NRL: Tate back at centre of Warrior fortunes

Brent Tate insists there are no sour grapes about his brother-in-law Steve Price being replaced as Warriors captain. Photo / Dean Purcell

Talk to just about anyone at the Warriors and they'll finger two doses of cruel misfortune as the biggest contributors to last year's meltdown of a campaign.

The first was the tragic pre-season drowning of rising star Sonny Fai. The effect of Fai's loss was intangible, but it's a safe bet to say it hurt the Warriors badly.

The damage done by the second piece of misfortune, the season-ending knee injury suffered by Brent Tate in round three against the Broncos, was more measurable.

At his best Tate possesses lethal pace, great evasion and a decisive footy brain. But more than his physical attributes, it was Tate's mental side that the Warriors most missed.

An arch competitor, the 28-year-old, 19-test, 15-Origin veteran is a snarling perfectionist on the field.

He demands the best of himself and, crucially, those around him. When Tate went down for the season the Warriors lost a good portion of their mongrel.

As the season went on, their soft underbelly was exposed time and again. At times their flank defence was tragic, both in aggression and execution.

Losing Tate was a fatal blow, no question about it.

With an injury-ravaged Steve Price on the downward slide, Tate is now the club's leading marquee player. If the Warriors are to make 2010 a resurrection year, he must be a central figure.

And he knows it.

"I'd be lying if I didn't feel there was some responsibility there," Tate said. "I guess that responsibility falls on the guys who have all played a bit of footy now. We have got a really young team but there are a few blokes who have played over 100 games in first grade and it is up to those guys to lead.

"If those guys play well a lot of the young guys will follow them."

Off contract at the end of the year, Tate needs a big season to enhance his value ahead of what will likely be his last major contract. Although such matters, he insists, are far from his mind.

"I guess it is a big year for me personally and for my family, but that is not the drive for me. I just want to play well. I have missed a season and a half now so I have got some making up to do."

There is also the question of whether Tate will be affected by the demotion to the ranks of his brother-in-law Price. After all, Price played a major part in attracting Tate across the Ditch in the first place.

Tate, though, insists there is no ill feeling about Price being replaced by Simon Mannering after five years as the club's captain and mouthpiece.

"At the start Pricey was obviously disappointed because it meant so much to him. We are family and I guess you share that disappointment but you just move on. He has moved on, we have all moved on now. Time heals everything."

Including ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments. Tate has now gone through the ligament graft reconstruction procedure twice in the space of three years. If his knee goes again it could well be curtains for a player who has also battled a career-threatening neck injury.

"I try not to dwell on that sort of thing because, at the end of the day, it is not something you can control," he said. "If it happens again it happens again. I guess you cross that bridge when you get to it.

"The only thing we can control is how we rehab it ... I have given myself the best chance for it to be as good as it can and I guess it is now in the hands of the footy gods."

Those footy gods haven't always been kind. Staff at the club describe Tate as "finely tuned".

That's code for "fragile". There are definitely worries about his ability to get through an arduous NRL season. Tate, though, isn't the least bit concerned about what could go wrong. After losing an entire season, he just wants to play.

"Every time I strap on a boot, I am going to be excited about it. I think that is one thing a big injury does and - having had a couple of them - it does make you appreciate it."

A positive frame of mind was something that was badly lacking among the squad as last year's season disintegrated. With Tate back in the fold, this year's Warriors at least have one major reason to be optimistic.

"We have changed a heap of things in the off-season, from the way we've trained to the processes in the club," Tate said. "We'll be a really competitive team this year. I don't want to go putting expectations on us. It is such a long year and so much can happen in a week of rugby league, let alone 26 weeks.

"But we've all worked really hard and we are all looking forward to the year, so it is 'watch this space' I guess."

WARRIORS DEPTH CHART

What are the options?

FULLBACK
* Wade McKinnon (125 NRL games)
* Lance Hohaia (140)
* Kevin Locke (12)
* Patrick Ah Van (53)

WING
* Manu Vatuvei (94)
* Kevin Locke (12)
* Patrick Ah Van (53)
* Bill Tupou (NYC, 0)

CENTRE
* Brent Tate (141)
* Jerome Ropati (108)
* Joel Moon (54)
* Simon Mannering (100)
* Patrick Ah Van (53)
* Lance Hohaia (140)
* Siuatonga Likiliki (NYC, 1)

FIVE-EIGHTH
* James Maloney (4)
* Joel Moon (54)
* Shaun Johnson (0)
* Isaac John (3)
* Lance Hohaia (140)
* Brett Seymour (101)

HALFBACK
* Brett Seymour (101)
* James Maloney (4)
* Shaun Johnson (0)
* Lance Hohaia (140)

PROP
* Sam Rapira (86)
* Steve Price (313)
* Russell Packer (26)
* Jeremy Latimore (7)
* Jesse Royal (44)
* Jacob Lillyman (86)
* Mataupu Poching (0)
* James Gavett (0)

HOOKER
* Ian Henderson (56)
* Aaron Heremaia (11)
* Lance Hohaia (140)
* Alehana Mara (0)

SECOND ROW
* Simon Mannering (100)
* Jacob Lillyman (86)
* Ben Matulino (33)
* Lewis Brown (15)
* Sione Lousi (0)
* Ukuma Ta'ai (10)

LOOSE FORWARD
* Micheal Luck (174)
* Jacob Lillyman (86)
* Simon Mannering (100)

INJURED
* Elijah Taylor (knee, likely to be out for the season)