Malcolm Boyle: Separating the little men from the big boys

Shaun Johnson. Photo / Getty Images

After 24 gruelling rounds, it's that time again in the NRL for the little men in dinner suits to step forward.

The next four rounds will measure the skills, strategies and stamina that enable play-makers to carry their teams into a higher level of the top eight and beyond.

They will invariably belong to the game's little men, most with the supreme skill, courage and calmness under fire to lead their teams to the title.

So much in rugby league depends on their abilities to run a game offensively and defensively - hence the view that they could play 80 minutes in their best ensemble and still not have to hit the showers at the end. They will make and break big tackles without allowing their composure to be ruffled.

It's their performances that keep me and many others going along week in and week out. In the old days of Carlaw Park football, I knew many rugby players who came to watch the likes of Richmond's microscopic Shane Varley, Otahuhu's perpetual motion man Shane Dowsett and the teak toughness of non-stop Kiwis captain Ken Stirling from Ellerslie. These and others entertained record crowds at club league for years.

You find that kind of talent where you can, and nurture it carefully. The Warriors have their own pocket-battleship brilliance in Shaun Johnson and Kevin Locke but have gone through the dilemma of most clubs in determining how much latitude they should afford these players to be free to play what's in front of them.

Now my mail tells me that the Warriors are on the verge of making the biggest signing in their history. Wigan wonder-boy fullback Sam Tomkins has reputedly put pen to paper in a deal which is the envy of most NRL clubs.

It's said that Tomkins' signing could put Souths' acquisition of Sam Burgess in the shade. Burgess has quickly established himself as one of the NRL's stars and it's frightening to think what sort of dynamic addition he, when alongside his three brothers, will be to an already formidable Rabbitohs roster.

The presence of Tomkins promises to have a similar effect on the Warriors. Johnson and Locke are still learning their craft, albeit in a way which is creating fantastic opportunities for their club. Last week's Warriors game against Manly showed the quandary facing Johnson when he opted to kick on a third tackle play and put the ball into touch. The halfback visibly chastised himself, yet his contribution to the team is becoming far larger than the odd mistake.

Fans have got to learn that with youngsters of this calibre who are still learning, there will be some bad with a lot of good. Johnson, Locke and Tomkins (if he is indeed headed to Mt Smart) must be given the latitude to play instinctively and be excused the odd mistake. Fans are in for a thrilling next few years and I predict the Warriors will win their first premiership.