# 2016 New Zealand Warriors season

The 2016 New Zealand Warriors season was the 22nd season in the club's history. Coached by Andrew McFadden and captained by Ryan Hoffman, the Warriors competed in the National Rugby League's 2016 Telstra Premiership and the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines tournament.

## Milestones

* Simon Mannering and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck were named to play for the World All Stars in the 2016 All Stars match. They both later withdrew and were replaced by Ryan Hoffman and Konrad Hurrell. Hurrell scored a try as the World All-Stars won 12-8.
* 17 February: Simon Mannering announced he had decided to step down as club captain. He was replaced by Ryan Hoffman.
* 19 February: The Warriors announced that they had signed an agreement with Regional Facilities Auckland extending their contract to use Mount Smart Stadium until the end of 2028.
* 5 March - round 1: Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Blake Ayshford, Jeff Robson, Issac Luke, Nathaniel Roache and James Gavet all made their debuts for the club. It was also Roache's NRL debut.
* 20 March - round 3: Jazz Tevaga made his NRL debut.
* 3 April - round 5: Jacob Lillyman played in his 150th match for the Warriors.
* 16 April - round 7: Ligi Sao made his Warriors debut.
* 1 May - round 9: Toafofoa Sipley made his NRL debut and Shaun Lane played his first match for the Warriors.
* 6 May: Shaun Johnson played for the New Zealand national rugby league team in the 2016 Anzac Test.
* 7 May: Erin Clark played for Samoa while David Fusitua and Solomone Kata played for Tonga. Ata Hingano, Nathaniel Roache, Marata Niukore and Isaiah Papalii represented the Junior Kiwis.
* June–July: Jacob Lillyman served as 18th man for Queensland in game one of the 2016 State of Origin series and came from the bench in game two and three.
* 11 June - round 14: Issac Luke played in his 200th NRL match.
* 2 July - round 17: Simon Mannering played in his 250th NRL match, all for the Warriors. Bunty Afoa made his NRL debut. It was also the Warriors 250th first grade match at Mount Smart Stadium.
* 20 August - round 24: Ata Hingano made his first grade debut.
* 28 August - round 25: Tuimoala Lolohea scored the 2,000th try in the club's history.
* 8 October: Ken Maumalo, Mason Lino, Erin Clark, Sam Lisone, Bunty Afoa and James Gavet represented Samoa in a test match against Fiji.
* October–November: David Fusitu'a, Solomone Kata, Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson, Issac Luke and Simon Mannering were named in the New Zealand squad for the 2016 Rugby League Four Nations.

## Jersey and sponsors

* In 2016 the Warriors jerseys were again made by Canterbury of New Zealand.

## Fixtures
### Pre-season training

Pre-season training began on 2 November 2015, with the exception of players involved in the New Zealand Kiwis tour of Great Britain.

### Auckland Nines

The Warriors competed in the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines, losing to the Parramatta Eels 4-22 in the final. The squad for the tournament was Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Ryan Hoffman, Jacob Lillyman, Nathaniel Roache, Solomone Kata, Tuimoala Lolohea, Shaun Johnson (c), Charlie Gubb, Henare Wells, Konrad Hurrell, Ben Matulino, Ken Maumalo, Jonathan Wright, Jeff Robson, Sam Lisone, Blake Ayshford, Albert Vete and Ata Hingano. David Fusitu'a was originally named but withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Nathaniel Roache.
Shaun Johnson and Tuimoala Lolohea were named in the team of the tournament.
Hunua Pool :
| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| New Zealand Warriors | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 31 | +30 | 4 |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 4 |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 55 | −18 | 4 |
| Brisbane Broncos | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 41 | −12 | 0 |
| Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Semi-Finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Eels | 12 | | | | | | |
| Newcastle Knights | Newcastle Knights | 8 | | | | | | |
| Newcastle Knights | Newcastle Knights | 8 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Eels | 17 | | | |
| | | | Melbourne Storm | Melbourne Storm | 8 | | | |
| Melbourne Storm | Melbourne Storm | 14 | Melbourne Storm | Melbourne Storm | 8 | | | |
| North Queensland Cowboys | North Queensland Cowboys | 6 | | | | | | |
| North Queensland Cowboys | North Queensland Cowboys | 6 | | | | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Eels | 22 |
| | | | | | | New Zealand Warriors | New Zealand Warriors | 4 |
| New Zealand Warriors | New Zealand Warriors | 16 | | | | | | | New Zealand Warriors | New Zealand Warriors | 4 |
| Canberra Raiders | Canberra Raiders | 8 | | | | | | |
| Canberra Raiders | Canberra Raiders | 8 | New Zealand Warriors | New Zealand Warriors | 22 | | | |
| | | | Gold Coast Titans | Gold Coast Titans | 4 | | | |
| Manly Sea Eagles | Manly Sea Eagles | 4 | Gold Coast Titans | Gold Coast Titans | 4 | | | |
| Gold Coast Titans | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | | | | | | |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals |
| 6 February | Game 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Eden Park, Auckland | Win | 34 – 8 | Roache (2), Johnson, Kata, Robson | Johnson (3), Robson |
| 6 February | Game 13 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Eden Park, Auckland | Loss | 12 – 15 | Maumalo, Hingano | Johnson (2) |
| 7 February | Game 22 | Brisbane Broncos | Eden Park, Auckland | Win | 15 – 8 | Roache, Wells, Johnson | Johnson (1) |
| 7 February | Quarter Final | Canberra Raiders | Eden Park, Auckland | Win | 16 – 8 | Kata (2), Wright, Wells | |
| 7 February | Semi Final | Gold Coast Titans | Eden Park, Auckland | Win | 22 – 4 | Robson, Wright, Kata, Lolohea | Lolohea (2), Robson |
| 7 February | Final | Parramatta Eels | Eden Park, Auckland | Loss | 4 - 22 | Tuivasa-Sheck | |

### Pre-season matches

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
| 13 February | Trial 1 | Gold Coast Titans | Toll Stadium, Whangārei | Win | 40-18 | Faitala-Mariner (3), Tyrell (2), Afoa (2) | Luke (2), Hingano (4) | | |
| 20 February | Trial 2 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Trafalgar Park, Nelson | Loss | 10-46 | Kata, Wright | Lolohea | 10,400 | |

### Regular season

Home matches were played at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland with the exception of one home game which was played at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth. Two away games were also played in New Zealand.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 5 March | Round 1 | Wests Tigers | Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 26-34 | Kata (2), Mannering, Thompson, Johnson | Lolohea (3) | 10,917 |
| 11 March | Round 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Loss | 10-25 | Luke | Johnson (3) | 35,230 |
| 20 March | Round 3 | Melbourne Storm | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 14-21 | Lolohea, Kata, Wright | Johnson (1) | 16,214 |
| 28 March | Round 4 | Newcastle Knights | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 40-18 | Kata, Matulino, Ayshford, Lolohea, Vatuvei, Johnson, Luke | Johnson (6) | 13,895 |
| 3 April | Round 5 | Sydney Roosters | Central Coast Stadium, Gosford | Win | 32-28 (g.pt) | Kata (2), Johnson (2), Vatuvei, Tuivasa-Sheck | Johnson (4) | 10,113 |
| 9 April | Round 6 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 18-34 | Ayshford, Luke, Kata | Johnson (3) | 16,112 |
| 16 April | Round 7 | Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs | Westpac Stadium, Wellington | Win | 24-20 | Ayshford (2), Fusitu'a, Wright, Lolohea | Johnson (2) | 18,212 |
| 25 April | Round 8 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Loss | 0-42 | | | 21,233 |
| 1 May | Round 9 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 26-10 | Johnson, Allwood, Gubb, Robson | Johnson (5) | 12,752 |
| 14 May | Round 10 | Penrith Panthers | AMI Stadium, Christchurch | Loss | 18-30 | Kata, Wright, Ayshford | Johnson (3) | 18,000 |
| 21 May | Round 11 | Canberra Raiders | Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth | Loss | 12-38 | Johnson, Ayshford | Johnson (2) | 12,833 |
| | Round 12 | Bye | | | | | | |
| 4 June | Round 13 | Brisbane Broncos | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 36-18 | Fusitu’a (2), Johnson, Thompson, Lillyman, Hoffman, Kata | Johnson (4) | 15,097 |
| 11 June | Round 14 | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Stadium, Newcastle | Win | 50-14 | Fusitu'a (4), Vete (2), Vatuvei, Thompson, Kata | Johnson (5), Luke (2) | 12,222 |
| 19 June | Round 15 | Sydney Roosters | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 12-10 | Johnson | Luke (4) | 14,026 |
| 25 June | Round 16 | Cronulla Sutherland Sharks | Shark Park, Sydney | Loss | 18-19 (g.pt) | Ayshford, Wright, Leuluai | Luke (3) | 12,074 |
| 2 July | Round 17 | Gold Coast Titans | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 27-18 | Ayshford, Lolohea, Johnson, Thompson | Luke (5), Johnson (FG) | 15,107 |
| | Round 18 | Bye | | | | | | |
| 16 July | Round 19 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | nib Stadium, Perth | Loss | 14-15 (g.pt) | Afoa (2) | Luke (3) | 11,109 |
| 23 July | Round 20 | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium, Canberra | Loss | 22-26 (g.pt) | Leuluai (2), Vatuvei, Fusitu'a | Luke (3) | 9,471 |
| 30 July | Round 21 | Penrith Panthers | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 20-16 (g.pt) | Fusitu'a (2), Maumalo, Johnson | Luke (2) | 13,026 |
| 7 August | Round 22 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | Win | 24-14 | Kata (2), Fusitu'a, Thompson, Mannering | Lolohea (2) | 25,109 |
| 13 August | Round 23 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 22-41 | Kata (2), Vatuvei, Tevaga | Johnson (3) | 17,409 |
| 20 August | Round 24 | North Queensland Cowboys | 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville | Loss | 6-34 | Hoffman | Johnson (1) | 15,676 |
| 28 August | Round 25 | Wests Tigers | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 24-36 | Thompson, Kata, Mannering, Lolohea | Luke (3), Hingano (1) | 14,020 |
| 4 September | Round 26 | Parramatta Eels | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 18-40 | Mannering (2), Vatuvei | Luke (3) | 11,129 |

## Ladder

2016 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 563 | 302 | +261 | 42 |
| 2 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 688 | 456 | +232 | 39 |
| 3 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (P) | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 580 | 404 | +176 | 39 |
| 4 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 584 | 355 | +229 | 34 |
| 5 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 554 | 434 | +120 | 34 |
| 6 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 563 | 463 | +100 | 32 |
| 7 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 506 | 448 | +58 | 32 |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 508 | 497 | +11 | 27 |
| 9 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 499 | 607 | −108 | 26 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 513 | 601 | −88 | 24 |
| 11 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 341 | 538 | −197 | 24 |
| 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 473 | 549 | −76 | 22 |
| 13 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 454 | 563 | −109 | 20 |
| 14 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 298 | 324 | −26 | 18$^1$ |
| 15 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 443 | 576 | −133 | 16 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 305 | 800 | −495 | 7 |
$^1$ Parramatta were deducted 12 competition points and their for/against tally accumulated between rounds 1-9 for gross long-term salary cap breaches.

## Squad

| No. | Name | Position | Warriors Debut | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| 55 | Ali Lauitiiti | SR | 19 April 1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 105 | Thomas Leuluai | HB | 2 May 2003 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 115 | Manu Vatuvei | WG | 23 May 2004 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 125 | Simon Mannering | SR | 26 June 2005 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 142 | Ben Matulino | PR | 14 June 2008 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 146 | Jacob Lillyman | PR | 14 March 2009 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 159 | Sione Lousi | SR | 14 March 2010 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 168 | Shaun Johnson | HB | 4 June 2011 | 24 | 10 | 42 | 1 | 125 |
| 171 | Ben Henry | SR | 4 March 2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 173 | Konrad Hurrell | CE | 4 March 2012 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 183 | Charlie Gubb | PR | 7 July 2013 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 188 | John Palavi | PR | 9 March 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 189 | David Fusitua | WG | 15 March 2014 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| 192 | Tuimoala Lolohea | HB | 27 July 2014 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 30 |
| 193 | Solomone Kata | CE | 7 March 2015 | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| 194 | Bodene Thompson | SR | 7 March 2015 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 195 | Ryan Hoffman | SR | 7 March 2015 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 196 | Sam Lisone | PR | 7 March 2015 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 197 | Albert Vete | PR | 7 March 2015 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 198 | Jonathan Wright | WG | 15 March 2015 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 199 | Matt Allwood | CE | 29 March 2015 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 200 | Raymond Faitala-Mariner | SR | 25 April 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 201 | Ken Maumalo | WG | 16 May 2015 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 202 | Mason Lino | HB | 24 August 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 203 | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck | FB | 5 March 2016 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 204 | Blake Ayshford | CE | 5 March 2016 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| 205 | Jeff Robson | HB | 5 March 2016 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 206 | Issac Luke | HK | 5 March 2016 | 20 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 68 |
| 207 | Nathaniel Roache | HK | 5 March 2016 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 208 | James Gavet | PR | 5 March 2016 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 209 | Jazz Tevaga | HK | 20 March 2016 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 210 | Ligi Sao | LK | 16 April 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 211 | Shaun Lane | SR | 1 May 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 212 | Toafofoa Sipley | PR | 1 May 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 213 | Bunty Afoa | PR | 2 July 2016 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 214 | Ata Hingano | FE | 20 August 2016 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| | Henare Wells | FB | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | UB | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Staff

* Chief Executive Officer: Jim Doyle
* Media and Communications Manager: Richard Becht
* Football Operations Manager: Dan Floyd
* Team Manager: Laurie Hale
* Head of Medical Services: John Mayhew
* Recuritment and Development Manager: Tony Iro
* Welfare and Education Manager: Jerry Seuseu
* Academy and Pathways Manager: Duane Mann

### Coaching staff

* NRL head coach: Andrew McFadden
* NRL assistant coach: Justin Morgan
* NRL assistant coach: Andrew Webster
* NSW Cup head coach: Stacey Jones
* NSW Cup assistant coach: Ricky Henry
* NYC head coach: Kelvin Wright
* NYC assistant coach: Boycie Nelson

## Transfers
### Gains

| Player | Previous Club | Length | Notes |
| Issac Luke | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 3 years | |
| Roger Tuivasa-Sheck | Sydney Roosters | 3 years | |
| Ligi Sao | Manly Sea Eagles | 2 years | |
| Blake Ayshford | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2 years | |
| Henare Wells | Burleigh Bears | | |
| Jeff Robson | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 1 year | |
| Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad | Melbourne Storm | 2 years | |
| Ali Lauitiiti | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | 1 year | |
| James Gavet | Brisbane Broncos | 1 year | |
| Shaun Lane | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 1 year | 2016 mid-season |

### Losses

| Player | Club | Notes |
| Suaia Matagi | Sydney Roosters | 2015 mid-season |
| Nathaniel Peteru | Gold Coast Titans | 2015 mid-season |
| Api Pewhairangi | Connacht (RU) | 2015 mid-season |
| Ngani Laumape | Hurricanes (RU) | 2015 mid-season |
| Sam Rapira | Huddersfield Giants | |
| Nathan Friend | Gold Coast Titans | |
| Dominique Peyroux | St. Helens | |
| Sam Tomkins | Wigan Warriors | |
| Chad Townsend | Cronulla Sharks | |
| Siliva Havili | St. George-Illawarra Dragons | |
| Brad Abbey | Canterbury Bulldogs | |
| Glen Fisiiahi | Chiefs (RU) | |
| Sebastine Ikahihifo | St. George-Illawarra Dragons | |
| David Bhana | Newcastle Knights | |
| Raymond Faitala-Mariner | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 2016 mid-season |
| Konrad Hurrell | Gold Coast Titans | 2016 mid-season |
| Jeff Robson | Parramatta Eels | 2016 mid-season |

## Other teams

As in 2015, the Warriors entered a team into the Intrust Super Premiership NSW and the Junior Warriors competed in the Holden Cup.

### Intrust Super Premiership NSW squad

The Warriors finished 5th in the regular season, before defeating the Penrith Panthers 21-14 in an elimination final. They then lost 18-22 to the Newtown Jets in a semi-final.
John Palavi and Upu Poching played in their 50th NSW Cup matches for the Warriors, becoming the first players to reach this milestone for the club.
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Mounties | 30 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Jets | 12 | Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | | | | |
| | | | Jets | Jets | 22 | | | | |
| Mt Smart Stadium | Mt Smart Stadium | Mt Smart Stadium | Warriors | Warriors | 18 | Leichhardt Oval | Leichhardt Oval | Leichhardt Oval | | | |
| 5 | Warriors | 21 | | | | Mounties | Mounties | 24 | |
| 8 | Panthers | 14 | | | | Tigers | Tigers | 18 | Pirtek Stadium | Pirtek Stadium | Pirtek Stadium |
| | | | | | | | | | Mounties | Mounties | 20 |
| Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | | | | Leichhardt Oval | Leichhardt Oval | Leichhardt Oval | Cutters | Cutters | 21 |
| 6 | Roos | 19 | | | | Cutters | Cutters | 18 | | |
| 7 | Bulldogs | 18 | Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | Pepper Stadium | Jets | Jets | 10 | | |
| | | | Tigers | Tigers | 26 | | | | | | |
| Jubilee Oval | Jubilee Oval | Jubilee Oval | Roos | Roos | 16 | | | | | |
| 2 | Cutters | 32 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Tigers | 22 | | | | | | | | |

### Holden Cup squad

The Junior Warriors finished the season in 14th position, with 8 wins, a draw, and 15 losses.

## Club awards

Simon Mannering was named the club's player of the year for a record fifth time. He was also named the clubman of the year. Shaun Johnson won the people's choice award while Nathaniel Roache was the NRL rookie of the year.
Ryan Hoffman was named in the NRL-RLPA academic team of the year, as he was completing a Bachelor of Business. Ben Henry also won a Pasifika leadership and excellence award, which included travel to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to attend lectures.
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was the Intrust Super Premiership NSW player of the year, while James Bell was the teams man of the year.
Chris Sio was the Junior Warriors player of the year and Chanel Harris-Tavita was the Junior Warriors rookie of the year.
Journalist Allen McLaughlin was also awarded a legacy award, after covering all but one of the club's 254 games at the venue since 1995.