Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

Tuivasa-Sheck won the National Rugby League's prestigious Dally M player of the year award - the first time a Warriors' player has won the prize in the club's 24 year history.

RNZ asked New Zealand Rugby League why Tuivasa-Sheck was not nominated by them for the Halbergs and their initial repsonse was that as Tuivasa-Sheck was injured and didn't play for the Kiwis in 2018, he couldn't be nominated.

When it was pointed out an athlete didn't have to be playing for a national side to be nominated the NZRL then replied:

Tuivasa-Sheck polled 29 votes to win the league's player-of-the-season award by two points from Newcastle's Kalyn Ponga, with Cronulla's Valentine Holmes in third.

In a sign of the changing times, none of the top five - which also included Luke Brooks and Mitchell Pearce - have previously polled in the top five positions at the Dally Ms during their career.

The Warriors fullback trailed by one vote with a round to go, but polled three points in the final round against Canberra while Ponga remained on the sideline injured.

He becomes the inaugural winner of the Simon Mannering Medal, announced in honour of the retiring club legend who made his 300th NRL appearance on Friday night.

Tuivasa-Sheck is just the fourth player to win the supreme accolade more than once following five-times winner Simon Mannering and Steve Price and Ben Matulino, who were two-time winners.

The fullback also collected the People's Choice Award voted on by the public.

The skipper was a late scratching from last week's win over the Eels in Sydney as he stayed home with his fiancee Ashley Walker, who is due to give birth to their first child.

Halfback Shaun Johnson is still sidelined by an ankle injury, while Tuivasa-Sheck's return means Peta Hiku pushes out to the centres after filling in at fullback.

Gerard Beale drops to the bench.

Other than Tuivasa-Sheck coming back into the line-up there are no other changes in personnel among the 17 players used against the Eels although there are two positional swaps.

Tuivasa-Sheck, who joined the club from the Roosters in 2016, will remain at Mount Smart Stadium until the end of the 2022 season.

Warriors chief executive Cameron George said the 24-year-old "embodies all the qualities we want to see in our players".

"As one of the game's most exceptional athletes, Roger understandably attracted lots of interest, so we couldn't be more delighted to have him onboard for another four years," he said.

Tuivasa-Sheck, who is off contract at the end of the 2018 Telstra Premiership season, has been linked to a move to rugby union or a rival NRL club.

The star fullback said the media spotlight had not disrupted his pre-season, nor taken the focus away from his personal preparations as the Warriors prepare for their first trial against the Melbourne Storm next Saturday in Rotorua.

RNZ understands the deal is in the works, with some senior Warriors are aware of the move, despite Tuivasa-Sheck not having told the team.

However New Zealand Rugby says they haven't entered formal discussions with Tuivasa-Sheck or his agent.

The 24-year-old fullback is off contract at the end of this season and there had been reports linking him with a switch to rugby union or another NRL club.

Tuivasa-Sheck, who was appointed Warriors captain last year, played under new signing Adam Blair in the New Zealand team at the recent World Cup.

However, Warriors chief executive Cameron George says coach Stephen Kearney has no plans to change leaders.

The other finalists Simon Mannering, a record five-time winner, and halfback Shaun Johnson.

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

The other backs to receive the award previously are Manu Vatuvei in 2010 Francis Meli (2003), Stacey Jones (1997) and Tea Ropati (1995).

Mannering won the People's Choice Award after a season in which he went past Jones' club record of 261 appearances.

An assistant at the Brisbane Broncos since 2013, Kearney arrived in New Zealand in the off-season aware of the tall task that awaited him by taking on a head coaching role with one of the NRL's most inconsistent sides. 

The first thing on the agenda for the 44-year-old was change, dumping veteran Ryan Hoffman as captain and replacing him with a quiet 23-year-old. 

Unexpected to many, Kearney decided to shake things up at the Warriors in the hope it would start a major change in culture at the club.