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September 4, 2026 • 13 mins

The Warriors are in a rare position. 

They're sitting atop the NRL ladder, points differential putting them just ahead of the Panthers, and have a solid shot at the minor premiership. 

They face the Manly Sea Eagles this afternoon, and a big win will go a long way to helping them secure the title they haven't won since 2002. 

Former Warrior Clinton Toopi told Piney it's exciting to see 'consistency' and 'Warriors' used in the same conversation. 

He says it's a beautiful thing and something to be proud of, and even in his era they probably didn't have the same consistency this current team has been able to produce. 

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Pine
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Warriors have the chance to make some NRL history this weekend.
If they beat Manly this afternoon by a bigger margin
than Penrith beat the Tigers tomorrow, the Warriors will claim
the minor premiership for just the second time, emulating the
2002 side, which went all the way to the grand final.
Let's bring in a genuine Warriors legend. Clinton Torpey was

(00:36):
a huge part of that 2002 side. He played 26
of the side's 27 games that season and topped the
try scoring list with 18, including an iconic try in
the preliminary final against Cronulla, which propelled the Warriors to
their first ever grand final.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Now it's gone from Jones.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
And oh! A real good catch and pass by Cleary
has given them a chance, the Warriors.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Torpey!

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Torpey will make it!

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Torpey! Did he land on the line? I fancy that
he has. This will be a try.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Across eight seasons at the Warriors, he played 129 NRL games,
scoring 57 tries, the eighth most by any Warrior in
their history. He also had time with the Leeds Rhinos
and the Gold Coast Titans and played 22 times for
the Kiwis, twice scoring a hat-trick of tries against Australia
in 2003 and again in 2005. He was, without a doubt,

(01:31):
one of the best centres ever. in the world. Clinton
Torpy is with us. Great to get the chance to
chat to you this afternoon, Clinton. As you've watched The
Warriors in 2026, how much has it brought back memories
of 2002 for you?

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Oh, look, yeah, that intro too, you just, you know,
made my head even bigger. I usually can't get into hats,
but now I definitely won't be able to get into hats.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
But look, on a.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Serious note, watching this outfit, on and off the field,
what they've been able to create in terms of successes,
the momentum. It's awesome to watch as a supporter and
as an ex-player. It doesn't bring up any memories of
what we created by any means, but it's just exciting

(02:27):
to know that consistency and the Warriors in the same
conversation is just a beautiful thing to be proud of.
You know, I think even in my era when we
had some successes, we probably didn't have the consistency that
these boys have been able to produce over, what, 20-plus games.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
And that's a huge feat in itself to be the best.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Defensive, the best attacking by one point, if my stats
tell me right.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
And their completions are the highest of any team.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
And I'd say probably the fastest modern era of NRL,
I think that speaks for itself.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, you've nailed it with the consistency. That, I think,
is the hallmark of this side. And of course, any
team that's at the top of the table is going
to have to produce that consistency. What parts of the
game specifically, Clinton, have you enjoyed watching from the Warriors?

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Oh, just the ferocity, you know, the way that they're
just bashing teams apart. The physicality, the way they're consistently
holding that level of standards. I only got to think
back to the Penrith Panthers. Nobody does that to the
Penrith Panthers. The way we go with physical, no one

(03:52):
drives tall back. No one holds their back five in
their own 20, let alone 30. And that just signified
their standing in the top four. And I think, you know,
as an ex-player, you watch that and you see how
those battle of attrition come down to the physicality and

(04:15):
being able to maintain that physicality for the 80 minutes.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
And they did not let off.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
And I know there might have been a couple of
tries scored late, but that was no way an indication
of how that game really was if we were, you know,
the ones that know and love their rugby league. I
was just admiring the way they held their own and
they continue to do it each week.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
There have been a lot of standout performers. One player, though,
turning a lot of heads is Leka Halasima. What have
you made of his development? And does he remind you
a little bit of Ali Lawatiti?

Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, look, I almost think he's one in his own.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
Ali seemed like he had.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
And I'm not taking away anything from Ali because Ali
was probably, in my eyes, one of the best players
I've ever got to play with.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
But Nick is kind of, he's got pretty much everything.

Speaker 1 (05:13):
You know, he's explosive, he's powerful, he's fast, he's strong, he's,
you know, he's tall and he's got a body built for,
you know, both sides of the pack, you know, the
forwards and the outside backs. And I think You know,
seeing him play in the centres is very exciting. And,

(05:38):
you know, some of the players, the centres that he's
come up against, they're top tier. They're world-class centres. And
they're nervous. And they're trying to put some shots on him.
And he's just flicking them off like they're, you know,
little kids.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
And just seeing him grow in confidence and, you know,
be a standout for the players. Like, we all knew
that he was a unique specimen. But, you know, coming
in and hold a position that he's not familiar with and,
you know, make it his own, you know, in this
point in time and their team wouldn't be an easy

(06:15):
thing to do.

Speaker 3 (06:15):
But the way Webby has.

Speaker 1 (06:17):
Created a system, a structure that fits the mould of
every single athlete that's in that team, they centre Joel
and buy in and that next mentality is next man
up mentality has been a, you know, something to behold
where you think you know what are we we're at
the third or fourth string half and it's nice to

(06:40):
have the combination of chance and all those boys come
back to the fold and um you know at the
right time so no it's exciting times leading into what
will be the business end of the season.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
Absolutely right yeah that next man up mentality is another
hallmark of this team isn't it clinton you know you
look at the guys who have had to step up
and as you say yeah i don't know how many
halfbacks they've used this year but they all seem capable
of slotting in what's it like in a playing group
when um you know you have key players go down
injured how do you wrap the support around the bloke
coming in and make sure that they immediately feel at

(07:14):
home in first grade.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
I think what's been good i think the whole cultural
of it all you've got to think of the the
pathways that they've got in place so the system so
having the team in the New South Wales Cup and,
you know, the younger grades below that, having them, you know,
being a part of playing against men. So there'll be
ex-NRL players down in the New South Wales Cup. So

(07:39):
I think a lot of times we see what's happening
around the top, but not really behind the scenes or
down below where a lot of these boys are.

Speaker 3 (07:47):
You know, learning their craft. You've got to look at
the Jet Clearies and everything else.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
Like those kinds of guys didn't just turn up here
and now they've slotted into, you know, NRL straight away,
they've been crafting out. Tanner Boyd is another one when
I think of halves is, you know, they were applying
their trade in the New South Wales Cup and, you know,
a standard that's, you know, got a lot of, like
I said, ex-players playing in there or current extended players

(08:14):
of a 30-man squad playing in what's considered one of
the highest level of footy. So when those boys are
playing good footy down there and they're buying in and
they're coming into the, the same systems. It's from the
top to the bottom and the bottom to the top.
It's almost seamless when they come in and they're playing.
It's just finding their confidence within themselves to, you know,

(08:36):
try and tell a 100 or 300 game player like,
you know, Fisher to get over here and get over
there and I need you to drop under me and
all this sort of stuff. You know, that's not an
easy thing to do as a young kid trying to
tell men who are internationals, men who have won championships,
where to go and how to be on the field.
If you can own that space and be confident in it,

(09:00):
I think that sort of is another battle in itself.
But what Webby has done, and I tend to hear
it quite a lot, and even with us old boys
being back here over the last few days and watching
the captains run, these boys have a lot of faith
and love for Webby, and I know that it's mutual,
and that's why these boys are you know, going out

(09:20):
there to die and battle for not just Webby, but
the team and the club and what it stands for.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
That's great insight. That 2002 sidemount, I look at the
names in that team as well as you. I mean,
listen to this. Ivan Cleary, Ali Lawatiti, Stacey Jones, Mark Tukey,
Arwen Guttenbiel, Gerry Siusi, Wairangi Korpu, Kevin Campion, Lance Ohaya,
Logan Swan, Henry Fa'afili, Monty Beetham, I could go on.
Coached by Daniel Anderson. What was it like playing in

(09:48):
a team like that?

Speaker 1 (09:50):
Look, it honestly was like going to your local park
or your playground and you're going with your kids Cause
there was, um, you know, that banter, but there was
also a fun element to it. And, you know, Daniel
Anderson had a knack for being so creative that it

(10:13):
allowed us to be expressive, uh, in games like con
games and, you know, conditioning. Wasn't like, you know, get
around the track and you're running, you know, one K
under this time. you know, we found different ways that
we're able to evolve the conditioning 1k run, so to speak. And,
you know, we're offloading at will and having fun with it.

(10:34):
And so when you think about that in the context
of what you see on the field, the finished product,
and sometimes it's messy and it's chaotic, but, You know,
that's the reps we were doing, whether as a kid,
but when we got into that professional environment, Daniel was
able to nurture that and mold that to be a
bit more sharper and be a bit more cleaner. Whereas
if we were coming straight from the streets and, you know,

(10:57):
we were doing it with our uncles or our friends
and family in the backyard, it was all over the place.
You know, you're throwing it all over, you're pulling it
out of your ass and all this kind of jazz,
but yeah.

Speaker 3 (11:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:09):
In those environments with Daniel Anderson, he was able to
get the best out of us and mould it into,
you know, a cleaner product.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
All right, just to finish then, you reckon the Warriors
of 2026 can emulate you and that O2 side and
go to the grand final?

Speaker 1 (11:23):
Who knows?

Speaker 2 (11:24):
Maybe go one better, win a grand final this year.

Speaker 1 (11:27):
Yeah, look, I'm only thinking, like, I know everyone's going
one week at a time and da-da-da, this and that,
but I have every faith in these guys because.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
A lot of boys and a lot.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
Of public people and people who know their footy, they're
only going to beat themselves. The only thing that might
be of difference is matching up against a team that's
played in grand finals. That's probably been the undoing of
us when we were in 2002. I think we might
have had one player who had been in the grand

(12:00):
final and that might have been Kevin Campion at the time.
I don't think Ivan Cleary had played in the grand final.
So we're overhauled in the atmosphere. So I think we
had set goals to make the grand final. And, you know,
from a psychological standpoint, you're like, man, we made the
grand final. But obviously you always want to win it.
But we were just happy to be. I know that

(12:21):
for me, for myself personally, I was happy to be
there in it. Before, you know, 80 minutes was over
and we thought if we got the shot again, we
would come back and really do it. And we were
nearly there in 2003, but we never got to do
that ever again. And that's... probably a sad sort of
reflection but you think about these guys now they've earned
every right to be there and I know they've got

(12:42):
a long way to go but I'm thinking they're going
to take this and it's and it's out yeah and
I'm proud to say it because they've earned their right
to say where and what they can be.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
Clinton what a delight to chat to you mate to
reminisce a little bit to talk about the current team
I can hear the excitement in your voice as the
excitement exists across the growing Warriors fan base. Thanks for
taking the time for a chat today, mate. All the best.
And yeah, we all look forward to seeing what happens
over the next month or so.

Speaker 3 (13:09):
No worries, Jase.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
Thanks.

Speaker 3 (13:11):
It was my pleasure. Amazing.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
Thanks, Clinton. Clinton Torpey, what a player he was. Just
in the preparation for that interview, I was watching a
few of his highlights. Man, you forget. Well, you don't forget.
Just he was magnificent in that team. Isn't it great
to hear from some of these players who have been
there and done that? I must be so proud watching
the team of 2026.
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