Tuivasa-Sheck is Warriors' player of year

Sep 19, 2017 - 9:51 AM Skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has been named the Warriors' player of the year, just the fifth back in the NRL club's 23 seasons to receive the award.

The 24-year-old fullback has held off fellow finalists Simon Mannering, a record five-time winner, and halfback Shaun Johnson.

Tuivasa-Sheck was handed the captaincy at the start of the year, having come back from a knee injury that wrecked his 2016 debut season with the club.

While he wasn't able to lead the Warriors to their first finals appearance in six years - the club finished 13th - he appeared in all but one of their 24 matches.

He scored 10 tries and ran for 200 metres or more in 13 matches. His total of 4172 metres gained - an average of 181.4 metres a game - was the third best in the NRL regular season.

He led the competition in kicks defused, bombs defused and kick returns.

"It's really emotional because I have to thank the medical team for always supporting me, turning up each day so I could come back and play a full season - when I was just watching the boys, it was hard," Tuivasa-Sheck said.

"It's good to be back out there on the field.

"I'm a proud Auckland boy so, to be asked to captain this team, I was grateful."

Mannering, 31, took out the people's choice award after a season in which he went past Stacey Jones' club record of 261 matches, finishing on 280.

The workaholic second-rower's 986 tackles - an average of 44.8 - was the second highest in the competition.

Prop Bunty Afoa, who made 17 appearances in his first full NRL campaign, was named rookie of the year.

Source: AAP