RTS happy with central role
Reigning Dally M Coach of the Year Andrew Webster and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck are happy to stick to their carefully crafted plan despite a former team-mate’s plea for a positional switch.
Tuivasa-Sheck, who won the Dally M award for the best player in the NRL when playing as a fullback in 2018, retuned to the Warriors last November, from his rugby stint, with the purpose of filling a void at left centre.
Despite Tuivasa-Sheck training in that position all summer and performing strongly in the Warriors’ opening two losses of the season, his one-time Warriors and Kiwis team-mate Adam Blair is calling – via a Stuff podcast – for the former All Black to be moved back to fullback.
“Adam Blair is not the coach,” Tuivasa-Sheck said as he laughed off the suggestion ahead of the club’s Christchurch clash with the unbeaten Raiders tomorrow night.
Taine Tuaupiki, a specialist fullback in whom the club has shown confidence by extending his contract until the end of the 2025 season, is currently playing at the back due to Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad – one of the club’s best players in a standout 2023 season – being out with a hamstring injury.
But even when Nicoll-Klokstad is fit to return, probably as soon as Sunday week against the Knights, Blair feels the No 1 jersey should belong to Tuivasa-Sheck.
Webster says he’s loved the contribution of Tuivasa-Sheck at left centre, so far, given how challenging it is to jump in and play there at NRL level with no experience, other than two trials, and coming back from two and a half years playing rugby.
“I think he’s done a fantastic job, I’ve been rapt with his defence,” Webster said.
“He’s doing what the team needs him to be doing at the moment and it’s having a real big impact on the side.”
Webster believes that in four or five games’ time, Tuivasa-Sheck will be looking even more comfortable in his new role. “You’ll see him with his hands on the ball more,” he said.
As far as Tuivasa-Sheck is concerned, he feels he’s only beginning to scratch his centre potential.
“I’m still trying to build my game and work out how I can get more effective and it’s something that’s a process.
“For me it’s about how can I be better as a centre and how can I get better for my team.”
The former Warriors captain said he was working hard with Marcelo Montoya, Luke Metcalf and Jackson Ford on combinations and bringing more effective attacking shape to the left edge.
Individually, Tuivasa-Sheck doesn’t have the same attacking opportunities playing at centre as he did at fullback, but he was confident he and his team were heading in the right direction.
“We were right there in both games but it’s just small moments that are letting us down, we’re just not icing or finishing it,” he said.
His coach agrees. “Our best football is better than most in the NRL, which I’m really happy about, but we all know it’s not there for 80 [minutes] so we’ve got to get that right,” Webster said.
Meanwhile, Webster was non-committal on whether hooker Wayde Egan would be fit for the Raiders clash, after missing Saturday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Storm with an elbow injury.
“We won’t give away too many secrets but he’s a step closer this week.We’ll give him every chance,” Webster said. “It’s a lot better than it was.”
“For me it’s about how can I be better as a centre and how can I get better for my team.”
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, right