NZ Warriors owe debt to highflying 'Zesty Boys' in NRL playoff drive

NZ Warriors v Parramatta Eels

Kickoff 8pm, Friday, 29 August

Go Media Stadium, Auckland

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Zesty (adjective): Full of flavour, full of energy

Without them, NZ Warriors simply would not be where they are today, preparing for a 10th visit to the NRL playoffs in their 31-year history.

Until now, they've simply been covered off by the club's 'next man up' mantra - but they have a name.

"The 'Zesty Boys'," veteran second-rower Kurt Capewell grinned. "That's what they call themselves."

In a season when the Warriors have suffered more than their share of shock retirements, short and long-term injuries, suspensions and player defections, they have somehow managed to keep their premiership hopes alive through the emergence of a new wave of precocious, homegrown talent.

"I think it's massive," star winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck declared after their win over Gold Coast Titans last weekend. "I think that's the reason why we are where we are, because of the young boys pushing us and they're stepping up."

Entering the 2025 campaign, Demitric Vaimauga was the most experienced and probably the most recognisable of the youngsters, even if he had changed his name from Sifakula to honour his mother.

Jacob Laban and Leka Halasima both made their first-grade debuts as teenagers last season, and in recent weeks, they have been joined by Tanner Stowers-Smith and Eddie Ieremia-Toeava.

Five lads with an average age of less than 21, bringing their own vibe to the team on a weekly basis.

A sixth member of the band is centre Patrick Moimoi, 21, who has yet to make his NRL debut.

"They're quite funny, they're very close - and zesty," Capewell revealed. "Everyone has their own definition of zesty, but if you hang around these boys long enough, you'll work it out.

"They're a good group of lads, and they like having a laugh and bringing a lot of energy to our group.

"When someone gets to, not only make their debut, but do their first of everything - as you saw the first try on the weekend and reaction of the team around that - they're special moments and you only get one of the first time of everything, so you've got to enjoy them."

Against Gold Coast Titans, Stowers-Smith made his first NRL start, promoted from the bench before kickoff to replace Vaimauga.

With the win secured, Ieremia-Toeava marked his third appearance in first-grade with his first try. After Halasima made the initial run towards the posts, his mate ran at speed onto a pass from Te Maire Martin to score, with Halasima and Stowers-Smith the first to arrive for the celebration.

"We call him David Goggins," Vaimauga declared. "He's the fittest bloke in the whole of New Zealand, I reckon."

The real Goggins, 50, is a former US Navy SEAL, who was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame for his ultra-distance marathon exploits. He gained further notoriety among the young Warriors for putting UFC champion Israel Adesanya through a brutal workout that had him throwing up in a bucket.

"Eddie got that name in pre-season," Vaimauga continued. "He speaks with his actions and he's everywhere - you find a picture on the field and he's there.

"Coach made [the try] a big thing, but everyone knew he had it in him. The engine on that bloke is crazy - he can play a full 80 in the middle, if he gets the chance."

Capewell agreed.

"He's probably one of the fittest and one of the hardest mentalities in our team," he said. "In pre-season, I don't think he had a day off - stay hard, Goggins."

Coach Andrew Webster had searched for an opportunity to unleash his newest weapon, and it arrived when captain James Fisher-Harris and five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita both succumbed to a calf injuries, and Webster was forced to reshuffle his line-up against the Dolphins.

The door opened a little wider for Ieremia-Toeava, when Laban duly suffered a leg fracture in a 'hipdrop' tackle that would likely keep him sidelined until at least playoffs.

"It's awesome for Eddie to get his opportunity," Webster said. "I think he's been 18th man about six times this season - I think Round 1 he was 18th man, so he's been close.

"We took him off on the weekend, when most people were on their haunches, but he sprinted to the bench. He's that keen, and he's young and he's fit."

Ieremia-Toeava's promotion followed much the same trajectory as his peers, stepping up to fill the voids left by more-established forwards, as they fell by the wayside this season.

Incumbent skipper Tohu Harris retired during the off-season and three games in, utility Dylan Walker asked to return across the Tasman, where he was immediately snapped up by Parramatta Eels.

Trying to back up from State of Origin duties, co-captain Mitch Barnett blew out his knee, while suspensions to Fisher-Harris and Jackson Ford, and the need to station Capewell in the centres opened up more minutes for the young guns.

"They might have got them eventually, but these boys have worked so hard and they put their best feet forward through the pre-season," Capewell insisted. "They trained on and played really well in reserve grade, and we've seen how well they've gone there.

"It makes a successful club when you've got players who can slot into your NRL team, not only when they come into the team when someone's injured, but just the way we train.

"They are quality opposition to train against. Iron sharpens iron and they've played a really big part in getting us to where we are today."

The Warriors have wisely tied the youngsters up for the long haul. Last December, Vaimauga signed a contract extension through the 2028 season, a four-year deal then matched only by that of Fisher-Harris.

In May, Halasima and Laban surpassed that benchmark, re-signing through 2029. The following month, Stowers-Smith also inked until the end of 2028, while Ieremia-Toeava was elevated from a development deal to the full-time squad for the next two years.

Their journeys haven't always been smooth. Since his stupendous gamewinning try against Newcastle Knights last month, Halasima - hotly tipped to take out NRL Rookie of the Year honours - has seen a dip in his playing minutes, as Webster tries to manage his progress.

The following week, as the Warriors mounted a comeback against the Titans, the prodigy had to sit the final minutes with cramp. He was left writhing in agony on the ground, as the Dolphins ran in their last-gasp winner six days later.

"Leka's going to be an 80-minute star," Webster said. "I'm not saying I'm smart, but the smart ones bring them along at the right time.

"They have to play 80 sometimes, because of injuries, but then you've got to pull them back.

"I think you saw, a couple of weeks ago here at home, he dropped the ball almost every time he caught it - that's where he's at in his career.

"His tackling at times is great and other times it's not. We're not OK with it, but we understand that's where he's at and we're patient."

Webster observed the Zesty Boys were lucky to have hardened campaigners like Fisher-Harris, Barnett, Capewell and Marata Niukore to oversee their development, but they also took some of that responsibility upon themselves.

"We actually have a little group of the field, a little emerging leaders group that they're part off, where they talk about their journey - what they're going through, their good stuff, their not-so-good stuff - and their experiences help each other.

"The best part about that group is they're probably the most honest with each other. When you come through with your brother, you're not scared to tell him what you think, whereas someone you meet for the first time, you take your time.

"These guys give each other real honest feedback and it's a bonus that they're all doing it together. They've got great leaders, but they're leading each other as well.

"Everyone talks about a leadership group at the top, but you forget that everyone at our club gets the opportunity to lead and these guys are outstanding at it, if you give them the voice and the time."

Sharing that pathway with your mates has made a big different to these stars of the present and future.

"Tanner and Eddie are kind of new to NRL, but they don't look out of place and they're picking it up pretty quick," Vaimauga said. "We just lean on each other and take parts of our games from each other, learning off each other.

"Obviously, we have that next-man-up mentality and who ever's got that jersey has a job to do, but the system allows them to do it well."

Given their setbacks, the Warriors have done incredibly well to still contend for a top-four spot heading into the postseason and that may be just a taste of things to come, as these 'Boys' continue to learn their craft.

"I love them, I love the way they play," Webster said. "Those young guys on the run home are so important - they give you enthusiasm.

"Some of them haven't been in this arena before, so it's nice that they bring that energy.

"While they're not experienced, they're also not scared of anything."

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