New Zealand Warriors went to hell and back during three years on the road in the NRL but an honest pre-season all-staff meeting revealed a stunning fact.
“There were far more positives than negatives,” Warriors CEO Cameron George told AAP.
“That really encouraged the boys that it wasn’t a bad time. It was a great learning time.”
George insists the belief and positive mindset that emerged from the session, overseen by a sports psychologist, was the catalyst for the turnaround in the club’s fortunes.
After finishing 10th, 12th and 15th the last three years, the Warriors shot to fourth this season and will host Newcastle on Saturday night at Mt Smart Stadium in an elimination final.
“The pre-season staff and player session we held was absolutely crucial to where we are now. Our whole focus was relaunching and resetting the club after the COVID experience,” George said.
(Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)
“It was led by a sports psychologist that I had spent time with, and the positivity we took out of it inspired everyone.
“We had to understand what had happened, address it and get all the negativity out of the way before we could move on.
“After a few hours we understood that we had been through hard, challenging times but we had also withstood the pressure, shown resilience and got through it as a footy club. We were still here.”
The Warriors were based in Terrigal for most of 2020 and the start of 2021, before relocating to the Gold Coast when the competition moved to Queensland.
They spent 2022 in Redcliffe but also had a pre-season stint in Kiama where a selection of the Australian-based players trained while the rest were back in New Zealand.
Throw in a sojourn in Kingscliff and two stays in Tamworth and it was a magical mystery tour for the ages.
It was hard for the wandering Warriors’ plight to escape the notice of club legend Kevin Campion, who was based in Queensland during the team’s time there.
“It was difficult,” he told AAP. “The last three years with COVID-19 and especially last year, Stace (Stacey Jones) was their fourth coach in three years.
“They weren’t performing on the field. It wasn’t a good time for them in Redcliffe”.
There were COVID quarantine stints. Families were apart at various stages and children of the players in a variety of schools.
“It tested us like no amount of training or travel will ever test you. It tested the world,” George said.
“I spoke to the Dolphins boys (after the round-27 clash in Brisbane) about how just 12 months ago we were at Redcliffe packing up the office and packing up our lives to go home.
“From then to now … it is an amazing journey. We started afresh this year and where we are now is a reflection of the happiness we have got amongst the group to be back home.”
Senior players Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris and Addin Fonua-Blake have led the charge this year, and George said the new recruits at the Warriors played a key role in lifting the players who had been through the tough times.
“The new blokes spoke about how a big reason they came to the club was because they had seen from afar how we had stood up to the challenges,” he said.
Tohu Harris. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
“Guys like Mitch Barnett and Dylan Walker spoke at that session and said, ‘we came to the Warriors with our families because you all inspired us’.
“That just connected everyone. The players that were already here have gone to another level with the reset of our identity.
“(Coach) Andrew Webster has enhanced that connection with his simple approach to life and footy coaching.
“It’s been about having fun and believing in what we can do. He has done a fantastic job.”
The end result is an opportunity, at home, to advance to a preliminary final against Brisbane on Saturday week.
“The whole place is buzzing,” George said.
“Everyone is really excited about the opportunity we have got (against the Knights) and the public are right behind the team. The fans have flocked back.
“We’ve been wanting to be a part of finals for years.”
The good vibes are making an impact on both sides of the Tasman.
“It’s been an outstanding season,” Campion said.
“They’ve been so much more consistent than in the previous five years.
“Everyone at that club has got a smile on their face.”
© AAP
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