By PETER JESSUP
The New Zealand Warriors will be a smaller, slimmer outfit this season, but management do not see any problems with that, given the end of unlimited interchange.
Most of the players remaining after the change of ownership have dropped kilos, with the biggest man, Mark Tookey, down from last season's 123kg to 113kg.
Winger Francis Meli is one of the few to have bulked up, but he is only 20.
Meli and former Canterbury junior Justin Murphy have been vying for the fastest man title. Meli was top dog until Murphy came along and left everyone playing catch-up.
Cliff Beverley holds the inside running for the five-eighths spot, although 19-year-old Motu Tony has impressed coach Daniel Anderson, who said it was "a matter of when, not if" he would play at premiership level.
Former fullback turned boardroom suit Matthew Ridge has been at trainings and rates the squad enthusiastically.
But the first test under pressure would show just how well the preparation had gone, he said.
He concedes there were too many "mental" problems last season.
He likes the swagger of some of the youngsters, recognising a bit of himself, and wonders if in the past there was not too much deference paid to the highly rated stars.
"You need to have respect, but you also need to be thinking, 'I want your jersey, I want your salary, I want what you've got and I want it now'."
Ridge is pleased with what they have achieved after starting 12 weeks ago "with a few footballs and not much else."
The revamped Warriors are not rated in Australia, with newspapers and magazines rubbishing their chances. Those articles have been hammered to the training room walls to provide motivation.
The squad of 26 travel to Christchurch today to play a Canterbury Colts side at 4.30 pm and the main trial against the core of last season's Canterbury Bulls Bartercard Cup team at 6.30 pm.
Coach Anderson was not letting go of any secrets on the captaincy.
"I might not have one on Sunday, I don't know."
Longer term? "It will be one of the guys being mentioned [in the media]."
The captain will be introduced at the club open day at Ericsson on February 10. Flip a coin between Jason Death and Kevin Campion, with Death having the inside running because of his season in Auckland.
Rugby League: Warriors a leaner lot with a bit of swagger
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