Star New Zealand Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson believes there is nothing stopping his side from taking out the 2023 NRL season.
The Warriors endured a tough offshore period in 2022 due to ongoing travel restrictions, winning just six of 24 matches throughout the year.
While the departure of head coach Nathan Brown and several key players also took a toll on the side, it was clear how much the return home meant when they claimed an emphatic 22-2 victory over Wests Tigers in July.
Now back training at Mt Smart Stadium, Johnson believes his side can finally have the fresh start they have been searching for since the pandemic began.
Our ‘23 NRL draw 🗓️ #NRLDraw #NRL pic.twitter.com/A700ffkZua
— One NZ Warriors (@NZWarriors) November 11, 2022
“Being back at preseason, being back at the club and being home … it just feels like a chance at a fresh start,” Johnson told SENZ.
“It’s almost like a re-set for the club and there’s not really any other club that is able to do that right now, so we’ve really tried to attack the start of the preseason.”
After three years in Australia, Johnson says the Warriors will no longer have any excuses for poor performances and will look to start as they mean to go on in the upcoming season.
“I suppose you could look at it like the club has had many excuses into why things haven’t gone right the last few years; the position they’ve been put in, the travel, the uncertainty, everything that’s been spoken about so much,” Johnson added.
“Well for us now, it was about sort of just parking that (and) drawing a line in the sand because there isn’t any excuse of why we shouldn’t do well next year now.
“We’ve got everything we need … we’re all happy, we’re back where we belong, we’re back where we want to be so yeah, just ripping in now.
“That’s probably where I think the importance of us being home … people may not understand that part.”
The Warriors completed the 2022 season in 15th place, just four points ahead of the wooden spooner Tigers.
However, the lone Kiwi franchise will boast 11 home games next season, where they will hope to change their recent fortunes under new head coach Andrew Webster.