NRL 2021: New Zealand Warriors, season preview, expectations rising despite disruptions
The Warriors were the feelgood story of the 2020 premiership after relocating to Australia to ensure the NRL could resume after the competition was stopped in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With some players opting to return home for family reasons, the depth of the Warriors squad was stretched to the limit and they also had to cope with the shock sacking of coach Stephen Kearney. Yet the team rallied under interim coach Todd Payten and won fans over in both Australia and New Zealand with the way they adapted to the adversity to fall just short of a place in the finals.