Warriors back in play-offs after seven long years

The Warriors training at Blake Park in January. Photo: www.warriors.kiwi

The Warriors are in the NRL top eight play-offs for the first time since 2011, when they went all the way to the Grand Final before losing to Manley Sea Eagles.

On Saturday night, the Warriors take on the Penrith Panthers at ANZ Stadium in Sydney in what is expected to be another high scoring encounter between two evenly matched teams.

A key part in the success of the New Zealand Warriors this year began in January, with a four-day camp held in Papamoa and Mount Maunganui.

The Warriors trained with Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club, mixed with intense gym sessions at the University of Waikato's Adams Centre for High Performance at Blake Park and full contact training sessions in the hot sun.

The Warriors stayed together in mixed dormitories at Pacific Park Christian Holiday Camp, having to muck in together and share the work load.

Kieran Read spoke to the group about what made the All Blacks so successful.

A key reason to travel out of Auckland for the camp was to try to find ways to reverse the Warriors' poor away record in Australia. It certainly paid off, as they have won 8-4 from their 12 games on the road this season – a club record.

I spent some time at Mount Maunganui with inspirational captain and fullback Roger Tuivasa-Scheck, surely blessed with the best step from any footy code on the planet.

'I spoke about before we took off to camp, to try and get into some good routines away from home,” he said. 'Just trying to practice the small things. We are not in the same environment, we are in a different place, in different beds, eating different food.

'We just need to find good habits as it is part of our game. We travel away and have a lot of away games, so this is kind of the feeling at Papamoa I get from being away.”

Now, Tuivasa-Scheck, Sean Johnson, David Fusitu'a, Issac Luke, Simon Mannering, Ignatius Paasi and co have the chance to create their own legacy.

Ironically, missing out on a home semi-final may work in their favour.

This season the Warriors have played their best footie with the sun on their backs on the hard, fast grounds in Sydney rather than in Auckland's wet, winter conditions.

Last Friday night against Canberra was Simon Mannering's 300th NRL game – all played for the Warriors.

He is a seriously good lad Simon. I first saw him play when the rugby union star from Nelson College came to Auckland to play for Wellington in the Bartercard Cup competition I was covering for a Sunday paper.

First impressions were of a strong defender with the ability to make yards under pressure. He quickly caught the attention of the Junior Kiwis selectors and then, of course, the Warriors.

For a year or so I lived in Ellerslie, where Mannering had an apartment. It was a common site seeing him pounding the streets, training hard, totally focused and goal driven.

He deserves the ultimate send off in helping the Warriors go all the way in the NRL finals to make the Grand Final.

It will be just reward for all the fans who have kept the faith through some tough years, but most of all it will be a fitting farewell for Mannering – the ultimate one-club man whose loyalty never wavered.

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