By DAVID LEGGAT
Anyone expecting to hear New Zealand Warriors coach Daniel Anderson shouting the odds on what his team will do in next year's Australian National Rugby League is in for a long wait.
That's not the style of the young Australian, who will be aiming to resurrect the Warriors in his first crack at the top job at an NRL club.
Anderson revealed his 25-strong squad for the 2001 season yesterday and pronounced himself happy with what he has got to work with.
It is short on star quality - take out Stacey Jones, top signing from the Brisbane Broncos Kevin Campion, and fan favourite Jason Death - and they have the look of a side who will lean heavily on teamwork rather than individual brilliance.
However, Anderson, who has come with good credentials from Parramatta, is happy with the balance of youth and experience.
"We have got some young blokes, but they're young blokes with experience," he said.
"We were always being pressured to purchase players quickly. But we've been patient and we've acquired the players we could - and ones we wanted to."
It is far too early to start talking about a preferred starting line-up - Anderson admitted he has not given serious thought to that yet - but it does not require a degree from rugby league's school of hard knocks to work out that Jones, Campion, Death and Ali Lauiti'iti will provide the backbone.
Anderson has the highest regard for Campion, who should prove an excellent acquisition.
A winner with the Broncos, a resilient worker in the pack and an unsung hero in a team littered with big-name performers, he will add steel, skill and considerable footballing nous.
"He's an excellent footballer,"Anderson said. "He has a great work and training ethic and I'm sure if you asked [Broncos coach] Wayne Bennett he would have the highest praise for him."
The Warriors have just one pre-season match lined up, against the Bulldogs in Christchurch on February 3. If that sounds a rather skinny build-up, it is the way Anderson wants it.
"We started late and when you play a game you've got to back off training for a couple of days before and after. I don't particularly want to give up five days' training."
Long-time Warriors supporters will remember, if not fondly, the hoopla associated with the launch and early seasons of the club when money was thrown around like confetti.
The new management have pointedly steered away from the brash talk which came back to bite some of the club's earlier administrators.
There was a thinly-veiled reference to those early excesses yesterday, combined with what could be termed a mission statement, from general manager Mick Watson.
"We want an emphasis on the footy, not the fireworks. The fans come to see the team play their hearts out and fight till the end. If they see a great game they'll want to come back," he said.
But specifics for next year? Anderson played a straight bat. "There won't be any bold promises from me," he said. "We're building the club from the basics up. We're trying to set a mould which will be successful in the short term and consolidate for many years ahead."
Rugby league: Coach hedging his bets
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.