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.
2. Who plays five-eighth?
Speaking of players returning to the Warriors after time away, Chanel Harris-Tavita returns and throws his name immediately into the mix to play in the halves.
But it's an absolute logjam for the Warriors, with Andrew Webster facing something of a headache in determining who will play alongside Shaun Johnson in the halves at the start of 2024.
Harris-Tavita is one option, but it's Luke Metcalf and Te Maire Martin who are also both at the club and in the mix for the number six jumper.
The two spent plenty of time in the five-eighth role for the Warriors throughout 2023, although both battled with injury at various points of the campaign.
Metcalf was there towards the end of the season, and at his best, was excellent for the Warriors before battling through a second stint of injury issues.
If he is fit, he could well be the best option to partner Johnson, although it has been reported Chanel Harris-Tavita is in the lead for the role.
Whichever way Webster goes, this is a critical call he must get right from the start of the season.
