The performances of their young guns is fuelling the belief in star winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck that the Warriors can be a serious premiership threat this season.
A winner of the NRL title in 2013 with the Roosters, when he himself was a fresh face lighting up the rugby league scene, Tuivasa-Sheck’s experience has helped guide the Warriors back into finals after missing the cut last season.
“I think it's massive, I think that's the reason why we are where we are, because of the young boys pushing us and they're stepping up," Tuivasa-Sheck said.
“Leka Halasima is a bit of a superstar in our game today and… he's training really well.
“It's no fluke from Leka and Demitric (Vaimauga) and then Tanner Stowers-Smith had his first start as a prop.
“He's only a young kid too, so those guys are training really well and they're showing on the field.
“They're going really well and it starts at training and that's where they're showing most of their talent is that training and makes it easier on game day.”
Now 32 years old, the former Dally M medal winner and multiple positional winner for captain, fullback (twice) and winger in 2013, Tuivasa-Sheck has been in sparkling form for the Warriors who maintained their top four position with a win over the Titans last round, where he scored two tries and ran for 245 metres.
Given his versatility, there was some conjecture about what his best position would be for the team when he returned to the Warriors last year following his switch to rugby union late in the 2021 season, but he said he had found his “home” on the wing this season.
“There's no real secret; I'm just enjoying my footy,” Tuivasa-Sheck said of his form this year.
“I've got a home which is the left wing, and every week, every training, I get to improve my craft and work on my combinations.
“That's what's been helping us, just having a solid position.”
While there are still two more rounds to play, starting with this week’s Friday night home match at Go Media Stadium against the Eels, the Warriors are now in prime position to maintain their top four position, something that seems on shaky ground only a few weeks ago as the team took their time to adjust to the loss of talismanic halfback Luke Metcalf.
Match: Warriors v Eels
Round 26 -
home Team
Warriors
4th Position
away Team
Eels
12th Position
Venue: Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Tuivasa-Sheck – who said he was open to putting his hand up to once again represent Samoa at the end-of-season Pacific Championships – said the team’s destiny was in their hands and he had not bought into any of the doubt or commentary about their position.
“We can only control what we can control and putting on performance like that (against the Titans) helps,” Tuivasa-Sheck said.
“We haven't had a great month of footy, but the last two games have really helped get us back on track and day by day for us. Our big theme is day by day.
“We're not even worried about top four; coming over here was just trying to beat the Gold Coast Titans. That was our main focus and we're just taking it day by day.
All Tries – Titans v Warriors
“That's our theme for the rest of the year; win each day and let the results take care of itself.
“I've got my circle, we believe in ourselves, we believe in the team that we have here, so that's all we've got to do, just keep at it.
“I believe (we can go all the way), lots of confidence that we can do it.
“We have just got to, like I said, stick to day by day and see what happens.”
