Steve Deane: The Warriors need a slab of Lillyman style Aussie granite for a back row forward

Micheal Luck. Photo / NZ Herald.

Opinion

With Luck sidelined this Warriors team has gone from being one of the best defensive units in the comp to the second-worst. Six words I wouldn't have expected to write a couple of years ago: the Warriors need another Jacob Lillyman.

Okay, maybe not a Lillyman clone exactly, but something cut from the same slab of granite; that Aussie bedrock that also gave us Kevin Campion and Micheal Luck.

Having long subscribed to the theory that back row forward is the one position the Warriors need never look offshore to fill (call it the one standing on every street corner in South Auckland theory), this new line of thought represents a major turnaround.

But it just seems the Warriors have always gone best with a no-nonsense, no-frills Aussie in the back row ranks. The Luck/Lillyman/Campion type of player seems to provide a perfect foil for the brilliant ball players this country produces.

With Luck retiring and Lillyman now earning his corn in the front row, the concern is the balance may be thrown out. Elijah Taylor and Simon Mannering are both industrious sorts, while Feleti Mateo brings all the ball playing you'd expect from being a halfback trapped in a forward's body. That's a pretty darn good starting trio. It's what comes off the bench, and what happens when injuries bite that provide cause for concern.

Given Lewis Brown, Ukuma Ta'ai, James Maloney, Krisnan Inu and Luck won't be around next year - while only Dane Nielsen and Thomas Leuluai are coming in - it's a touch surprising to hear club officials state recruitment for 2013 is all but complete.

The club clearly intends to promote from within, which is great. However, the top back row prospect in the ranks is Sam Lousi. The club's biggest player, Lousi has a tremendous upside, however his skill set could hardly be further removed from a grafting-type back rower. If the young Lousi possesses the hard-nosed edge of Brown or Ta'ai, he's kept it pretty well hidden to date. Lousi might well be the next Ali Lauiti'iti, but he sure ain't gonna be the next Micheal Luck.

With Luck sidelined this Warriors team has gone from being one of the best defensive units in the comp to the second-worst. The fear is the pendulum may be swinging too far in favour of natural talent and too far away from hard grind.

If the club does sign another player, let's hope it's someone in the mold of Dallas Johnson, Ryan Hoffman or a young Jacob Lillyman.

•If the players get their way and Origin match payments are raised to A$50,000 ($64,450) a match, then we might as well just scrap international footy. The effect would be catastrophic, both for the Kiwis and the game in this country.

There is no way the NRZL could hope to match such a figure, and what elite player in his right mind would turn down the prospect of earning an extra $150,000 a season?

Hell, we couldn't even blame them. I'm all for players getting their fair share of the game's revenue but not if it comes with the type of strings currently attached to Origin representation.

Unless the ARL drops the rule that Origin players must be available for Australia, the next generation of top players will all play for that nation, rendering international competition meaningless.

Given test matches are the NZRL's financial lifeblood, with the revenue generated used to run the game here, the knock-on effect would be apocalyptic.

Origin is a moral black hole, where winning comes at any cost. It buggers up the NRL, undermines international football and perverts loyalty. Yes, the games are good. But at this price, is it really worth it?