NRL: Dylan Walker says Warriors in culture-building era
New Zealand Warriors forward Dylan Walker sees the club’s loss of experience heading into the 2025 NRL Premiership as an opportunity to build culture.
The Kiwi side has lost four experienced heads to retirement or other clubs, with the departing Addin Fonua-Blake, Shaun Johnson, Jazz Tevaga and Tohu Harris sharing 822 NRL games between them.
But Walker is not concerned about the roster changes, pinpointing it as a new era where the Warriors can strengthen their internal culture.
“A lot of guys have moved on and that opens the door for a lot of new guys,” he said on Thursday.
“We see it as an opportunity to create a culture that we want and then leave it behind with the younger guys who come through next.
“You go into a team environment you want to compete, you want to win, you want to elevate each other and push each other and get better.
“There’s no better way of doing that than training.
“If you want to be a first-grader then you have to act and be it.
“You’ve got to instil that and practice it every day.”
Walker himself will be one of the new leaders in the team, with the 30-year-old now a senior member of the club alongside the likes of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and James Fisher-Harris.
But the 229-game veteran first needs to ensure his spot in the starting lineup, having come off the bench for much of his two seasons with the Warriors.
“I always had respect for the jersey first before the player and whoever is the best man for the job is going to fill the role,” he said.
“You’ve got to lock in, you’ve got to do everything you can to not give up your jersey and that’s healthy ego.
“Winning starts on Monday morning when you roll in from the weekend and winning doesn’t stop when you leave these doors.
“It’s decisions you make outside of football. I’ve had to learn that the hard way.
“I want to continue to build something where young guys can look and say, ‘OK he’s had a rough patch but he has come through’.
“I really want to lead in that way.”
Walker will have his first opportunity to impress when the Warriors take on the Cronulla Sharks at Shark Park this Friday night.
NRL bookies have New Zealand at $1.56 to prevail in the pre-season clash, while the home side are paying $2.45 for the win.
The Sharks sit ahead of the Warriors in outright betting for the season, however, with Cronulla at $13 and NZ at $41 in premiership odds at PlayUp.
