Deadline passes - Warriors fans, it's time to celebrate

Isaac Luke celebrates signing with the Warriors for next season. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Warriors fans, it's time to celebrate. The "official" signing of Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - after the deadline to renege passed this week - will herald some quiet satisfaction among Warriors officials and supporters. It was unlikely that either would change their minds, as they are both men of integrity. But it was always a slight possibility, especially with Tuivasa-Sheck, given the power and influence that the Roosters wield in the NRL.

Now they are definitely coming the Warriors can build a side for the future. The presence of Kiwis Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke becomes a powerful bargaining tool when they are talking with other prospective signings; it demonstrates the club's ambition and shows they are moving in the right direction. That is huge, as most players are driven as much by achievement and success as they are by money.

The signs look promising for 2016, which is great - but what about this year?

There remains a major reliability issue at the club.

Coach Andrew McFadden still doesn't have enough players he can rely on, week in, week out, to deliver solid 80-minute performances. That's the essence of a top four, or even top six, team and it is still a work in progress at the Warriors.

That's partly due to the number of young players in the team, guys who are still rookies and finding their feet. At most clubs you might have two or three at any one time; the Warriors have almost half the team some weeks.

That's a reason but it can't be an excuse. These players have been given the chance because they are good enough and should perform. The occasional error can be expected but no one made excuses for Simon Mannering when he came into first grade.

It's probably not a good time to be playing the Roosters. They are coming off an ordinary performance against Cronulla and will be determined to make amends. Sure they will be missing their State of Origin players but their Kiwi test men are going great. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has lifted his game this year while Sam Moa is always a threat. RTS is averaging more than 220 metres per game and Shaun Kenny-Dowall is just the third player from the Bondi Junction-based club to notch a century of NRL tries.

For a change, the Warriors will be more affected this week by Origin than their opposition, as Ryan Hoffman and Jacob Lillyman are so hard to replace. Still, it's exciting for Albert Vete to get his first start and another opportunity for Raymond Faitala-Marriner.

The Warriors bench still lacks impact - and I'm not sure how much game time Tui Lolohea will get - but the return of Konrad Hurrell is a big boost.

He has been training hard, including some punishing boxing sessions with Monty Betham so he will be ready to go tomorrow night.