The 2013 New Zealand Warriors season was the nineteenth season in the club's history. Coached by Matthew Elliott and captained by Simon Mannering, the Warriors competed in the National Rugby League's

2013 Telstra Premiership The 2013 NRL season was the 106th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia. The National Rugby League's main competition, named the 2013 Telstra Premiership after major sponsors Telstra Corporation, was contested by sixtee ...

. They finished the regular season in 11th (out of 16 teams), failing to make the finals for the second consecutive year.

Milestones

*12 October 2012: Matthew Elliot was appointed coach for the next two seasons. *16 January: Simon Mannering is reconfirmed as captain for the 2013 season. *9 February - All Stars match:

Feleti Mateo Feleti Sosefo Mateo (born 2 June 1984) is a former Tonga international rugby league footballer. He played a variety of positions from and five-eighth. Mateo was also selected to represent NSW City Origin and the NRL All Stars. He last played ...

and

Shaun Johnson Shaun Johnson (born 9 September 1990) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL) and the New Zealand Kiwis at international level. He has played pr ...

represent the NRL All Stars team and Dane Nielsen represents the Indigenous All Stars in the

2013 All Stars match The 2013 All Stars Match was the fourth of the annual representative exhibition matches played between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars team which was held on 9 February 2013. Once again the players were selected through a voti ...

. *9 March - Round 1: Dane Nielsen and

Todd Lowrie Todd Lowrie (born 14 July 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He played at and and played for the Newcastle Knights, Parramatta Eels, Melbourne Storm, New Zealand Warriors and Brisbane Broncos. Early years In ...

made their debuts for the club. *24 March - Round 3: Ngani Laumape made his first grade debut. *19–21 April: The Warriors provided 7 players to the three representative matches held over the weekend.

Ben Matulino Ben Andrew Matulino (born 3 January 1989) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s as a or . He played for the New Zealand Warriors and the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League, NRL, ...

Elijah Taylor Elijah Taylor may refer to: * Elijah Taylor (rugby league) (born 1990), New Zealand rugby league player * Elijah Taylor (Australian footballer) Elijah Taylor (born 1 May 2001) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney S ...

and

played for New Zealand,

Glen Fisiiahi Glen Fisiiahi (born 2 December 1990) is a rugby league and rugby union footballer of Tongan and Niue descent. He previously played rugby league professionally for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League where he played as a an ...

and

Siliva Havili Siliva Havili (born 18 February 1993) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both Tonga and New Zealand at international level. He pre ...

played for Tonga, Carlos Tuimavave played for Samoa and

played for City. *11 May - Round 9:

Suaia Matagi Suaia Matagi (born 23 March 1988), also known by the nickname of "Sui", is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Castleford Tigers in the Betfred Super League. He is both a New Zealand and Samoan international. He pr ...

made his first grade debut. *18 May - Round 10:

plays in his 150th NRL match. The Warriors lose 6-62 to the Penrith Panthers, their largest ever loss in the club's history. *3 June - Round 12: Jacob Lillyman played in his 150th NRL match,

played in his 50th NRL match and

Dominique Peyroux Dominique Peyroux (born 21 January 1989) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward or for Toulouse Olympique in the Betfred Championship. He has played for the Cook Islands and Samoa at international level. He previousl ...

made his debut for the club. *7 July - Round 17:

Charlie Gubb Charlie Gubb is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Widnes Vikings in the Super League. Early years Gubb, of Māori descent, attended Wellington College and played for their first XV rugby union te ...

made his debut for the club. *7 September - Round 26: Sio Siua Taukeiaho made his debut for the club. Jacob Lillyman played in his 100th match for the club. *October - November: 15 players from the club participated in the World Cup: Kevin Locke,

Manu Vatuvei Manu Mapuhola Mafi-Vatuvei (born 4 March 1986), also known by the nickname "The Beast", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and convicted methamphetamine importer who was both a Tonga and New Zealand international repres ...

Thomas Leuluai Thomas James Leuluai (born 22 June 1985) is a New Zealand professional rugby league coach who is the assistant coach of the Wigan Warriors in the Betfred Super League and a former professional rugby league footballer who played for New Zealand ...

, Simon Mannering,

(New Zealand),

Pita Godinet Pita Godinet (born 21 December 1987) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Dapto Canaries in the Illawarra Rugby League. Background Godinet was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Early years Godinet is a Syde ...

Michael Sio Michael Sio (born 16 May 1993) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who was most recently contracted to Wakefield Trinity ( Heritage № 1360) in the Super League. He primarily plays as a , and has represented Samoa at the 2013 Rugb ...

(Samoa),

Konrad Hurrell Konileti "Konrad" Hurrell (born 5 August 1991) is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for St Helens in the Super League and Tonga at international level. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and the G ...

(Tonga),

Hikule'o Malu Hikule'o Malu (Eko Malu) is a New Zealand rugby league player who represented the Cook Islands national rugby league team in the 2013 World Cup. Playing career A Mangere East Hawks junior, Malu was educated at Aorere College. He was signed by ...

(Cook Islands).

Jersey and sponsors

Fixtures

Pre-season training

Pre-season training began on 5 November 2012. Australian wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter Brad Morris was employed on the Warriors coaching staff. The team was based at the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health and North Harbour Stadium during the pre-Christmas period.Vodafone Warriors fire up for 2013 season
''warriors.co.nz'', 5 November 2012 Four players joined the squad on pre-season trial contracts;

, Atelea Nafetalai,

Nathaniel Peteru Nathaniel Peteru (born 1 January 1992) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who last played as a and forward for the Leigh Leopards in the Betfred Super League. He previously played for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL, and ...

Pre-season matches

Regular season

The Warriors will play ten home matches at

Mount Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium (formerly known as Ericsson Stadium) is a multipurpose stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League, and occasionally hosts rugby union and internatio ...

, one at

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

and another at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. This will be the Warriors first home match held outside of Auckland.

Ladder

Squad

Staff

*Chief Executive Officer: Wayne Scurrah *General Manager: Don Mann Jr *General Manager Football Operations:

Dean Bell Dean Bell, also known by the nicknames of "Mean Dean", and "Deano", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, and coach. A New Zealand international representative centre, he played his club football in England, Australia a ...

*Medical Services Manager: John Mayhew *Welfare and Education Manager:

Jerry Seuseu Jerry Seuseu (born 19 April 1974) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, as a . He represented New Zealand and Samoa at international level. After retirement he became Wellbeing and Educa ...

*Media and Communications Manager: Richard Becht

Coaching staff

*NRL Head Coach: Matthew Elliott *NRL Assistant Coach:

Andrew McFadden Andrew McFadden (born 20 January 1978) is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player. He is an assistant coach at the Canberra Raiders in the NRL. Early life Born in Canberra, Australia. McFadden was educated at Hawker Colleg ...

*NRL Assistant Coach: Ricky Henry *NYC Head Coach: John Ackland *NYC Assistant Coach: Kelvin Wright *Junior Recruitment and Pathways Coach: Stacey JonesJones returns to Warriors in coaching & development role
''rleague.com'', 12 November 2012

Strength and Conditioning

*Strength and Conditioning Coach: Carl Jennings *Strength and Conditioning Coach:

Ruben Wiki Ruben James Wiki (born 21 January 1973) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative centre-turned-prop forward, he retired with the record for most ...

*Sports Science Manager: Brad Morris *Rehab and Speed Coach: Dayne Norton *Performance Analyst: Adam Sadler

Transfers

Gains

Losses

Other teams

The Junior Warriors again competed in the

Holden Cup The NRL Under-20s (known commercially as the Holden Cup due to sponsorship from Holden) was the top league of professional rugby league for players aged 20 years or younger in Australasia. Contested by sixteen teams, the Under-20s competition co ...

while senior players who were not required for the first team played with the

Auckland Vulcans The Auckland Vulcans were an Auckland based rugby league club that participated in the New South Wales Cup. They were administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team was selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial C ...

in the NSW Cup.

Holden Cup Squad

In John Ackland's last season with the club, the Junior Warriors made the grand final, before losing 30-42 to the Penrith Panthers juniors. Grand Final team:

David Fusitua David Fusitu'a (born 16 October 1994) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for Leeds Rhinos in Super League and for both Tonga national rugby league team, Tonga and New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand a ...

, Metia Lisati, Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard, Ngataua Hukatai, Viliami Lolohea,

Tuimoala Lolohea Tuimoala Lolohea (born 23 January 1995) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Huddersfield Giants in the Betfred Super League. He has played for both New Zealand and Tonga at international level. Lolohea previou ...

, Mason Lino,

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

, Albert Vete,

Raymond Faitala-Mariner Raymond Faitala-Mariner (born 26 July 1993) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL. He has played for both Samoa and New Zealand at international level. He previously ...

and

David Bhana David Bhana (born 13 January 1993) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer. He plays at . He previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. Background Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Bhana is of Indian, a ...

(c). Bench: Eko Malu,

Sam Lisone Sam Lisone (born 19 February 1994), also known by the nickname of "Slammin'", is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and the ...

, Kouma Samson,

Solomone Kata Solomone Kata (born 3 December 1994) is a Tongan professional dual-code rugby player who plays as a wing for Gallagher Premiership club Leicester Tigers and the Tonga national team. Prior to rugby union, Kata played rugby league for the Ne ...

. Seventeen Junior Warriors attended an NRL rookie camp on 24 and 25 November 2012. They were Vincent Afoa, Katamiro Atera, Trent Bishop,

, Sione Feao,

, Ngani Laumape, Mason Lino,

, Kouma Samson, Kurt Robinson, Lafu Feagaiga, Tama Koopu, Kenneth Maumalo, Eric Newbigging, Sam Cook and Esera Esera.

Vulcans squad

The Vulcans were coached by

Willie Swann Willie Swann (born 1974) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and coach of Samoan heritage. He currently coaches the Auckland Vulcans in the New South Wales Cup. He is a former Samoa international and vice-captain. He a ...

, who was assisted by Brent Gemmel. The Vulcans made the finals, losing to the Wests Tigers 24-34 in an elimination final. The 2013 squad was Aaron Nootai,

Agnatius Paasi Agnatius Paasi (born 30 November 1991) is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for St Helens in the Betfred Super League and Tonga at international level. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in two separ ...

, Atelea Nafetalai, Daniel Palavi, Murray Iti,

, Steve Waetford,

Tangi Ropati Tangi Ropati (born November 15, 1984) is a former Samoa national rugby league team, Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays for the Marist Saints in the Fox Memorial. He usually plays as a or . Background Ropati was born in New Z ...

and Zoram Watene. In addition, the Vulcans were able to select players contracted to the Warriors and not selected for first grade, including four under 20 players; Ngani Laumape,

, Trent Bishop and Visesio Setefano.

was named the player of the year, ahead of runner up

John Palavi John Palavi is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and the Limoux Grizzlies in the Elite One Champion ...

was named the rookie of the year.

Awards

Captain Simon Mannering won the Player of the Year award while Ngani Laumape won Rookie of the Year. The Clubman of the Year was

and

won the People's Player of the Year, decided by public vote.

Jerome Ropati Jerome Ropati (born 23 November 1984) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played his entire career for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). Ropati also represented New Zealand, and was a memb ...

was presented with a special Legacy Award.Mannering wins Warriors Player of the Year
''voxy.co.nz'', 24 September 2013

References

External links

''rugby league project'' {{NZ Warriors New Zealand Warriors seasons New Zealand Warriors season Warriors season