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.
5. Which young guns break into first-grade?
The Warriors are blessed with a roster, and pathways system, that has some of the best junior talent anywhere in the NRL.
Of course, when it comes to pathways, it's difficult to look anywhere other than the Penrith Panthers as the benchmark in recent years, but the Warriors pushed all the way to a NSW Cup grand final qualifier last year, built on a team with exciting youngsters all over the place.
Many of those players are going to be pushing for NRL time this year, particularly backs Ali Leiataua and Ben Farr.
A centre, Leiataua made his NRL debut at the back end of 2023 and will be sitting behind Rocco Berry and Adam Pompey to start the year for a spot this go around, while Farr is a fullback who can also play at five-eighth.
In the forwards, Jacob Laban and Zyon Maiu'u lead the charge of players who will be pushing for big first-grade minutes throughout the year, but there are certainly others in and around the club, including middle forward Tom Ale, who could be in for a big year as he prepares for an increasing role in 2025 once Addin Fonua-Blake departs Auckland bound for Cronulla.
Coach Webster has certainly shown no hesitation in throwing his youngsters into the fire, so expect to see more of the same - and some breakout performances - from the Auckland-based outfit during the 2024 season.
