Talk to the Warriors hierarchy and they’ll say they’re not a club that rebuilds, but it does feel like the stars are aligning for 2022 and if doesn’t happen next year, then who knows when it might?
On paper, the Warriors squad for next year is one of the best the club has ever had. There are no holes in the roster and their big forward pack, matched by quality halves and exciting outside backs.
It’s ironic that next year will be the culmination of Peter O’Sullivan’s work as the club’s recruitment and retention manager and as he spends 2022 trying to build a squad for the Dolphins, his handiwork will be trying to win its first Premiership.
It’s understood he didn’t leave the club on the best of terms, with owner Mark Robinson’s parting shot that O’Sullivan didn’t fit their culture definitely ending things on a sour note.
But if the Warriors do have a successful year in 2022, it will in no small part be down to O’Sullivan.
So will next year be the Warriors’ year? Well the TAB has them at $36, with only the Dragons and Wests Tigers bigger outsiders, so they’re not optimistic.
Certainly, looking at their final game of last season, where they were embarrassed 44-0 by the Titans, you can understand why that conclusion could be drawn.
But that result was a one off and isn’t reflective of the Warriors team next year.
With Shaun Johnson and either Ash Taylor or Chanel Harris-Tavita in the halves, it will give the team direction at crucial times in games, something that was badly lacking at time last season.
They needed someone to step up and take control of a game and often didn’t have a player to do that.
You’d be hard pushed to find a better combination of props in the NRL than Addin Fonua-Blake and Matt Lodge, throw in Tohu Harris, Ben Murdoch-Masila and Josh Curran and that’s an impressive pack.
They’ve got rid of Kane Evans, by far the worst signing O’Sullivan made at the Warriors, so the team should have more time when they’ve got 13 players on the field.
Some of Reece Walsh’s rough edges might have been polished away over the preseason, without inhibiting the natural flair in his game.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is a proven quality in the NRL and Marcelo Montoya can do a job on the other wing, even if he lacks a bit of x-factor.
Of course, if you make the case for the whole team like that, you might as well give the Warriors the Provan-Summons Trophy now, although there will be injuries and suspensions along the way.
But it could be a case that if it doesn’t happen in 2022, then when will it?
Tevaga also holds a player option for 2023, while Taylor doesn’t want to move to Auckland and Harris-Tavita still hasn’t signed a contract for beyond next season.
The rapidly improving Curran is also in the final year of his deal in 2022 and Johnson will turn 32 during next season.
Of course all are replaceable and there will have to be a fair amount of reshaping of the rooster at the end of 2022, but it does feel that it’s all in for the Warriors next year.
