These are strange times for their loyal fans, after another mostly forgettable year.
The 2022 season was supposed to mark the beginning of a resurgence, after two tough Covid affected campaigns.
Shaun Johnson arrived to provide playmaking experience, while a permanent base at Redcliffe offered some normality, after two years of uncertainty and temporary accommodation.
But instead of an upswing, it was the worst season since 2004.
Coach Nathan Brown’s mid-season axing came after some awful results and interim mentor Stacey Jones struggled, though he inherited a mess.
The Matt Lodge saga, which included a $700,000 pay out for the 2023 season was bizarre, while the exits of Reece Walsh (Brisbane Broncos), Euan Aitken (Redcliffe Dolphins), Eliesa Katoa (Melbourne Storm) and Chanel Harris-Tavita (retirement) added to the negative picture around the club.
On the field, it was a mess. After a promising 3-2 record from five rounds, not much went right. At one stage the team recorded two wins from 15 games, including a seven-match losing streak and they copped some big hidings, conceding 40 points or more seven times.
The Warriors had the leakiest defence in the NRL and their tally of 700 points conceded was the worst in club history.
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They scored an average of just 17 points per match, the second lowest since the club began in 1995, while the thumping defeat at Cronulla in May was embarrassing, as the Sharks played more than an hour with 12 men.
But, as always with the Warriors at the start of pre-season, there are (faint) signs of hope.
The team performed well at Mt Smart, with two victories from four games, and will look
forward to nine matches there next year.
And the club have made some smart signings for 2023. Kiwi Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad will provide stability at fullback while fellow international Te Maire Martin adds leadership in the halves.
Marata Niukore brings much needed power and aggression to the pack, along with Dylan Walker and Mitch Barnett, though the latter duo are both 28.
It all depends how the new men adapt to the Auckland move and history shows that some will enhance the environment while others may flop.
But the Warriors’ most important acquisition is Penrith assistant coach Andrew Webster. The 40-year-old is the club’s ninth head coach since 2011, which illustrates the instability of the last decade.
But the Australian has valuable experience, albeit as an assistant, and crucially understands what he is walking into, after two seasons at the Warriors in 2015 and 2016.
Webster told me he is “genuinely passionate about the place” and is confident he can unlock the long dormant potential of the Auckland club.
Former head coach Andrew McFadden is also back, as general manager of recruitment and development. Unlike many of the club’s recent appointments this makes sense.
McFadden is one of the smartest minds in the sport and ideally suited to such an important role, to maximise retention of young talent and assess opportunities and value elsewhere.
The club is also committed to re-establishing pathways with feeder teams, after three seasons of inactivity due to border restrictions.
But it will take a quantum leap to get close to the 2023 playoffs, as the Warriors have been so far off the pace and other teams aren’t going to stand still.
So don’t expect miracles at Mt Smart next year and there will probably be more frustration and heartache but a steady campaign with a hard working team should be the bare minimum.
Michael Burgess
Sports Writer