The New Zealand Warriors enter the 2024 season as a team looking to make as big a statement as any.
The statement?
That they are no longer the inconsistent team who have been present throughout essentially their entire NRL existence to this point.
That's not a knock on the Warriors, but the simple truth of the matter is that they haven't, for the most part, been able to string multiple games together, let alone multiple seasons.
2023 saw them do the former of those though, with Andrew Webster earning every cent of his deal and repaying the faith shown in him by the club in what was an exceptional rookie head coaching season.
But now the Warriors, who have the support of a nation behind them and quickly became the hottest ticket in Auckland during the finals series, must back it up.
Here are the big questions that will determine exactly how well they might be able to go in 2024.
1. How will Roger Tuivasa-Sheck perform as a centre?
One of the big moves for the Warriors heading into the 2024 campaign is bringing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck back to the club after a stint in rugby union.
Once among the game's best fullbacks, Tuivasa-Sheck's stint in rugby union was a difficult one, and he returns to the 13-man code needing to put runs back on the board.
The added challenge to that, of course, is that it will come from an unfamiliar position as he lines up in the centres. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad's 2023 campaign was simply so good that there is no way he can wear anything other than the number one for the Warriors come the start of the new campaign.
And so, the attentions turns to Tuivasa-Sheck.
Centre is one of the game's toughest positions to play, both in attack and defence. There is little surprise that every team at the top of the ladder has strong players running out in the position.
Tuivasa-Sheck has all the tools to turn himself into one of the game's best centres, but he will be doing so under the microscope, and it'll be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow from anywhere in the competition this coming season.
