Andrew Webster shares fans’ excitement over Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s Fullback return

By Alex Powell

By the time the Warriors run out on to Go Media Stadium on Sunday, it will have been 1003 days since Roger Tuivasa-Sheck last wore No 1 for the club.

And if fans are excited by his return to the coveted fullback spot, coach Andrew Webster shares their enthusiasm.

Despite the 2024 NRL season being just three rounds old, the Warriors have been hit hard in their No 1 stocks.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (hamstring) is yet to play in 2024 after being struck down in pre-season.

Meanwhile, Taine Tuaupiki has been solid at fullback in the Warriors’ start, but has been ruled out of facing the Newcastle Knights through concussion.

That leaves the Warriors down to their third choice No 1, albeit with the huge caveat of being one of the best to ever wear the jersey for the club.

Before he left for a stint in rugby union in 2022, Tuivasa-Sheck was without question one of the best fullbacks in the game.

In 2018, he won the Dally M medal for the league’s best player as the first, and so far only, Warriors played to claim the accolade.

Three years on, though, Tuivasa-Sheck has switched into the centres to allow for Nicoll-Klokstad to have full stewardship of the fullback spot.

The first three games of 2024 have seen Tuivasa-Sheck wear No 4, as he gets used to life in his new position, despite brief returns to fullback against both the Cronulla Sharks and Canberra Raiders.

But with no other specialist option, Webster has no choice but to move his marquee recruit back to his old position in hopes of the Warriors’ second win of the year.

And even though he’s only effectively had a week back training as a fullback, Webster says he’s already seen what he needs to.

“It’s super important,” said Webster. “I’ve always said he’s our third fullback, we’ve used two of them already.

“I thought Taine did a fantastic job. He was one of our best in the first three games, he allowed Rog to get used to that centre role.

“Roger’s been trying to focus [on] and practise centre. He hasn’t done a huge amount of reps, that was the first time he did that drill [in training], getting the team around. He did a great job.

“[I’m] really excited.”

Tuivasa-Sheck last wore No 1 in an 18-19 loss to the St George Illawarra Dragons, before his move to rugby union.

In the three years since, Tuivasa-Sheck has become an All Black, returned to rugby league, and shifted into the centres.

While many players of his ilk would demand a return to fullback in his second stint with the Warriors, though, Tuivasa-Sheck has done no such thing.

Instead, as a sign of the professional he’s always been, Tuivasa-Sheck has approached playing centre with the enthusiasm of a rookie - even if he’s now in his 30s.

“Roger’s wanted to play centre the whole time and do his bit for the team,” Webster continued. “He’s always known he’d be third man up. He welcomes the challenge.

“Roger’s different this time. He’s always been a team guy, but he knows he doesn’t have to put the whole team on his back.

“He plays a role, he’s another cog in the wheel. He’s a very good one.

“He’s very important on his role week to week. This week it’s fullback. He’s excited for it.”

However, regardless of what happens on Sunday, Webster makes it very clear Tuivasa-Sheck won’t be at fullback for long.

Nicoll-Klokstad is scheduled to return for the round five trip to face the South Sydney Rabbitohs away, and play his first game of 2024 after being ruled out in pre-season.

Like Tuivasa-Sheck, 28-year-old Nicoll-Klokstad is also in a second stint with the Warriors, after he left in 2019 to join the Raiders.

In that case, Nicoll-Klokstad departed after being unable to displace one of Tuivasa-Sheck, Ken Maumalo and David Fusitu’a in the first-choice back three under Stephen Kearney.

In his time away, Nicoll-Klokstad proved to be one of the NRL’s best fullbacks as well, and was instrumental in the Raiders’ run to the 2019 grand final, where they were beaten by the Sydney Roosters.

Webster has always maintained Nicoll-Klokstad is his number one No 1, and that won’t change - regardless of what happens on Sunday.

“He’d [Tuivasa-Sheck] be great going back at centre, he’d be awesome.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission