Ex-Warriors coach praises star signing

By Alex Powell

Warriors leadership of past and present have hailed the signing of James Fisher-Harris as the greatest in the club’s history.

Fisher-Harris, 28, will join the Warriors from next season, after being released from the final two years of his contract with the Penrith Panthers.

The signing could not have been timed any better for the Warriors.

After his request to leave the club at the end of last year, Addin Fonua-Blake signed to join the Cronulla Sharks from 2025 and left the Warriors with a huge hole to fill in their forward pack.

And while the likes of Sharks prop Braden Hamlin-Uele spurned the Warriors’ advances, and suggestions made to shift Marata Niukore from the second row into prop, Fisher-Harris’ arrival trumps all alternatives.

Along with Fonua-Blake and Payne Haas of the Brisbane Broncos, the Panthers man is in contention for the tag of the best front rower in the world.

As part of this all-conquering Penrith side, Fisher-Harris has played in the last four NRL grand finals - winning the last three in succession.

Warriors chief executive Cameron George labelled his arrival “undoubtedly one of the biggest in our club’s history”.

And speaking to Newstalk ZB, former Warriors and Kiwis coach Frank Endacott concurred.

“I don’t think it can really get much bigger,” he said. “Whoever recruited him has done their job brilliantly.

“In my opinion, he’s the best prop in the world. I can’t think of one that’s better.

“To get him for four years, and to replace a very good prop in Fonua-Blake, you couldn’t get a better replacement.

“It’s a real upgrade. You’d heard a few names bandied around about who’d take Fonua-Blake’s position when he left, and they come up with this one.

“I don’t know who did the deal, but by gee, they should be given a medal.”

Without doubt Fisher-Harris’ signing is easily in contention to be among the Warriors’ best since their inception in 1995.

Since their creation, though, the Kiwi club have struggled to attract the best talent in the NRL, be it either through targeting Australians who do not want to relocate, or New Zealanders already playing for top NRL clubs.

However, as Fisher-Harris sought a release from the last two years of his Panthers contract on compassionate grounds, the connection with coach Andrew Webster - who shared a dressing room at Penrith - has come up trumps once again.

One Australian to make the move to New Zealand with great success is former captain Steve Price.

As a leader, Price was second to none as Warriors skipper, and made 91 appearances for the club before his retirement in 2009.

But for Price himself, Fisher-Harris’ arrival is closer to that of another New Zealand great.

“If you went through a list, James would certainly be at the top of that list,” said Price.

“But thinking that he was signed for the next four years at the Panthers, and how much success they’d had, I’ve got to give credit to the Warriors for even asking the question.

“I thought Rubes [Ruben Wiki] was the biggest signing when I came to the club. He was the current captain of the Kiwis, pretty much the heartbeat of the country.

“James is currently in that same sphere, and we know what impact Ruben had on the Warriors in his time as a player.

“The age that he’s at, he’s playing so well, he’s just getting better and better every time he takes the field.

“It’s going to be looked back on as one of the greatest signings the club’s ever had in its history.”

Ultimately, good players will always want to play alongside good players.

Since Webster took charge of the Warriors in 2023 and guided the former strugglers to a top-four finish, the Kiwi club has become a destination for players wanting a shot at glory.

Former charges Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Chanel Harris-Tavita both returned from rugby union and time away from the game altogether.

Meanwhile, State of Origin forward Kurt Capewell traded Brisbane for Auckland in order to reunite with Webster.

Fisher-Harris’ signing though, could just be a catalyst for the best of the best to view Mt Smart as the club they want to play for moving into the future.

“The one thing about James Fisher-Harris is he’s a player you love to play with and not play against,” Endacott continued.

“In all honesty, having a player [like him] there can only attract more good players to the club by having him there.

“Over a four-year period, you’ve got time to fit real good players that want to come and play with him - and others - into the club budget.

“[It’s] as good as it gets, this.”

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