Warriors - 2015

An NRL top-four finish beckoned for the Warriors in 2015, but a crushing injury setback set a familiar tale of late-season woe in motion.

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Seemingly well-placed after an admirable revival under Andrew McFadden’s coaching, the Warriors still carried a familiar millstone into 2015 – and the inconsistent label was only branded deeper and more painfully onto the club’s backside during another season of searing highs and depressing lows.

But more vigorous roster changes raised early-season optimism. Enigmatic ball-player Feleti Mateo’s best games had become increasingly less frequent and he was joined out the exit door by fellow back-rower Jayson Bukuya, who returned to Cronulla after an underwhelming one-year stint in Auckland. They were replaced by industrious, experienced duo Ryan Hoffman and Bodene Thompson to ease the workload burden on Simon Mannering and provide greater reliability and mobility to the pack.

The 31-year-old Hoffman – a five-time grand finalist with Melbourne and an incumbent NSW and Australia rep – was also expected to bring much-needed professionalism and a winner’s mentality to Penrose.