‘Our attack is going to look a bit different this year’: Luke Metcalf gives a glimpse into what life looks like after Shaun Johnson

Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf says his side’s attack “is going to look a bit different this year” as they look to reinvent themselves following the retirement of club legend Shaun Johnson.

The Warriors are one of the most intriguing teams in the competition given Johnson and former skipper Tohu Harris have retired, while try-scoring prop Addin Fonua-Blake is now at the Sharks.

They slid down the ladder last year after their brilliant 2023 campaign, and a lot of the focus will be on the halves pairing of Metcalf and Te Maire Martin who looked solid in their first trial game against Cronulla.

Johnson was the main conductor of their attack for so long and had 48 try assists in the past two seasons alone, while Metcalf has set up eight tries in 26 NRL games and will make the move from five-eighth.

The attack was a bit clunky on Friday night, with Martin bombing a try in the second half, but Metcalf is excited about what they can do, with the speedster set to shift to the right having mainly played on the left in the NRL.

“I’ve always played on the right in my junior career, so it’s the more natural side for me with a right-arm carry,” he explained.

“Our attack is going to look a bit different this year. Not so much right, left and middle. You’ll see both of us floating around and being able to connect with each other.

“We showed a bit (against the Sharks) but probably not everything we’ve been working on. I’m keen to see that flourish in the big games.

“It felt good. Connecting with ‘T’ was cool. You know not everything is going to go to plan in your first game, but that’s what trials are for, so it’s cool to get out there and test ourselves to see where we’re at.”

Metcalf nailed a 40/20 in their 12-all draw against the Sharks and will have to step up big time given Johnson did the bulk of the kicking.

But it’s a fine balance because his strength is his running game and he doesn’t want to sacrifice his biggest weapon.

“I feel like that’s a strong part of my game that I haven’t really shown yet in my career,” he said.

“It’s something that I’m confident in but I reckon I can get a bit better at it.

“Part of the job as a footballer and maturing with the job is understanding what your strengths are and how you can manipulate a defence to bring your strengths into it.

“That’s probably something I’ll grow with each game because it’s something I’ve been working really hard with ‘Webby’ and Rich Agar, who is our attack coach.”

Injuries have plagued Metcalf throughout his NRL career, but Warriors prop Mitch Barnett is backing him to succeed in the new role.

“He’s only going to get better,” he said.

“People forget that he’s had a lot of injuries and he’s now taken the reins of our side.

“I’m interested to see how he goes. You can see that class that he’s got in him and I’m excited to see where his game goes to.”