'Biggest regret': Tuivasa-Sheck reflects on time at Warriors ahead of Super League move

Departing Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will be remembered as an exceptional captain and club legend.

However, he admits that not being the leader he could have been will be one of his biggest regrets as he prepares for a new journey with Wakefield Trinity in the English Super League.

Across two stints at the Penrose-based club, Tuivasa-Sheck played 158 games and won four Simon Mannering Medals for Player of the Year.

His crowning moment came in 2018, when he became the first Warriors player to win the Dally M Medal as the NRL’s best player.

He joined the Warriors in 2016 after four seasons at the Sydney Roosters and the following year was named captain of the club, a title he held until his departure to rugby union in 2021.

Tuivasa-Sheck returned to the Warriors in 2024, a different player and a different man as he embraced a mentoring role until his time on the field came to an abrupt end when he tore his ACL in his left knee for the second time in his career against the Dragons in May.

Since then, the 33-year-old has been keeping busy working in various media roles with Sky – even having shoulder surgery last month for another injury picked up earlier in the season – and will work through the upcoming Rugby League World Cup before making the move to the north of England at the end of the year.

While he hasn’t had much time to reflect on his time at the Warriors, he admits many memories have come flooding back as he packs away his old jerseys, with his Dally M Medal and last year’s Simon Mannering Medal among the highlights of his illustrious career.

Equally, there are regrets, and speaking to the Herald, Tuivasa-Sheck highlighted how he wishes he had the leadership tools he has now during his earlier years as captain, particularly in the 2018 season when the Warriors made the finals for the first time in seven years after a turbulent period in the club’s history.

“I’m a lot older and wiser now, there’s so many more leadership tools that I have that I wish I had when I was captain of this club back in my day,” Tuivasa-Sheck said.

“I was given the captaincy in 2017 and I wish I had the tools I had then, especially in the 2018 year. I could have used it on the team then and maybe we could have been in a better situation.

“That season [2018] was probably one of my favourite years and a year that got away from our club. We ticked all the right boxes that year and I’m just so gutted we fell short to James Maloney and Penrith.”

When asked to elaborate on his leadership style, Tuivasa-Sheck said his high standards meant he often took on more responsibility himself rather than putting trust in those around him.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck leads the Warriors out against the Broncos in the 2018 NRL season. Photo / Photosport

“A lot of the players back then would understand when I said I had really high expectations and I always wanted to do it at the highest level,” Tuivasa-Sheck said.

“If there was a player that I deemed to not be doing that, then instead of helping him grow, I would do it myself in a way.

“I would take it all on myself. The losses, the wins, I would sit in it deeply and take it all myself, where I feel like if I had a more open leadership approach where I pass on these jobs and I put in a bit more trust, then I would probably allow the players around me, the club, to grow more and we would get more success as a unit instead of just myself.

“I wish I was able to help everyone grow around me instead of, ‘You know what? I will just chase it to the very end on my own.’

“That was probably my biggest regret.”

Tuivasa-Sheck said he managed to learn lots about leadership over the years from his manager Bruce Sharrock to current Warriors coach Andrew Webster and even during his time in the 15-man code.

All of his experiences have seen his leadership style change over the years, which reflects who he is as a person. Back then, his approach was simple: lead by example and expect those around him to follow.

“Back in the days for me as a leader was, ‘Follow me, you know, do what I do and I’m going to go to war and I’m going to put my head down,’” Tuivasa-Sheck said.

“Nowadays it’s about, ‘okay, as a leader, how can I make the people around me grow?’

It is a lesson Tuivasa-Sheck will take into the next chapter of his career, with the veteran set to join Wakefield Trinity after his broadcasting commitments with Sky for the World Cup.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will be part of Sky's coverage for the Rugby League World Cup. Photo / Sky

And even though he was on the sidelines as the Warriors’ NRL season came to a disappointing end, he was still proud of what they achieved and will look back fondly on the way the team continued to grow.

“Very proud of the team that kept on turning up each week,” Tuivasa-Sheck said. “I think just the amount of players getting moved up, down, some good players being left out, but there was no complaints, there was no ill-discipline from the boys as well.

“They just kept at it and they kept pushing each other, especially at training. And seeing the boys become so successful, it was not a surprise.

“Even though at times when the media’s going crazy, the fans are loving us, I just thought the boys were really mature in the way they handled that, when they weren’t getting ahead of themselves.

“I thought this year, really proud of how everyone grew again and that’s exciting for the future for the Warriors.”

The Rugby League World Cup begins on October 15, with the Kiwis facing Australia in Sydney.

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.