Turns out 2025 wasn’t “Our Year” after all. Following defeat to Penrith, the 2025 season comes to an end for the NZ Warriors in Week 1 of the NRL Finals. Let the review begin! Best place to start? Looking at Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s 4th Simon Mannering Medal win, edging out ‘buy of the season’ Erin Clark. What was it that gave RTS the edge, and what more could Clark have done?
The campaign is easily broken down into two parts: The first 15 rounds, where the team was flying high with Luke Metcalf guiding the ship, and then what came next in trying to find his replacement as the wheels began to come off… How do we score the Warriors’ year?
We theorize as to what Andrew Webster meant when he said the team still needs a ‘final ingredient’ to challenge for an NRL Premiership - is it luck, further player development, a big name signing? And if they get the cheque book out, what position are they filling?
But most importantly… WAS IT A FORWARD PASS?!
00:00 INTRO
00:55 Was it a forward pass?
04:14 RTS wins 4th Simon Mannering Medal!
08:39 Leka Halasima wins Rookie of the Year
11:04 SEASON REVIEW - Great start, tough finish
17:47 One last TMM rant. Sorry.
22:36 LUKE METCALF - a blessing and a curse
27:50 What will 2026 bring for Taine Tuaupiki?
31:27 Creating the Wahs’ version of Isaiah Iongi
34:00 The FINAL INGREDIENT for NRL PREMIERSHIP success
37:30 Goodbye Dallin… or RTS?!
40:06 Betcha This Happens - NRL Finals Week 2
44:42 Goodbye + Lets Gone Warriors 2026!