Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has achieved quite a turnaround since he first came to the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has achieved quite a turnaround since he first came to the Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is fast becoming the latest flank favourite at the Warriors.
The Auckland club have had many popular wingers over the years, from Sean Hoppe and Frances Meli to Manu Vatuvei, David Fusitu’a and Ken Maumalo.
All of them became cult figures in different ways - for their pace,power, gravity-defying leaps and finishing ability. Watene-Zelezniak could be the next.
He can’t yet be compared to the quintet above in terms of Warriors achievements. but is definitely on the way, with his full-blooded charges from the backfield, acrobatic touchdowns and impressive strike rate.
His long-range intercept last Saturday night - the final flourish in the Warriors’ 30-8 win over the Redcliffe Dolphins - brought the crowd of 23,686 to their feet as he streaked away, long hair flowing. After missing the first quarter of the season through injury, he has already grabbed seven tries in seven games in 2023.
When he came to the club in the middle of the 2021 season, there was a mixed reaction from the fanbase. There were no doubts over his quality, but he wasn’t exactly in the form of his life.
He had struggled at the Bulldogs - with the Canterbury-Bankstown club in a mess - and copped plenty of criticism there, on a big-money deal. They had only avoided the wooden spoon on points differential in 2020 and Watene-Zelezniak had an unfortunate streak in 2021, being on the losing side in each of the 12 matches he played for the Bulldogs.
Warriors supporters wondered exactly what they were getting, and Watene-Zelezniak arrived with the club in a hole. His first match was the crazy 19-18 golden-point reverse to the Dragons in Gosford, which was their fourth successive defeat, and they lost three more after that.
Last season was also personally difficult. Injury saw him miss the brief early-season purple patch - with the Auckland outfit notching a three-game winning streak - so he didn’t get to sing the Warriors’ victory song until early July, with the 22-2 homecoming result against the Tigers.
But this year everything has fallen into place, enabling him to experience nights like last Saturday.
“That’s the rewarding part of our job,” said Watene-Zelezniak. “There is a lot more that goes into it, behind the scenes, at home, you have your kids, your family. I’m a lot of things before a football player and when I look after that stuff I’m pretty sweet. It was beautiful to play in front of a packed-out Mt Smart.”
Born in Hamilton, Watene-Zelezniak left New Zealand as a 6-year-old - returning briefly at the age of 12 - so this is his first proper stint in his native land.
“I’m loving life away from footy,” said Watene-Zelezniak. “My wife and kids are loving it here; my son played his footy game [on Saturday morning], he scored a try and almost got another one. I’m really enjoying life here, it’s a big reason why I signed, to be able to bring my wife and kids and experience where I am from.”
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scores a try. Photo / Photosport
Warriors coach Andrew Webster has been focused on simplifying his approach.
“Dallin’s strengths are obvious and you can’t confuse it,” said Webster. “He is not trying to impress by doing something silly, he’s really focused on the key things to have success.”
Webster added that there wasn’t much to fix in his overall game but Watene-Zelezniak has become a lot more reliable.
“He has found his groove,” said Webster. “He feels like he has a real home here and everyone has got faith in him.”
It has also helped that Watene-Zelezniak has been earmarked as a winger from day one under Webster, rather than the hybrid role at the Bulldogs.
“He is not trying to be a fullback,” said Webster. “He is just focused on one position.”
Watene-Zelezniak remains capable at the back - as he showed filling in for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad this year - but is content to be a specialist.
“I’ve always been comfortable on the wing,” said Watene-Zelezniak. “I’m always what’s best for the team and wherever Webby wants me to play.”
His physical approach and fearless runs have earned respect from teammates and fans alike. There is a price to pay - he is always sore after games - but his body is used to it.
There will be more pain on Friday night (8pm) as the Warriors face a Canberra side who have won seven of their last eight matches, only dropping one match since March and beating the Broncos, Eels and Rabbitohs in the process. It will be an intimidating occasion, as the Raiders celebrate the 300th game of Jarrod Croker.
“It’s a massive milestone,” said Webster. “It brings emotion, those type of occasions, and it brings big crowds and we get to challenge ourselves against the team that are obviously going to want to win for him. So we are excited about the challenge.”
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in the NRL
Panthers: 106 games, 41 tries, 38.6 per cent strike rate
Bulldogs: 37 games, eight tries, 21.6 per cent strike rate
Warriors: 34 games, 20 tries, 58.8 per cent strike rate
Total: 177 games, 69 tries, 39 per cent strike rate
