The 2014 New Zealand Warriors season was the 20th in the club's history. Coached by Matthew Elliott until he was replaced by

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 ...

in Round 6, and captained by Simon Mannering, the Warriors competed in the National Rugby League's 2014 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season 9th out of 16 teams, failing to make the finals for the third consecutive year. In the pre-season the Warriors also had competed in the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines tournament.

Milestones

*9 March - Round 1: Four players made their club debuts for the Warriors; Sam Tomkins, Chad Townsend, Jayson Bukuya and

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 ...

. *15 March - Round 2:

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 ...

made his NRL debut. *7 April: Head coach Matthew Elliott resigned as head coach.Elliott quits as Warriors coach
''nzherald.co.nz'', 7 April 2014

was made acting coach. *13 April - Round 6:

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 ...

made his NRL debut. *2 May:

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 ...

Ben Henry Ben Henry is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand and played for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition. Henry was a utility player who could fill in at and . Early ...

, Simon Mannering and

played for New Zealand in the

2014 ANZAC Test The 2014 Anzac Test was a rugby league test match played between Australia and New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on 2 May 2014. It was the 15th Anzac Test played between the two nations since the first was played under the Super League ...

. *3 May:

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

and Carlos Tuimavave represented Samoa in the Pacific International. *13 May: Andrew McFadden was appointed head coach until the end of the 2017 season. *1 June - Round 12: Simon Mannering played in his 200th match for the club, and his 100th as club captain.

Nathan Friend Nathan "The Hobbit" Friend (born 28 February 1981 in Toowoomba, Queensland) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL). He previously played for the Brisb ...

also played in his 50th game for the club. *19 July - Round 19:

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 ...

made his NRL debut. *27 July - Round 20:

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 ...

made his NRL debut. *24 August - Round 24:

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, ...

played in his 150th match for the club. He is the first NYC graduate from any club to reach the milestone. *18 October:

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 ...

and Adam Tuimavave-Gerard played for the Junior Kiwis. * Sam Tomkins represented England, Simon Mannering,

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 ...

and

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 ...

represented New Zealand and

and

represented Samoa in the end of year Four Nations tournament.

Jersey and sponsors

Fixtures

Pre-season training

Pre-season training began on 28 October 2013.Your club's pre-season guide
''nrl.com'', 1 November 2013

Pre-season matches

The Warriors played the Gold Coast Titans at North Harbour Stadium on 9 February and the Brisbane Broncos at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 23 February. The Warriors also played the

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors are a professional rugby league club in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the Super League. Formed in 1872 as Wigan Football Club, Wigan was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby ...

on Wednesday 12 February, in a warm up game before Wigan competes in the

2014 World Club Challenge The 2014 World Club Challenge was the 15th consecutive annual (and 22nd overall) World Club Challenge and was contested by Super League XVIII champions, Wigan Warriors and 2013 NRL Premiers, the Sydney Roosters. The 2014 World Club Challenge mar ...

Auckland Nines

The Warriors were coached by Ricky Henry. The squad consisted of Jayson Bukuya,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Sebastine Ikahihifo Sebastine Ikahihifo (born 27 January 1991) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the Huddersfield Giants in the Betfred Super League. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. Backg ...

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 ...

, Ngani Laumape,

Sione Lousi Sione Lousi (born 8 October 1989) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup. He has played in the National Rugby League (NRL) for the New Zealand Warriors. Background He ...

, Sam Tomkins, Carlos Tuimavave. At the conclusion of the weekend Shaun Johnson was named the tournament's MVP and Suaia Matagi was named in the team of the tournament.

Regular season

The Warriors played eight 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 ...

, three 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. Their loss to the Panthers in the final round saw the Warriors finish the season in 9th place, only just missing out on the finals. This was an improvement on their 11th-placed finish in 2013 and their 14th-placed finish in 2012.

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:

*NRL Assistant Coach: Ricky Henry *NRL Assistant Coach: Adam Mogg *NSW Cup Head Coach:

Rohan Smith Rohan H. Smith (born 31 May 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Debuting in 1992 after being recruited around 1990, Smith has long been one of the Bulldogs' favourite sons, with his reputation r ...

Mann and Smith return to club
''thewarriors.com.au'', 29 September 2013 *NSW Assistant Coach: Willie Swan *NYC Head Coach: Stacey Jones *NYC Assistant Coach: Kelvin Wright *Academy and Pathways Manager:

Duane Mann Duane Darrin Mann (born 28 June 1965) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s, and coached in the 2000s. A Tonga and New Zealand international representative , he captained both sides. Mann played his ...

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 Warriors entered a team into the NSW Cup for the first time. The team replaced 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 ...

, who the club previously helped to fund. 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 ...

NSW Cup squad

The NSW Cup side were coached by

. It was the first time that the team had a full-time coach. In June the team took a match to Gisborne's Rugby Park. The side finished eighth in regular season and made the finals, defeating the Mount Pritchard Mounties 36-28 in the elimination finals. They were eliminated the next week, losing 12-29 to the

Illawarra Cutters The Illawarra Rugby League Football Club were an Australian rugby league football club based in Illawarra formed in 2012. Originally known as the Illawarra Cutters, they became known as the Illawarra RLFC before the 2017 Intrust Super Premiershi ...

was named in the NSW Cup team of the year.

Holden Cup Squad

The Junior Warriors won the

by defeating the Brisbane Broncos 34-32 in the grand final.Warriors survive Broncos scare to win Holden Cup
''nrl.com'', 5 October 2014 The Junior Warriors had finished eighth in the regular season, just qualifying for the finals series. In the finals they defeated the Sydney Roosters 44-30 in the elimination finals. The Grand Final team was:

Brad Abbey Brad Abbey (born 30 December 1996) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in the NSW Cup. Abbey previously played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Canberra Raiders and Sydney ...

, Ngataua Hukatai,

Nathaniel Roache Nathaniel Roache is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors and the Parramatta Eels in the NRL. Back ...

, Paul Ulberg,

Mason Lino Mason Lino (born 4 February 1994) is a Samoan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a and for Wakefield Trinity in the Betfred Super League and Samoa at the international level. He previously played for the New Zealand Warriors ...

(c),

(c), Kurt Robinson, Kouma Samson, Michael Ki, Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard,

Jazz Tevaga Jazz Iosefa Tevaga (born 4 September 1995) is a Samoa national rugby league team, Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a and for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). Early years Tevaga was born in ...

. Interchange: James Bell,

Toafofoa Sipley Toafofoa Sipley (born 5 January 1995) is a Niue national rugby league team, Niue international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League, NRL. He previously played for the New Zeal ...

, Ken Maumalo, Iulio Afoa. Coach: Stacey Jones.

was named at prop in the

team of the year.Holden Cup Team of the Year Announced
''rugbyleagueweek.com.au'', 2 September 2014

won the

Jack Gibson Jack Gibson may refer to: * Jack Gibson (rugby league) (1929–2008), Australian player and coach * Jack Stanley Gibson (1909–2005), Irish physician * Jack Gibson (ice hockey, born 1880) (1880–1955), ice hockey player and executive * Jack Gibson ...

Medal as the grand final player of the match.

Awards

Simon Mannering was named the NRL Player of the Year and also received a Legacy award.

won the People's Choice Award while

was the Club Person of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year. David Fusitu’a was the NRL Rookie of the Year.Vodafone Warriors RED BALL Awards
''warriors.co.nz'', 16 September 2014 The NSW Cup Player of the Year was

, who also won the NSW Cup Players' Player of the Year award.

was the NSW Cup Rookie of the Year.

won the NYC Player of the Year and NYC Players' Player of the Year awards while

was the NYC Rookie of the Year.

References

External links

Warriors 2014 season
''rugby league project'' {{NZ Warriors New Zealand Warriors seasons New Zealand Warriors season Warriors season