I was considering Magic Round next year anyway, but Warriors v Cowboys as the Saturday twilight game makes it even more appealing.
14 days later
@bayimports Can't say I'm surprised.
And as much as it irks me to say it, that's smart if he still wants the option to continue winning and the redemption story for the club isn't on track.
Chammas on a roll today, now time to get the Cowboys upset.. although rumour is it could be a swap deal with the cheese
And PNG in... in 2028
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
And PNG in... in 2028
it'll be like going to Fiji to play the Drua. Very tough to win up there I suspect.
Good move by the NRL - this has the potential to grow the game
If the Warriors have difficulty holding on to marquee players, PNG are going to have a revolving door and be paying massive overs. Being a young bloke stuck in a gated compound most of your time isn't going to be appealing long term.
@antipodean said in NRL 2025:
If the Warriors have difficulty holding on to marquee players, PNG are going to have a revolving door and be paying massive overs. Being a young bloke stuck in a gated compound most of your time isn't going to be appealing long term.
yep, could be a few players who will maybe leave their families at home and live away from home for a season or two I guess, but going to be real tough finding long term players, might make NZ look good!
@antipodean said in NRL 2025:
If the Warriors have difficulty holding on to marquee players, PNG are going to have a revolving door and be paying massive overs. Being a young bloke stuck in a gated compound most of your time isn't going to be appealing long term.
Probably make more sense to base them somewhere in Australia
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
And PNG in... in 2028
it'll be like going to Fiji to play the Drua. Very tough to win up there I suspect.
Good move by the NRL - this has the potential to grow the game
Agreed......and most of the players will be local based. It'll go great, like the Drua have in Super Rugby with all their local based players.
I suspect Wayne Bennett will take the team too as he has expressed a desire to coach the 18th team and his contract with Souths ends in 2027.
There is a lot of money going to PNG. I did wonder why. Then I saw this
Australia has negotiated an agreement under which PNG will not sign new security agreements with China. This ensures that Australia won’t be blindsided, as it was by the Solomon Islands-China security agreement in 2022.
@antipodean said in NRL 2025:
Being a young bloke stuck in a gated compound most of your time isn't going to be appealing long term.
It is very tempting to say something about the ability of NRL players to make headlines getting caught doing dodgy things and being stationed up there in that situation would seem to be an ideal opportunity to partake in them - but I won't!!!!!!
10 days later
@Yeahtheboys said in NRL 2025:
Ezra Mam gets 9 week NRL ban for driving unlicensed, on cacaine, crashing and giving a 4 year old girl a broken hip as a result.
Rugba League…….
Actually 9 weeks is pretty good for the NRL, the most disappointing thing was the outcome from the justice system not the NRL
15 days later
And the first downer of many to come this year Warriors fans, Tohu Harris forced in to immediate retirement.
Not exactly a surprise given his body is held together by tape and hope.
Terrific player, and sadly there drops another pillar that the 2023 run to the prelim was built on. 217 games each for Melbourne and the Warriors, 1 premiership, 16 tests for NZ including a 4-Nations win, and an NRL 2nd rower of the year
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
And the first downer of many to come this year Warriors fans, Tohu Harris forced in to immediate retirement.
Not exactly a surprise given his body is held together by tape and hope.
Terrific player, and sadly there drops another pillar that the 2023 run to the prelim was built on. 217 games each for Melbourne and the Warriors, 1 premiership, 16 tests for NZ including a 4-Nations win, and an NRL 2nd rower of the year
From a playing perspective that's not a bad thing, as you note he's broken ... and has been for a while. I wonder if he'll stay on at the club in some capacity? Will see if my cousins have any inside info.
Bloody good career for a rugby midfield back who switched after missing out on a Hawkes Bay academy spot.
Hmm, I wonder what the Warriors plan is to replace him, I guess in the immediate term he'll be covered in the squad as they must have planned for him to be broken this year. Should free up a decent amount of cap space.
12 days later
Anyone keen for a NRL SuperCoach comp? Could do it for free or maybe $10/$20 entry fee to keep people invested and don’t just give up on their teams after a month
Im in, Im hoping the union has a good look at this model for NRL/AFL, really has brought a younger generation into this
13 days later
First pre season matches start this weekend. Thankfully no mention of "fittest we've ever been", arguably "gruelling" is akin, but I will pretend it is not close.
EIther a Laban or Vaimauga (who the club has big hopes for) probably will be battling for a permanent edge spot over next couple of weeks, especially since showing Maiuu the door
ah the blissful serenity of entering the season with absolutely zero expectations. I can watch each game and just accept what happens happens. We win? holy shit how did we do that? we lose? well, our roster is dogshit.
We are paying $12 for the spoon which is massive overs. Somehow the Titans, Tigers, Knights, Dolphins (!) Raiders and Dragons are all below us.
@mariner4life It is nice not to have high expectations for sure, I just hope we dont end up in the spoon battle, however you never know lol
Dolphins only on that list with the Wayne leaving historical impact. Woolf a good coach though
Raiders and Dragons being top 2 in the market for the spoon does surprise me somewhat.
Surely even Ricky couldn't survive the Raiders being in the spoon fight? Coaching hot seats at the Titans, Knights, Tigers and Dragons as well. Benji will get the season, maybe Flanagan as well, but a poor start will see Des, AOB, and even yes maybe Ricky gone.
Ricky's young kids surely should actually be better, Dragons will go ok I think if their middles stand up (very light up front) and I wouldn't have them at spoon level yet. Titans will start poorly, but do get Fafita and Tino back through the season which will help.. Newcastle will potentially go backwards.
Can Ryles and Benji turn around their teams that much? Possibly but much will be based on confidence. A few losses and most of the squads heads will drop.
Perhaps the Warriors are in the spoon race..
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
Perhaps the Warriors are in the spoon race..
balls deep in
no halves. Inadequate centres. Inadequate outsides (slow too). Lost our point scoring prop. Not much in the way of edge impact either.
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
in fact i am going to go and take the $12s
Solid early season jinx game 
@mariner4life I might wait until post round one, if we beat Canberra in Vegas, I might get $14
@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:
@bayimports said in NRL 2025:
Perhaps the Warriors are in the spoon race..
balls deep in
no halves. Inadequate centres. Inadequate outsides (slow too). Lost our point scoring prop. Not much in the way of edge impact either.
I think I agree with all of this.
Add to that a coach who, on last year's evidence (and player recruitment), is wedded to a game plan that the other teams worked out last year.
TBF, as it's the Warriors I never have high expectations, not even with the over-hype train at the start of last year following on from 2023.
12 all draw with Sharks, doesn't sound all that bad.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/dwz-concern-as-metcalf-excels-in-warriors-sharks-trial/ar-AA1yAm5L?
ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=ce2d3185b7e24aa9eed9845a12f143c1&ei=15
Rusty for sure, but Metcalf can kick 40/20s and wasnt as bad as I thought he would be as a 7 even if a few 5th tackle options still not great. Like to see more from TMM though, thought when they combined last year they were one of our better combos. Tuapiki looked dangerous on occasions. I wouldn't be surprised if Healey is back up hooker by year end. Sifiakula (now Vaimauga) looked strong on the edge when on, otherwise edge forward work looked weak as predicted. As did our centres although I will give Pompey some credit for some of his cover defence when others missed their assignment.
Probably lucky sharks halves were poor. Sharks props will score more points this year than most forward packs combined.
Warriors did look unfit and any game played in the heat early in the season will see normal losses resume.
Not overly concerned DWZ injured but we bought one of the best NSW cup wingers last year (ex warrior) back from Penrith and we still play Kosi.
Still concerned Webby wont make any changes through the season if something doesnt work.
Refs looking to ping players for sloppy play the balls will cost us a bit this year, where we have always had some notorious offenders when it comes to the basics, this alone will see us concede too many unnecessary points and potentially lose games we looked in control of.
Anyway its a pre season hit out, but nothing really to get excited about
Stories indicating Joey Manu may exit his the Toyota Verblitz and return to the Rooster mid season.