Warriors

Coach: Lister

Home Ground: The Colosseum

Ranking history:

• 2010 – 3rd
• 2011 – 4th
• 2012 – 10th
• 2013 – 10th
• 2014 – 10th
• 2015 – 1st
• 2016 – 2nd
• 2017 – 1st
• 2018 – 1st
• 2019 – 2nd
• 2020 – 1st
• 2021 – 1st
• 2022 – 1st
• 2023 – 3rd

Team/Coach bio: The Warriors are a side that took the curious step to rebuild only a few years after the ‘Keeper’ league commenced. The rebuild strategy has been progressing ever since.

The rebuild process has four key steps that will drive the Warriors up the table:

• Step 1  (completed 2011) – draft every child that can kick a football from the Greater Western Sydney area and nearby surrounds
• Step 2 (ongoing) – trick other coaches into giving you young guns such as Heppell and Dustin Martin in return for…. a paperclip.
• Step 3 (2014 and earlier) – collect multiple wooden spoons, ask the league to change your team name, remind the league Ben Kennedy is a gun.
• Step 4 (2015 onwards) – win 8 consecutive flags

The Warriors are finally seeing the fruits of their recruiting drive that has left them languishing at the rear of the field for far too long. Lister has high hopes for 2015 and believes finals are attainable, assuming the rat pack of Greene, Dusty and Robbo can avoid jail time.

2015: A fairy tale. Remarkable. Amazing. Ridiculous.

After 3 consecutive spoons, they won a flag. What the fuck. They even carried 3 donuts in the grand final.

Is this the luckiest season in Keeper history? Is this a one off fluke?

Arguments exists for both sides, but they do have age on their side. The youngest club in the competition is showing ominous signs and now has a premiership to its name.

Forward players having to be shifted back into the midfield could cause a bit of a points loss, but this coach won’t want to go anywhere near a spoon ever again after he’s sipped from the Premiership cup.

2016: As widely predicted the club finished right near the top of the ladder, and only just fell short in the Grand Final.  They would have become back-to-back premiers if it wasn’t for the Boars remarkably fortunate 2016 season, with Zach Merrett’s output surely to haunt coach Mark for a number of years to come.

It’s isn’t all dire for the Warriors. They still have a talented young(youngest?) list and should see improvement across most position lines. They are widely tipped to be at the pointy end of things in 2017. And for the next decade after that too.

2017: Strap in boys. The Warriors absolutely curb stomped the competition in 2017, finishing with a record breaking 17-1 win loss record. Wowee.

Only the Vikings could trip them up during the home and away season, with the same two battling it out in the Grand Final. The Warriors came out on top comfortably in this one though, capping off a truly remarkable season for Lister and his players.

Where to in 2018? Probably even loftier heights. Not good for the rest of the comp.

2018: Yep. Again. They smashed everyone again. They lost only 2 games this year, and the club romped home to another premiership. Potential rule changes in the ruck department could reel in the chasers, but either way the Warriors are going to be a force to be reckoned with for many, many years to come.

2019: Narrowly missed out on the 3-peat, losing to the Turtles by 40 odd points in the Grand Final. It was still a remarkable season, as they managed to make the GF without fantasy star and club captain Tom Mitchell, while Sam Docherty sat out another season with a preseason ACL injury. This club is a juggernaut and it will be back again in 2020.

2020: Absolute juggernaut and the undisputed powerhouse of the league, claiming a league record 4th premiership. That’s 4 flags in 6 years. Remarkable achievement and the playing list looks no sign of slowing with gun youngsters across all lines. Finished the H&A season 2nd on the ladder, but took advantage of stumbling opponents in finals and romped home.

2021: The juggernaut rolled on. Looked slightly shaky midyear with injuries (still notched up a 15-3 record) but a masterful Round 16 draft with the acquisitions of Mayne, Stringer and Matthew Kennedy proved a genius move with all dominating in yet another dominant finals campaign. Matt Kennedy in particular dropping a 131 in the Grand Final and collecting a Gehrig medal in the process. League record breaking 5th premiership. The Warriors are in irresistible form and you’d expect more of the same next season.

2022: We’re running out of superlatives at this point to describe the Warriors run of form. Despite the club having a scratchy H&A season (by Warriors standards) with injuries, the club managed to find form at the pointy end of the year and knock off the Boats in the big dance, while carrying a zero too. A truly remarkable fantasy football club.

2023: The lowest finishing position for the club since 2014, it was still 3rd – but it’s a slight step back from the ridiculously lofty heights of previous years where they have made every single grand final for nearly a decade… The Warriors will undoubtably be back at the pointy end next year.

Theme song:

Guns and Roses – Welcome to the Jungle

Favourite opposition player within the league:

Devon Smith

Favourite Keeper ‘moment’:

The initial draft was awesome and also meeting most of the guys for the first time face to face

Worst player you’ve ever drafted:

Kepler Bradley

Player you’re most proud of drafting:

Kade Simpson in the 20th Round of initial draft would be my best pick