Up the Wahs!
Alex Powell - NZ Warriors
No team took their fans on a more enjoyable ride in 2023 than the Warriors, who revitalised the love for rugby league on this side of the Tasman.
After the historic low of 2022, the Warriors rebounded under new coach Andrew Webster, winning 16 regular season games to finish fourth on the NRL ladder - but it wasn't just 'what' the Warriors did, it was 'how' they did it.
After three seasons based in Australia, Webster's men tapped into their fanatical fanbase, rewarding the diehard fans - those rediscovering their love for the game - and those jumping on the bandwagon for the first time.
At the end of the day, all fans want is to be proud of their team. In 2023, the Warriors did all that and more.
William Hewett - NZ Warriors
How could New Zealand's team of the year not be the Warriors?
They captured the attention of the country, whether it was the resurgence of Shaun Johnson, new head coach Andrew Webster or the 'Up the Wahs' catchcry, the Auckland side had a season to remember.
The resurgence was remarkable, given the Warriors had only made the top eight once in their previous 11 seasons.
No, they didn't win the NRL and claim their first-ever premiership, but Webster's team went from a team that recorded their worst-ever finish of 15th in 2022 to falling one game short of the Grand Final.
They're not only New Zealand's team of the year, but also New Zealand's feelgood story of 2023.
Grant Chapman - NZ Breakers
Amid all the much-deserved hype over the Warriors revival, spare a thought for the Breakers, who actually started from further behind the startline and went further into the post-season - without the fancy catchcry.
Rallying from bottom of the 2021/22 ANBL with their worst record ever, they improved within a game of capturing a fifth championship against Sydney Kings under new coach Mody Maor.
More importantly, after a couple of horrible years marooned across the Tasman during COVID, captain Tom Abercrombie remembered how to smile again.
Their credentials have suffered a blow with in indifferent, injury-plagued start to the new season, but let's briefly relish the strides they made and hope they can rekindle their title hopes, once fully fit.
Sullivan Harnett - NZ Warriors
A bit controversial to some and you can rip me out if you want, but I'm going with the Warriors too.
After five years of tough times, they finally reached the playoffs, making it all the way to the semi-finals, before being handed a lesson by Brisbane Broncos.
What tops off their performance is the 'Up the Wahs' movement that came with the boys' success on the field.
New Zealanders getting behind their team and the sport they way they did was simply amazing to watch and be a part of.
Stephen Foote - NZ Warriors
The most loyal fanbase in NZ sports has also been its longest suffering, which is why the Warriors' remarkable resurgence felt like that such a watershed moment on the Kiwi sportingscape this year.
From wooden spoon contenders to premiership contenders, inspirational new head coach Andrew Webster engineered one of the most jawdropping transformations in recent NZ sporting history, as the Warriors exploded to life as one of the most consistent and talented teams in one of the planet's most competitive leagues.
From Shaun Johnson's renaissance to DWZ's high-flying exploits, they did it with a joy that made Mt Smart the hottest ticket in the country, in turn providing New Zealand with an overdue reminder of how great life is when the Warriors are winning.
With RTS and CHT returning, as well as Kurt Capewell entering the fray, there's no reason why they can't raise the bar even further in '24.
After last season, that famous preseason catchcry of 'our year' won't be carrying even the faintest hint of satire.
Up the Wahs indeed.
Grant Chapman - NZ Kiwis & Kiwi Ferns
Yeah sure, up the Wahs and all that... but rugby league's post-COVID recovery didn't stop at Mt Smart.
After their disappointments at last year's Rugby League World Cup, the national men's and women's teams entered the inaugural Pacific Championships with their own points to prove against the high-flying Aussies.
Both lost to their trans-Tasman rivals in preliminary games, but saved their best for the finals at Hamilton, where the Ferns broke a seven-year winning drought against the Jillaroos.
Not to be overshadowed, the Kiwis - 20-point losers just seven days earlier - completed a 50-point turnaround, imposing a record defeat on the Kangaroos, who - literally - had no answer to the onslaught, despite resting their key forwards from the previous encounter.
Losing Aussie coach Michael Maguire to State of Origin was disappointing, but realistically, he had used his time with the NZ team was a career steppingstone and it's now time to put them back in Kiwi hands.
Tia McDougall - NZ Warriors
Winning 17 from 27 games, moving from a 15th place finish in 2022 to fourth on the NRL ladder, three NRL Dally M winners including the coach of the year, and creating a global 'Up the Wahs' bandwagon for all to enjoy, it really couldn't be any other team than the Warriors.
With the boot of Shaun Johnson and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak planting it in the corner every other week, the Warriors' incredible fine-tuned skills provided not only entertainment but faith for fans; a belief that this side could make it to the Grand Final... and I'm sure they will in 2024.
Newshub Sport wishes you a Merry Christmas... see you in the New Year!
