Warriors sorely miss captain James Fisher-Harris in trial losses but he will be back to lead the NRL season
Sunday, 22 February 2026
ANALYSIS: Warriors fans may be down in the dumps after back-to-back pre-season losses but the return of co-captain James Fisher-Harris offers instant hope.
Fisher-Harris missed the opening defeat to the Sea Eagles in Napier because he was set to lead the Māori All Stars in Hamilton against the Indigenous All Stars - a clash Warriors coach Andrew Webster claimed was the proud Kiwi skipper’s “[State of] Origin”.
He was spelled against the Dolpins in Sydney on Friday night with Webster deciding he did not need to play on a five-day turnaround after the All Stars encounter where he made 176m with ball in hand and 34 tackles.
Kurt Capewell was an experienced fill-in as captain, but Fisher-Harris’ toughness and driving of standards was missed. The man has a mana that is hard to replace.
The 38-34 late loss to the Dolphins after squandering a 14-point lead may smart, but Webster had the bigger picture in mind - the March 6 season opener against the Roosters - in keeping Fisher-Harris on ice and not rushing back other key men nursing niggles.
But with Mitchell Barnett set to return in round two from last year’s knee injury the Warriors will suddenly have a more robust look with the co-captains back in harness.
But Fox Sports analyst Braith Anasta reckoned on Friday that the Kiwi club will not be serious contenders until they get star half Luke Metcalf back from ACL rehab - slated for round 7.
Still, Webster won’t be pushing any panic button despite the Warriors suffering two pre-season losses for the first time in his four-year coaching tenure.
He made it clear in the lead-up to to the Dolphins encounter that while the Warriors strive to win every game the pre-season hit-outs were largely about preparing the players for round one.
That being the case, Webster knows the Warriors have remedial work to do on their defence, particularly on their goal-line where they again gave away a few soft tries to the Dolphins after similar struggles in the 33-18 loss to the Sea Eagles in Napier.
It will be red faces all round when the players review the tape for two Dolphins dummy-half dart tries, by Brad Schneider in the first half and by John Fineanganofo in the final quarter.
At least the Warriors avoided any further casualties.
The last thing Webster needed was another halfback to fall over after Te Maire Martin broke a bone in his leg in the Māori All Stars game against the Indigenous All Stars in Hamilton.
He already has star half Luke Metcalf sidelined until round 7.
Chanel Harris-Tavita missed the pre-season trials to nurse a calf strain, but is expected back for round one to potentially partner Tanah Boyd.
Luke Hanson has not let the Warriors down in pre-season - he made14 tackles in Sydney, including a couple of big hits.
But, with Metcalf and Martin out and Hanson yet to debut in first grade, Harris-Tavita’s experience will be vital - the 26-year-old has made 95 appearances.
Webster told the Fox TV panel before kickoff in Sydney that two places were up for grabs in his round one squad.
Whoever gets the nod will depend on the casualty list.
The Warriors have five players slated for round one returns - Harris-Tavita, second rower Marata Niukore (calf), middle forward Demitric Vaimauga (concussion) and wingers Alofiana Khan-Pereira (concussion) and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (hamstring).
If all are fit then Webster’s biggest selection dilemma will be who to play on the wings - Gold Coast recruit Khan-Pereira, Samoa international Roger Tuivasa-Sheck or Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who scored two tries against the Dolphins.
As for the front row, Fisher-Harris will surely start with Jackson Ford, who ran for a team-high 161m in Sydney - 131m in the first half despite a 10-minute breather in the sin bin.
But Tanner Stowers-Smith will be pushing hard after two encouraging trial efforts - 134m and 34 tackles in Napier and 149m in Sydney.
Niukore is expected to return to the right edge with Capewell, who shrugged off a hefty tackle in Sydney, on the left and Leka Halasima again poised for an impact role.
The disappointing results aside, the trials threw up some positives for Webster.
Rookies like Hanson, winger Haizyn Mellars and English forward recruit Morgan Gannon got valuable minutes and exposure to first grade.
Gannon can play on the edge or in the middle and was known as a ball-playing forward at Leeds Rhinos. He gave a glimpse of that skill with a nifty try assist against the Dolphins after flummoxing the Queenslander’s own English acquisition Morgan Smithies with his footwork.
Gannon may have done enough to clinch a place on the bench where his versatility could be useful alongside hooker Sam Healey, either Vaimauga or Stowers-Smith and Halasima.
A couple of more established men have made promising returns after injury-marred 2025 seasons.
Centre Ali Leiataua - restricted to nine games last year - scored three tries across the two trials and combined well with Taine Tuaupiki, who was as equally impactful at fullback in the second spell as Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad had been in the first half.
Leiataua is an import cog because the Warriors are short of centres with Rocco Berry’s return a long way off after shoulder surgeries.
The Warriors blew an eight-point halftime lead in Sydney by conceding two early tries after the restart.
Boyd had pinpointed the problem during a TV interview on the halftime hooter when he said their attack was clicking but their defence had let them down and they had allowed the Dolphins too many easy line breaks.
The pattern repeated in the final quarter, although by then, the Warriors’ lineup - 27 players got match minutes - was much changed.
All told, the Warriors conceded 11 line breaks, missed 41 tackles and made 29 ineffective tackles - signs that Webster and his coaching staff have a lot of work to do to plug the gaps before the season kicks off in earnest on Friday week.