2026 Selection table: Halves

Depth galore and plenty of promise on the horizon...but the club's immediate playmaking fortunes apparently rest on the injury-hampered Luke Metcalf.

For all the current Warriors squad’s virtues under Andrew Webster and the club’s trajectory, their 2026 NRL campaign seems to hinge precariously on the health of a player with just 15 starts in the No.7 jersey who won’t be available until the second half of April.

Luke Metcalf was bullish about wanting to be the player to step into Shaun Johnson’s shoes last season, despite never having lined up at halfback in the NRL – and he ultimately lived up to his own hype as one of the individual stars of the first four months of the 2025 season.

Following an encouraging but patchy start, the fleet-footed Metcalf – who had been restricted to just seven top-grade appearances the previous season – found his groove in the high-pressure position and was integral to the Warriors’ historic 10-3 start.

Metcalf’s early standout moments predominantly stemmed from his support play and speed, but he gradually became more confident in taking on the line and making things happen, compiling a mouth-watering highlights reel. His ball-playing and kicking game was serviceable, though far from elite.

Though his goalkicking strike-rate was a dismal 67 percent, he stepped up in the clutch with a 50-metre golden point penalty goal against the Broncos and a match-winning field goal against the Dragons.

The livewire stormed to the lead in the Dally M Medal standings with eight tries and nine try assists…until a shattering ACL injury in Round 15 cut his season short and stalled the Warriors’ campaign.

Metcalf is slated for a Round 7-10 return. There has to be question marks firstly over his ability to hit the ground running when he is back so far into the season, and secondly his long-term viability after suffering a serious leg injury for the fourth straight season (and his second ACL, having also done it back in 2019) – with only 41 NRL games to his name and on the verge of turning 27.

Nevertheless, his decision to recommit to the Warriors until 2028 – after rumours swirled he was set to test the open market on November 1 last year – was justifiably met with widespread applause from the fanbase. With quality playmakers a rare commodity around the NRL and the Warriors’ promising halves still some way off, Metcalf shapes as the team’s main man for the time being…fitness permitting.

Chanel Harris-Tavita tended to polarise fans a bit in 2025 – which I find strange, given he played all but one game, scored eight tries (double his next best career tally) and racked up 18 try assists, playing alongside a novice No.7 who suffered a season-ending injury halfway through the year.