and I feel that could be Nathan’s style, so I expect to see a fair bit of him.

‘‘I also can’t wait to see Eliesa Katoa with another year’s experience under his belt and Tohu Harris was fantastic last year too, so I’m liking the Warriors.’’

Fittler, a former winner of the Golden Boot, says he can see Kodi Nikorima and Chanel Harris-Tavita going well together, in what will be their first full season as a halves partnership.

‘‘I’m a fan of both of them,’’ he said. ‘‘When I think of old New Zealand teams – Lance Hohaia, Stacey Jones – they were little, lively five-eighths and halfbacks and that’s what you’ve got there, Chanel Harris-Tavita is like a little animal and also I thought [2020] was Kodi Nikorima’s best season by far.

‘‘But they’ve got to learn to work together.

‘‘They’ve got to find their role in the team, because they have this wonderful talent and when I look through what they did last year, they didn’t score so many tries and their attack wasn’t as good as their defence.

‘‘Normally when you think of the Warriors everything is about their attack, so they need to be more dangerous, more consistent and let Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, David Fusitu’a and all of those blokes be brilliant.’’