The Mighty Warriors - Fever League Fred

So the Panthers away, rather glad it wasn't the Dragons

Or the Broncos tbh they are looking sharp

Must be time to jump back on the bandwagon. Go Warriors!

And Johnson is history.

Big, big mistake by the Warriors.

If we don't make the finals next year, I know who's fault it will be (and it's not Shaun's).

Ridiculous decision. The owners tell him to look for other options and then kick up a fuss when he does. They were finally assembling a good squad and just gave away their star half back for nothing.

I disagree. The Warriors made it clear he was free to look at other options but were hoping that he would play 2019 at Mt Smart and possibly earn the money he was looking for and if not move on for 2020. Johnson has kicked up a fuss and said if they arent offering him a contract now with the money hes currently on, he wants out - they had little option. I completely agree that having a disgruntled player of his influence around the club would seriously harm the team culture.

I agree with the general decision to let Johnson go. Hes far too inconsistent and this has cost us time and time again - in particular when he went missing against Penrith in the finals this year with RTS out. He is not worth the money he has been on until he becomes a playmaker we can rely on to consistently win games. For sure, he has shown the ability to be one of the premier halves in the comp but these performances need to be consistent - not 1 great game followed by 3 mediocre performances where he goes missing.

In saying that, we desperately need to find a replacement. There are genuine options out there for less money, but if we dont sign someone up I dont think we can rely on Harris-Tavita or Keighran yet; however the latter has proven he is ready for a chance at NRL level IMO.

Its the same situation that happened with Isaac Luke, but he was willing to take reduced money to stay at the club. SJ believes he is an worthy of top, top money, but the Warriors dont think he is. 

dumb dumb strategy by the management 

They overplayed their hand and their bluff was called

Due to this absolute no chance of getting a decent half for this year and therefore the whole fudgein year is a write off

If their intention was to get rid of him in 2020 and use the dollars to get someone off contract and half pie decent then all they had to do was 

1: Slow things down, draw things out, keep him in limbo 

he would play well to either market himself to the club or others 

And

2: Tap someone else up for next year

But no, they were clumsy, arrogant and didn't play the hand right

Now they have no decent half for a whole year and will not get another this year. Crazily they will be well under the cap when others are thinking of ways to get under it

Maybe George was talking to Rob 

We were never going to win the NRL without adding another 1 or 2 key pieces which we simply couldn't do with Johnsons huge contract (hence why we had to offer Luke a reduced contract). Would rather we go after Moses or Luke Brooks (who are both strong possibilities) whilst adding another solid player or two in different position's. This move gives us far more flexibility rather than banking on Johnson to lead us to a title which he hasnt been near doing for years. I think its the right move, hes had long enough to prove himself.

Te Maire Martin is also a decent chance to be picked up. Saying were basically no chance of getting a decent half next year, or one for the year after, is pretty odd with our cap space and the number of decent halves coming off contract in the near future.

I think its positive for both sides - SJ will pick up a big contract from a desperate club that he wasnt going to get at the Warriors, and we are now in the position to pick up a couple decent players and improve our chances of winning the NRL. 

I wouldnt be suprised if SJ goes to a system where he flourishes and finds his form again; its just clear that this was not going to happen at the Warriors. Last year was our first finals appearance since 2011 and we barely scraped in at 8th FFS

Fudging salary caps

Johnson is seriously overrated by a lot of people. Yes, he can be a star every now & then, but waaayyyy more inconsistent than the top players. I'd have him in the team of course, but I agree he's not worth a massive salary.

Bye bye. You peaked a long time ago and I doubt you have much more in you.

I'll also add - when he has played for the Kiwis under different coaches with better players around him, he has not stood up either. Granted playing against Australia makes it harder because of their class but he has zero record of stepping up for any more than 1 game

Sorry, I disagree. Shaun Johnson is an outstanding player and he will be missed big time.

Outstanding in what sense? Because he changes games? He may have an effect on games but his X factor is such that he is hit and miss. 

Going into the 2018 season, he said in the media 'I'm gonna run at the line with ball in hand more' and that was off the back of a child saying 'you used to play like this and it was cool to watch and now you don't'  The upshot, was that it took a child to point that out to him, and he didn't play that way.

Blake Green was a far more influential player than Johnson was.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-newspapers/central-north-island/sport/sport-region-6459/102477559/The-simple-question-that-helped-Shaun-Johnson-rediscover-his-running-game

Where are all the league fans?

crying in a corner as the warriors destroy all hopes!

A draw or is it a tie?

Going to the Eden Park triple header next month. Bought a ticket in the West stand, though it looks like they've now closed off the West and South stands and are only selling tickets for the North and East. Trying to sell out Eden Park for league was probably a tad ambitious of Duco, tbh.

On the plus side I've gotten a free move from a bronze section to a gold one. Though I'll actually be moving a fair distance away from the field due to the nature of the main stands being set back for cricket, and the fact I've gone from row A of the West stand to being buried halfway up the North in row JJ. Bit annoying, tbh. At least I can't get rained on, I suppose.

here but following the nIx is easier at the moment

The NRL just asked the Australian government for funding help, due to coronavirus. ffs. 

two warriors starting players coming home to be with their families good on them for putting the family before sport.

Reports out of Aussie that Kearney has been sacked

[edit: Confirmed now]

The @NZWarriors have now confirmed Stephen Kearney has been sacked.

— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) June 20, 2020

he has had a long time to make his mark and get the side he wants  

the current side is not much cop

Fair call

Hopefully we get a hard ass like Toovey to shake things up

Trouble is AP half the players would be crying in corner after Tooveys first blowup. Would love him as well dont really get why Kearney got an extension he has a horrible head coach record.

Kearney was just too nice I feel, had to buy into the culture needed to nurse some of these players through a season. He did a great job getting everyone on board and moving to Aus, however he was hamstrung by some poor recruitment which he may not have had a  lot of control over. Apparently their recruitment guy aint so great.

I agree the recruitment has been shocking - why on earth would you pay big bucks and a lengthy contract for an aging Adam Blair who was years past his prime.

While there is someone devoted to this function I think we would be naive to say that the coach doesn't have a major say on who he wants for his team.

On the flip side I can't think of one decent kiwi player that Kearney has developed and brought through

Time to hire a Toovey and if half the players want to cry in the corner they can leave - they won't necessarily be sugar coated if they have to move to Australia 

This current crop does my head in

The @NZWarriors will relocate to Australia from Jan 3rd, until April 5th, subject to border restrictions @NewshubSport

— James Regan (@James_Regan2) December 4, 2020

If borders open before April 5th, the team won’t come home straight away, but target a return to Mt Smart in round 5.

— James Regan (@James_Regan2) December 4, 2020