2016 New Zealand Warriors season

2016 New Zealand Warriors
Team information
CEO	Jim Doyle
Coach	Andrew McFadden
Assistant Coach	Justin Morgan Andrew Webster
Captain	Ryan Hoffman
Ground	Mount Smart Stadium
< 2015 2017 >

The 2016 New Zealand Warriors season is the 22nd season in the club's history. Coached by Andrew McFadden and captained by Ryan Hoffman, the Warriors compete in the National Rugby League's 2016 Telstra Premiership. They also competed in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines tournament.

Milestones

• Simon Mannering and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck were named to play for the World All Stars in the 2016 All Stars match.^[1] They both later withdrew and were replaced by Ryan Hoffman and Konrad Hurrell.^[2] Hurrell scored a try as the World All-Stars won 12-8.
• 17 February 2016: Simon Mannering announced he had decided to step down as club captain. He was replaced by Ryan Hoffman.^[3]
• 19 February 2016: The Warriors announced that they had signed an agreement with Regional Facilities Auckland extending their contract to use Mount Smart Stadium until the end of 2028.^[4]
• 5 March 2016 - Round One: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Blake Ayshford, Jeff Robson, Issac Luke, Nathaniel Roache and James Gavet all made their debuts for the club. It was also Roache's NRL debut.
• 20 March 2016 - Round Three: Jazz Tevaga made his NRL debut.
• 3 April 2016 - Round Five: Jacob Lillyman played in his 150th match for the Warriors..^[5]

Jersey and sponsors

In 2016 the Warriors jerseys were again made by Canterbury of New Zealand.

Fixtures

Pre-season training

Pre-season training began on 2 November 2015, with the exception of players involved in the New Zealand Kiwis tour of Great Britain.^[6]

Auckland Nines

The Warriors competed in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines, losing to the Parramatta Eels 4-22 in the final. The squad for the tournament was Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Ryan Hoffman, Jacob Lillyman, Nathaniel Roache, Solomone Kata, Tuimoala Lolohea, Shaun Johnson (c), Charlie Gubb, Henare Wells, Konrad Hurrell, Ben Matulino, Ken Maumalo, Jonathan Wright, Jeff Robson, Sam Lisone, Blake Ayshford, Albert Vete and Ata Hingano.^[7] David Fusitu'a was originally named but withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Nathaniel Roache.^[8]

Shaun Johnson and Tuimoala Lolohea were named in the team of the tournament.^[9]

Hunua Pool Team Pld W D L PF PA +/− Pts New Zealand Warriors 3 2 0 1 61 31 +30 4 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 3 2 0 1 34 34 0 4 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3 2 0 1 37 55 –18 4 Brisbane Broncos 3 0 0 3 29 41 –12 0

Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals Final                   Parramatta Eels 12 Newcastle Knights 8 Parramatta Eels 17 Melbourne Storm 8 Melbourne Storm 14 North Queensland Cowboys 6 Parramatta Eels 22 New Zealand Warriors 4 New Zealand Warriors 16 Canberra Raiders 8 New Zealand Warriors 22 Gold Coast Titans 4 Manly Sea Eagles 4 Gold Coast Titans 24

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Score	Tries	Goals	Report
6 February	Game 5	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Eden Park, Auckland	Win	34 – 8	Roache (2), Johnson, Kata, Robson	Johnson (3), Robson	[10]
6 February	Game 13	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	Eden Park, Auckland	Loss	12 – 15	Maumalo, Hingano	Johnson (2)	[11]
7 February	Game 22	Brisbane Broncos	Eden Park, Auckland	Win	15 – 8	Roache, Wells, Johnson	Johnson (1)	[12]
7 February	Quarter Final	Canberra Raiders	Eden Park, Auckland	Win	16 – 8	Kata (2), Wright, Wells		[13]
7 February	Semi Final	Gold Coast Titans	Eden Park, Auckland	Win	22 – 4	Robson, Wright, Kata, Lolohea	Lolohea (2), Robson	[14]
7 February	Final	Parramatta Eels	Eden Park, Auckland	Loss	4 - 22	Tuivasa-Sheck

Pre-season matches

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Score	Tries	Goals	Attendance	Report
13 February	Trial 1	Gold Coast Titans	Toll Stadium, Whangarei	Win	40-18	Faitala-Mariner (3), Tyrell (2), Afoa (2)	Luke (2), Hingano (4)		[15][16]
20 February	Trial 2	St George Illawarra Dragons	Trafalgar Park, Nelson	Loss	10-46	Kata, Wright	Lolohea	10,400	[15][17]

Regular season

Home matches will be played at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland with the exception of one home game which will be played at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth.^[18] Two away games will also be played in New Zealand.

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Score	Tries	Goals	Attendance	Report
5 March	Round 1	Wests Tigers	Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney	Loss	26-34	Kata (2), Mannering, Thompson, Johnson	Lolohea (3)	10,917	[19]
11 March	Round 2	Brisbane Broncos	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane	Loss	10-25	Luke	Johnson (3)	35,230	[20]
20 March	Round 3	Melbourne Storm	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland	Loss	14-21	Lolohea, Kata, Wright	Johnson (1)	16,214	[21]
28 March	Round 4	Newcastle Knights	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland	Win	40-18	Kata, Matulino, Ayshford, Lolohea, Vatuvei, Johnson	Johnson (5)	13,895	[22]
3 April	Round 5	Sydney Roosters	Central Coast Stadium, Gosford	Win	32-28	Kata (2), Johnson (2), Vatuvei, Tuivasa-Sheck	Johnson (4)	10,113	[23]
9 April	Round 6	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland	Loss	18-34	Ayshford, Luke, Kata	Johnson (3)	16,112	[24]
16 April	Round 7	Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs	Westpac Stadium, Wellington	Win	24-20	Ayshford (2), Fusitu'a, Wright, Lolohea	Johnson (2)	18,212	[25]
25 April	Round 8	Melbourne Storm	AAMI Park, Melbourne	Loss	0-42			21,233	[26]
1 May	Round 9	St George Illawarra Dragons	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
14 May	Round 10	Penrith Panthers	AMI Stadium, Christchurch
21 May	Round 11	Canberra Raiders	Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth
	Round 12	Bye
4 June	Round 13	Brisbane Broncos	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
11 June	Round 14	Newcastle Knights	Hunter Stadium, Newcastle
19 June	Round 15	Sydney Roosters	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
25 June	Round 16	Cronulla Sutherland Sharks	Shark Park, Sydney
2 July	Round 17	Gold Coast Titans	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
	Round 18	Bye
16 July	Round 19	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	nib Stadium, Perth
23 July	Round 20	Canberra Raiders	GIO Stadium, Canberra
TBC	Round 21	Penrith Panthers	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
TBC	Round 22	Gold Coast Titans	Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
TBC	Round 23	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
TBC	Round 24	North Queensland Cowboys	1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville
TBC	Round 25	Wests Tigers	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
TBC	Round 26	Parramatta Eels	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland

Ladder

2016 NRL season
Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	North Queensland Cowboys	9	7	0	2	0	265	125	+140	14
2	Brisbane Broncos	9	7	0	2	0	246	111	+135	14
3	Melbourne Storm	9	7	0	2	0	208	110	+98	14
4	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	9	7	0	2	0	219	158	+61	14
5	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	9	5	0	4	0	173	152	+21	10
6	Canberra Raiders	9	4	1	4	0	217	199	+18	9
7	Penrith Panthers	9	4	0	5	0	168	179	−11	8
8	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	9	4	0	5	0	172	196	−24	8
9	New Zealand Warriors	9	4	0	5	0	190	232	−42	8
10	St. George Illawarra Dragons	9	4	0	5	0	89	186	−97	8
11	South Sydney Rabbitohs	9	3	0	6	0	182	199	−17	6
12	Gold Coast Titans	9	3	0	6	0	170	211	−41	6
13	Wests Tigers	9	3	0	6	0	184	239	−55	6
14	Sydney Roosters	9	2	0	7	0	167	207	−40	4
15	Newcastle Knights	9	1	1	7	0	102	293	−191	3
16	Parramatta Eels	9	6	0	3	0	164	119	+45	0^1

¹ Parramatta were deducted 12 competition points for gross long-term salary cap breaches, and are barred from receiving premiership points until they remove $770,000 from their payroll.

Squad

No.	Name	Position	Warriors Debut	App	T	G	FG	Pts
55	Lauitiiti, AliAli Lauitiiti	SR	19 April 1998	0	0	0	0	0
105	Leuluai, ThomasThomas Leuluai	HB	2 May 2003	3	0	0	0	0
115	Vatuvei, ManuManu Vatuvei	WG	23 May 2004	5	2	0	0	8
125	Mannering, SimonSimon Mannering	SR	26 June 2005	8	1	0	0	4
142	Matulino, BenBen Matulino	PR	14 June 2008	8	1	0	0	4
146	Lillyman, JacobJacob Lillyman	PR	14 March 2009	8	0	0	0	0
159	Lousi, SioneSione Lousi	SR	14 March 2010	0	0	0	0	0
168	Johnson, ShaunShaun Johnson	HB	4 June 2011	8	4	18	0	52
171	Henry, BenBen Henry	SR	4 March 2012	1	0	0	0	0
173	Hurrell, KonradKonrad Hurrell	CE	4 March 2012	3	0	0	0	0
183	Gubb, CharlieCharlie Gubb	PR	7 July 2013	6	0	0	0	0
188	Palavi, JohnJohn Palavi	PR	9 March 2014	0	0	0	0	0
189	Fusitua, DavidDavid Fusitua	WG	15 March 2014	2	1	0	0	4
192	Lolohea, TuimoalaTuimoala Lolohea	HB	27 July 2014	8	3	3	0	18
193	Kata, SolomoneSolomone Kata	CE	7 March 2015	8	7	0	0	28
194	Thompson, BodeneBodene Thompson	SR	7 March 2015	5	1	0	0	4
195	Hoffman, RyanRyan Hoffman	SR	7 March 2015	8	0	0	0	0
196	Lisone, SamSam Lisone	PR	7 March 2015	7	0	0	0	0
197	Vete, AlbertAlbert Vete	PR	7 March 2015	4	0	0	0	0
198	Wright, JonathanJonathan Wright	WG	15 March 2015	4	2	0	0	8
199	Allwood, MattMatt Allwood	CE	29 March 2015	0	0	0	0	0
200	Faitala-Mariner, RaymondRaymond Faitala-Mariner	SR	25 April 2015	1	0	0	0	0
201	Maumalo, KenKen Maumalo	WG	16 May 2015	0	0	0	0	0
202	Lino, MasonMason Lino	HB	24 August 2015	0	0	0	0	0
203	Tuivasa-Sheck, RogerRoger Tuivasa-Sheck	FB	5 March 2016	7	1	0	0	4
204	Ayshford, BlakeBlake Ayshford	CE	5 March 2016	8	4	0	0	16
205	Robson, JeffJeff Robson	HB	5 March 2016	6	0	0	0	0
206	Luke, IssacIssac Luke	HK	5 March 2016	7	2	0	0	8
207	Roache, NathanielNathaniel Roache	HK	5 March 2016	3	0	0	0	0
208	Gavet, JamesJames Gavet	PR	5 March 2016	3	0	0	0	0
209	Tevaga, JazzJazz Tevaga	HK	20 March 2016	3	0	0	0	0
210	Sao, LigiLigi Sao	LK	16 April 2016	2	0	0	0	0
	Wells, HenareHenare Wells	FB		0	0	0	0	0
	Nicoll-Klokstad, CharnzeCharnze Nicoll-Klokstad	UB		0	0	0	0	0
	Lane, ShaunShaun Lane	SR		0	0	0	0	0

Staff

• Chief Executive Officer: Jim Doyle
• Media and Communications Manager: Richard Becht
• Football Operations Manager: Dan Floyd
• Team Manager: Laurie Hale^[6]
• Head of Medical Services: John Mayhew
• Recuritment and Development Manager: Tony Iro^[6]
• Welfare and Education Manager: Jerry Seuseu
• Academy and Pathways Manager: Duane Mann

Coaching staff

• NRL Head Coach: Andrew McFadden
• NRL Assistant Coach: Justin Morgan^[6]
• NRL Assistant Coach: Andrew Webster^[27]
• NSW Cup Head Coach: Stacey Jones^[28]
• NSW Cup Assistant Coach: Ricky Henry
• NYC Head Coach: Kelvin Wright^[28]
• NYC Assistant Coach: Boycie Nelson

Transfers

Gains

Player	Previous Club	Length	Notes
Issac Luke	South Sydney Rabbitohs	3 years	[29]
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck	Sydney Roosters	3 years	[30]
Ligi Sao	Manly Sea Eagles	2 years	[31]
Blake Ayshford	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	2 years	[32]
Henare Wells	Burleigh Bears		[33]
Jeff Robson	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	1 year	[34]
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	Melbourne Storm	2 years	[35]
Ali Lauitiiti	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	1 year	[36]
James Gavet	Brisbane Broncos	1 year	[37]
Shaun Lane	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	1 year	2016 Mid-season[38]

Losses

Player	Club	Notes
Suaia Matagi	Sydney Roosters	2015 Mid-season transfer[39]
Nathaniel Peteru	Gold Coast Titans	2015 Mid-season transfer[40]
Api Pewhairangi	Connacht (RU)	2015 Mid-season transfer[41]
Ngani Laumape	Hurricanes (RU)	2015 Mid-season transfer[42]
Sam Rapira	Huddersfield Giants	[43]
Nathan Friend	Gold Coast Titans	[44]
Dominique Peyroux	St. Helens RLFC	[45]
Sam Tomkins	Wigan Warriors	[30]
Chad Townsend	Cronulla Sharks	[46]
Siliva Havili	St. George-Illawarra Dragons	[47]
Brad Abbey	Canterbury Bulldogs	[48]
Glen Fisiiahi	Chiefs (RU)	[49]
Sebastine Ikahihifo	St. George-Illawarra Dragons	[50]
David Bhana	Newcastle Knights	[51]
Raymond Faitala-Mariner	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	2016 Mid-season[38]

Other teams

As in 2015, the Warriors entered a team into the NSW Cup and the Junior Warriors competed in the Holden Cup.

NSW Cup squad

Holden Cup squad

References

1. "Pair named in World All Stars". warriors.kiwi. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
2. "Tuivasa-Sheck out of All Stars". nrl.com. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
3. "Simon Mannering standing down as Warriors captain". New Zealand Herald. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
4. "Mount Smart Stadium home until 2028". New Zealand Warriors. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
5. "NRL: Jacob Lillyman to reach New Zealand Warriors milestone". New Zealand Herald. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
6. Changes to football department warriors.kiwi, 27 September 2015
7. "Shaun Johnson, Tuivasa-Sheck to play at NRL Nines". nzherald.co.nz. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
8. "Injury forces Fusitu'a out of NRL Nines". Radio Sport. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
9. "Auckland Nines Team of the Tournament". nrl.com. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
10. "Warriors bounce back to smash Bulldogs". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
11. "Another Parcell match-winner sinks Warriors". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
12. "Johnson late show seals win". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
13. "Warriors book semi-final berth". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
14. "Warriors progress to Nines final". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
15. "Taking trials to the regions - Warriors". Warriors.kiwi. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
16. Strong outings from top trio warriors.kiwi, 13 February 2016
17. "Sao facing time on sideline". warriors.kiwi. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
18. "First-ever NRL match for Taranaki - Warriors". Warriors.kiwi. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
19. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
20. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
21. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
22. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
23. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
24. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
25. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
26. "NRL Match Centre 2016".
27. Second assistant coach named warriors.co.nz, 23 September 2014
28. Jones to coach NSW Cup side in 2015 warriors.co.nz, 5 October 2014
29. "Warriors confirm Issac Luke signing". nrl.com. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
30. "Club makes double fullback announcement". warriors.co.nz. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
31. "PLAYER SIGNING | Sao coming home - Warriors". Warriors.kiwi. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
32. "Warriors sign Sharks centre". New Zealand Herald. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
33. "Warriors sign former Roosters fullback for 2016 season". stuff.co.nz. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
34. "Veteran Robson signed for 2016". warriors.kiwi. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
35. "Young storm utility signed". warriors.kiwi. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
36. "Lauitiiti returns to Warriors". NRL.com. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
37. "Warriors confirm signing of Gavet for 2016". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
38. "Vodafone Warriors complete player swap". New Zealand Warriors. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
39. "Warriors prop Suaia Matagi inks deal with the Sydney Roosters after seeking early release". stuff.co.nz. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
40. "Titans sign Warriors forward | NRL". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
41. "NSW CUP ROUND #16 v Mounties". 24 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
42. "Warrior Ngani Laumape crosses rugby codes to sign with Manawatu Turbos". stuff.co.nz. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
43. "Rapira to join Super League's Huddersfield". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com.
44. "Titans reunite with an old friend". NRL - Zero Tackle.
45. "St Helens sign Dominique Peyroux from New Zealand Warriors". the Guardian.
46. "Chad Townsend Leaves Warriors For The Sharks - Triple M NRL". Triple M. 7 July 2015.
47. "Dragons sign Siliva Havili". NRL - Zero Tackle.
48. "Canterbury Bulldogs to sign boom Kiwi fullback Brad Abbey". The Sydney Morning Herald.
49. "New Zealand Warrior Glen Fisiiahi signs for Super Rugby side the Chiefs". stuff.co.nz. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
50. "Dumped Warrior Ikahihifo signs two-year deal with Dragons". TVNZ. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
51. 2016 NRL player transfers nrl.com

External links

• Warriors 2016 season rugby league project