Warriors boss sets ambitious goals

By Luke Kirkness

It’s premiership or bust over the next season or two for the Warriors, chief executive Cameron George says.

As the Warriors wind down for the Christmas and New Year holidays before continuing their build-up for the 2024 NRL season, George told Brian Kelly on the Country Sport Breakfast that the club wasn’t taking anything for granted after a stunning season this year.

“We feel like we’ve earned our right to go after this premiership in the next year or two and we’ve got the team to do it, but we’ve got to work extremely hard to get there and no one’s taking it for granted.”

The Warriors enjoyed 17 wins in 2023 and fell one game short of the final, losing to the Broncos in the semifinal in Brisbane.

George’s comments come after captain Tohu Harris’s re-signing, Kurt Capewell’s arrival, and the returns of Chanel Harris-Tavita and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Addressing the club’s strategy for signing players, George outlined a philosophy centred around adding value and fostering a positive team culture.

“The philosophy for us is to only look at players that are going to add value. Every player we’re signing now has got to add value. They’ve got to be a very, very, very strong competitor and know how to win and they’ve got to be a bloody good bloke.

“We don’t want trouble in our club. We want the best people in our club.”

He also highlighted the incredible fan support in 2023 and the team’s strong focus on building on what they achieved.

“The boys really performed well and fell one game short but, you know, they’re working day and night now to make sure that they can replicate that and go better. So, really excited about 2024.

“Our focus in 2023 was to re-engage and reconnect with our fan base and we put a lot of emphasis on our game day experience ... when that stadium (Mt Smart) is full and pumping, it’s so exciting and we can’t wait to grow that and be bigger and better in 2024.”

One unexpected highlight of the season was the “Up the Wahs” campaign, which gained international recognition. George acknowledged the spontaneous nature of the campaign, saying it was “outstanding”.

“It goes to show how you can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing, but one line like that can just explode your whole brand and what it did globally was amazing.”

The discussion then shifted to the coaching staff, particularly the impact of NRL coach of the year Andrew Webster. George praised Webster’s communication skills and the simplicity of his game plan.

“Webby just brought a very simple game plan. He communicates extremely well and he’s very clear and simple in his messaging.

“He wants to know what makes them [the players] click, what challenges them and so on. They’re not just dealt with as one group, they’re dealt with as individuals and he communicates across the whole board in that regard.

“He does simple messaging – having clarity around what that message is and what the outcome is they’re seeking to achieve is really helpful to the footy team.

“But the players have got to play their part too. They bought into everything ... We made sure we understood our identity, we made sure everyone knew their role and the responsibility and the obligations we had within that and everyone bought into it.”

The Warriors kick off the 2024 NRL season officially on Friday, March 8, at Mt Smart from 8pm against the Cronulla Sharks.

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