The New Zealand Warriors have announced a new captain and signing as the 2017 season draws closer, with Ryan Hoffman being moved on from the role.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who spent most of the 2016 season on the shelf with an ACL injury as his Warriors stumbled and fumbled their way through the season, will return for the new year as the club’s captain.
In another bright piece of news for the Warriors, they have announced the signing of second rower Tohu Harris on a four-year contract, with the Kiwi international player set to leave the Melbourne Storm after the 2017 season and join the Warriors for 2018.
Harris has had a successful four seasons in Melbourne that saw him play 103 matches and 16 Tests.
The other news to come out of Auckland on Wednesday was the announcement that Simon Mannering will return to the leadership team in an official capacity, with the veteran being named vice-captain of the club.
Warriors coach Stephen Kearney said they were big decisions that would affect the outcome of the 2017 season.
“These are critical decisions we’ve made in the club’s best interests for not just this season but also for our future,” said Kearney.
“We’ve given the captaincy a lot of thought throughout the offseason before reaching this point.
“Roger offers all the qualities we want from our players. He is a true professional in the way he goes about all he does, providing a wonderful example for players to follow. He’s also one of our leaders and has many years left in the game.
“Simon will give him the support he needs as vice-captain. It’s important to have him in the role because he epitomises everything our club stands for.”
Kearney also paid tribute to Hoffman’s leadership last year and said he will remain a critical part of the team and leadership group this year.
Simon Mannering, who has captained the Warriors 137 times, said he is happy to do whatever is best for the team.
“I stepped aside from the captaincy last year and enjoyed the chance I had to focus more on my own job as a player,” he said.
“Mooks has come on board and asked me to take on the vice-captain’s job. I’m happy to do it if he thinks it’s in the team’s best interests. For me it’s all about trying to make our club the best it can be.”
New signing Tohu Harris said he was excited about the opportunity to return to his homeland and play for the Auckland-based team in 2018.
“I’ve had a great time with the Storm and I owe them so much for what they’ve done for me,” he said.
“Coming home to play for the Warriors is a fantastic opportunity, though. The club has a great roster with so many Kiwi boys there and being back in New Zealand closer to family is a big attraction.
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