SuperCoach study guide: Warriors no longer a one-man side as new recruits settle in
THIS season the Warriors will have no excuses and nowhere to hide. Following an off-season shopping spree they can no longer be considered a one-man side.
THIS season the Warriors will have no excuses and nowhere to hide.
There are very few who can forget the club’s appalling end to 2015, after a season-ending injury to Shaun Johnson saw the New Zealand team slide from the top eight to become near wooden spooners.
Many saw this as a sign that they were a one-man side.
But the Warriors have gone on a shopping spree, bringing stars Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke into the fold for 2016.
With these improvements to their line-up, the Warriors are expected to be a massive force this year.
PLAYER MOVEMENT
Ins: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Sydney Roosters), Issac Luke (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Ligi Sao (Manly Sea Eagles), Blake Ayshford (Cronulla Sharks), Henare Wells (Burleigh Bears), Jeff Robson (Cronulla Sharks), Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Melbourne Storm), Ali Lauitiiti (Leeds Rhinos)
Outs: Nathan Friend (Gold Coast Titans), Siliva Havili (St George Illawarra Dragons), Dominique Peyroux (St Helens RLFC), Sam Rapira (Huddersfield Giants), Sam Tomkins (Wigan Warriors), Chad Townsend (Cronulla Sharks), Sebastine Ikahihifo (St George Illawarra Dragons), Bradley Abbey (Canterbury Bulldogs), Glen Fisiiahi (rugby union), David Bhana (Newcastle Knights), Ngani Laumape (rugby union).
PREDICTED BEST 17
The Warriors have made plenty of room for incoming stars Tuivasa-Sheck and Luke. The return of the injured Johnson will see them field their best team in many years. Former Shark Jeff Robson is expected to join Johnson in the halves while a nicely priced Konrad Hurrell should hopefully secure his centre position for the full season.
Team: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Solomone Kata, Tuimoala Lolohea, Konrad Hurrell, Manu Vatuvei, Jeff Robson, Shaun Johnson, Jacob Lillyman, Issac Luke, Ben Matulino, Ryan Hoffman, Bodene Thompson, Simon Mannering (c). Interchange: Thomas Leuluai, Ben Henry, Sam Lisone, Albert Vete.
GUNS
Shaun Johnson - $445,800
The stripping of dual positions is going to hurt many players this year. But I do not believe it will affect Johnson. While it was good to be able to swap him between halfback and five-eighth, he has done enough in his time to prove he is worthy of selection regardless of his ability to be moved around. Now only available at halfback, Johnson was still the second-best playmaker in the game last year and should only be helped by the likes of Luke and Tuivasa-Sheck.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck - $489,500
The great RTS is very highly priced this year, but after coming in as the top SuperCoach player in 2015, it’s hardly surprising. While you might want to wait a tiny bit before snapping up the fullback, he should not lose too much of his red-hot form and will present himself as a worthy buy – hopefully sooner rather than later. The Warriors are renowned for having slow starts to their season so keep that in mind when watching his points come in. The only other negative with RTS is he has been stripped of his dual position status and is now available only at fullback.
Simon Mannering - $436,800
A SuperCoach sensation from way back, Mannering was a force to be reckoned with in 2015. He was the third best player in the comp and the leading forward with a total of 1658 points and an average of 69.08. Many SuperCoaches jumped back on the Mannering bandwagon and this should be the case again this year.
Ben Matulino - $389,600
Ben Matulino was a shining light in many SuperCoach forward packs last year. While he has been handed a heavy price tag, he is still worth consideration in 2016. He is working hard with veteran No.9 Luke, who reportedly has big expectations of the Warriors forwards. Having this experience around him will only help the club’s player of the year.
CHEAPIES
Ben Henry - $133,300
All praise Ben Henry! In a team that is packed with guns, possible PODs and potential stars (here’s looking at you, Luke), Henry comes through to save the day. He has been a SuperCoach star in the past and only suffered last year after he tore his ACL four rounds in. He should start on the bench this year but at that cheap price, he’s worth a look in any team.
VALUE PICKS
Konrad Hurrell - $266,600
Konrad, Konrad, Konrad – he can make or break a SuperCoach team and has proven it many times before. But at that price, it’s very hard to go past the Warriors centre. If he can get a bit of consistency and a regular first grade spot this year, he could go a long way to becoming a game favourite again.
NO GO ZONE: PLAYERS TO AVOID
Tuimoala Lolohea - $307,600
When you have backs like Hurrell and Solomone Kata ($279,000) available to you, it’s a no-brainer which ones you choose. Lolohea is quite overpriced compared to his teammates, especially when the trio came away from 2015 with rather similar averages. He will have to achieve something pretty spectacular to earn a nod over other backs. Not worth it at this stage.
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