LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
On the chilly field in Auckland, a seemingly despondent talent scout for the Warriors bemoaned the recent loss of a promising young player to a rival NRL club.
This unfortunate occurrence seemed to happen all too often, with the club's lack of a robust junior pathway proving to be an ongoing struggle.
Throughout their 30-season existence, the Warriors had constantly found themselves at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in New South Wales and Queensland.
This disadvantage led many local teenagers to face a difficult choice: venture across the Tasman Sea to Australia and compete against the best in their age group, or take the risk of staying in New Zealand and potentially missing out on valuable development opportunities.
History had shown that a significant number had chosen the former option.
However, a glimmer of hope was now on the horizon as the Warriors embarked on their largest pathway development endeavor to date.
This bold move would allow them to field teams in the prestigious Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) and Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) of the New South Wales Rugby League for the very first time.