Roger Tuivasa-Sheck impressed at centre for the NZ Warriors. Photo / Photosport
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck impressed at centre for the NZ Warriors. Photo / Photosport
NZ Warriors 16
Wests Tigers 18
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is back with a bang, the defensive resolve remains strong and depth will be deeper in 2024.
Those were the key takeaways from today’s opening trial in Christchurch, where the Warriors – who played an hour with 12 men after the sending off of Zyon Maiu’u – went down 18-16 to the West Tigers.
It’s always hard to read too much into pre-season matches, especially the opening game of the season. The Warriors were also without most of their senior men – around 13 first-graders from 2023 – who will make their first bow next week in Auckland.
But it was hard not to be captivated by Tuivasa-Sheck in his first match in Warriors colours since July 2021.
Across 195 previous NRL matches, he had never played at centre but looked completely at home.
This afternoon, he didn’t touch the ball until the 12th minute but was the stand-out figure for the rest of the half. He had defenders stretching every time he was in possession, set up teammates and made some big defensive plays.
There will be much tougher tests in 2024 but it was one hell of an opening dig, with a game-high 139m from 13 runs, three tackle busts, a line break and eight tackles.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck impressed at centre for the NZ Warriors. Photo / Photosport
The Warriors also did well to defend their line for long periods against a Tigers team determined to make a statement after their poor 2023 season, then came back into the match in the second half from being down 6-12 with two tries in four minutes.
Maiu’u’s 20th-minute dismissal was the flashpoint, with his high contact on Declan Casey deemed a shoulder charge by referee Chris Sutton and the Tigers’ player leaving the field in a medicab after a long delay. It was hard to disagree – and hopefully sets a precedent for the rest of the season.
Coach Andrew Webster took the chance to use a lot of emerging players and they impressed, with the right edge of Jacob Laban, Ali Leiataua and Setu Tu excelling.
Bunty Afoa and a bulked-up Tom Ale also made strong returns, while Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita linked well in the halves and Taine Tuaupiki impressed at the back.
The Tigers deservedly opened the scoring, as lock Alex Seyfarth ran off Api Koroisau near the posts after they had dominated the first 10 minutes. A Laban incision got the Warriors going with his angled burst off Metcalf. The Tigers replied almost immediately, with veteran halfback Aidan Sezer backing up after a powerful Solomona Faataape run.
The Warriors had to recalibrate after Maiu’u’s exit, but both Freddy Lussick and Marcelo Montoya went close after Tuivasa-Sheck had created space on the left flank. The former captain then upended Sione Fainu near halfway to stop a dangerous attack after a Tigers intercept.
The Warriors hung tough just before halftime – defending repeat sets on their line.
After both coaches emptied their benches early in the second half, the Tigers extended their lead just before the hour, with Sione Vaihu scoring off a bomb.
But the Warriors engineered a comeback. First, Paul Roache showed smart footwork to get over from dummy half, before a precise kick from Geronimo Doyle allowed Setu Tu to dot down in the corner. That brought the 13,760 people in the crowd to life, but the Tigers hung on to their advantage over the final 15 minutes.
