Fisher-Harris signing hailed, but Warriors’ focus firmly on Dragons
Former Warriors coach Frank Endacott says the club’s signing of Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris is a massive boost but it won’t distract Tohu Harris’ team from its task against the Dragons.
Fisher-Harris will join the Warriors in 2025 on a four-year deal after being released from the final two years of his contract at the Penrith Panthers on compassionate grounds. The Northlander had expressed a desire to be closer to his family.
Endacott hailed it as one of the biggest signings in Warriors history, saying Fisher-Harris was “the best prop in the world’’ and an ideal replacement for Sharks-bound Addin Fonua-Blake.
“Whoever did that recruitment should get a medal, it’s brilliant.”
Sydney rugby league writer Paul Kent questioned the deal on NRL 360 on Wednesday night, saying he found it hard to believe that Fisher-Harris had told Penrith on Sunday that he wanted to go home to New Zealand, and “the Warriors were there two days later”.
“Honestly, why have [a ban] on approaching players while still under contract? Why have it in place if we are going to sit there and cop all of this rubbish.’’
Kent felt the NRL Integrity Unit should investigate and the Warriors should be fined.
But Endacott, a former players’ agent, dismissed Kent’s comments and said: “I don’t care, I’m just pleased he’s coming.’’
He felt Fisher-Harris was “genuine with his comment about family and coming back to be near them’’.
“It’s very good of Penrith to release him from his last two years, but he’s given them eight years’ service, so it’s a two-way street”.
Endacott felt “everyone should honour their contract’’, but a release was acceptable “when both parties agree”.
Signing the Kiwis captain and “the best prop in the game’’ could encourage other top players to sign for the Warriors and would be a big boost for ball players like Shaun Johnson, who would know “no-one’s going to rough them up while he’s there”.
But Endacott doesn’t expect the hype around the marquee signing to shift the Warriors’ steely focus from the task at hand when they meet the Dragons in Wollongong tonight.
The Warriors, who escaped with a draw against Manly after a golden-point stalemate, last weekend, are seventh on the table and are favourites to beat the 13th-ranked Dragons.
Wollongong’s WIN Stadium was once Lose Stadium for the Warriors, who didn’t notch a victory there for 15 years from 1997.
But Endacott said “history means nothing’’ and “this Warriors team is more than capable of going over there and having a win’’.
Besides, the Warriors did the double over the Dragons last year in head coach Andrew Webster’s first season, stunning the Illawarra faithful with a 48-18 shellacking as Dallin Watene-Zelezniak dazzled with four tries.
But Webster noted this week that the Dragons were a tougher unit under new coach Shane Flanagan. “They beat Manly the other week, and we just found how good they are. They shift the ball more in yardage than most teams, coming out their own end. They really know their game and where they want to go and how they want do it.’’
Webster is wary of Dragons fullback Tyrell Sloan, who has the same ability as Warriors rival Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to make major metres, while Ben Hunt remains a talented playmaker.
Webster confirmed Johnson would start for the Warriors after sitting out training on Wednesday to rest an Achilles tendon niggle, but interchange forward Jazz Tevaga will be out for “four to eight weeks’’ with a hamstring tear.
The Warriors have lost five forwards to injuries this season, although Webster expects Dylan Walker to be over his ankle problem in time for a round-8 return next week.