New Zealand Warriors - 2003

The 2003 Warriors navigated big-name departures and injury absences to get to within one game of another NRL decider.

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Despite falling short in the 2002 grand final, the Warriors were the toast of the NRL for finally channelling their unpredictability and attacking sorcery into consistent results. But on top of heightened expectations, their follow-up campaign shaped as a huge challenge from a playing personnel perspective.

The salary cap squeeze saw solid contributors David Myles (41 games) and Justin Morgan (28 games) join Kevin Campion and Ivan Cleary in the departures column. Boom outside-back Shontayne Hape – after lasting just two minutes of the ’02 campaign – joined Braford, where he went on to win two Super League titles and 14 Kiwis caps.