A year ago, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was on the verge of a switch to rugby union.
Now he’s held up as the man to have restored dignity to the Warriors and returned them as a legitimate NRL force.
Chief executive Cameron George couldn’t suppress his pride on Wednesday night after Tuivasa-Sheck became the first Warriors player to secure the Dally M medal.
The other emotion was relief for George, who came close to losing the services of the inspirational fullback and captain last summer as the club wallowed in the wake of its dreadful none-from-nine finish to 2017.
“Roger definitely had interest in other clubs and then there was rugby union that were very interested in him,” George told AAP.
“He’d played rugby before and the All Blacks were an attraction to him. It certainly wasn’t a case of him just walking into my office and signing a contract.”
George, who was fresh to the job, remembers a key meeting with Tuivasa-Sheck when he needed to sell his plans and ambitions for a club that had gone six seasons without finals football.
“It was a new low for Roger and then he had to buy into the new CEO and that took a lot of trust,” George said.
“It was a big decision. To play on as he did and become a much better leader, get us to the finals and to win rugby league’s most prestigious player award is great recognition for him.
“I’m just glad we agreed and the rest is history.”
Led by the electric running of Tuivasa-Sheck, the Warriors won 15 games, one less than the minor premiership-winning Sydney Roosters.
George said the Dally M awards evening was a triumph for a club he accepts has struggled for recognition in Australia, which hasn’t been helped by its modest on-field history.
Winger David Fusitu’a accepted the top try-scorer prize and Jazz Tevaga was named interchange player of the year while other players and coach Stephen Kearney made award shortlists.
The impromptu haka from teammates and rivals that greeted an emotional Tuivasa-Sheck on stage was the perfect springboard into 2019, George believed.
“It’s a big turning point for the club. These awards make the rugby league world realise more than that we’ve won a couple of games this year,” he said.
“We’ve really turned around the culture and the perception of the club and most importantly the results.
“We want to win this competition. We want to be the best club in the NRL, the most engaging and entertaining one.”