Andrew Webster has “handed over the keys” to Tanah Boyd who has been tasked with keeping the Warriors on track in the wake of Luke Metcalf's season-ending injury.

Moving across from the Titans in the off-season, Boyd has been a key pillar for the New Zealand club’s NSW Cup team winning 11 games in a row, with the Warriors coach saying he deserved his call up to return to the NRL.

“He's a competitor. He talks; talks, talks and talks,” Webster said.

“He's a team guy … hasn't played one game for us (yet) and probably been one of the best culturally in our club this year, so he deserves his opportunity.

“Every halfback's got to have the keys; they have to … the keys are in the way he does it.

Tanah Boyd will play as halfback against Wests Tigers, making his Warriors NRL debut. ©Warriors

“He drives a car different … He's got to do it the way he does it, but every number 7's got to have the keys to the team and they're in charge of our attack.

“(He is) completely different [to Metcalf]; I mean, they both pass well and kick well, but Tanah can kick the cover off the ball.

“He's an organiser. I think Luke Metcalf's one of the fastest halves in the game; Tanah's not slow, but he's not express, he's very much an organiser, likes to touch the ball all the time.

“Luke likes to marshal people around him and get out the back of him and wait for opportunities.

“Similar team style, but the way they do it is different.”

First look: Warriors v Wests Tigers

Back at home this week after the bye to face Wests Tigers, the Warriors will also have a new fullback, with Taine Tuaupiki coming in for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who like Metcalf was injured in the Round 17 loss to the Broncos, but is set to be right to return in Round 21.

“It’s not like Taine hasn't played for this club or played fullback,” Webster said.

“Tanah and Taine have played a lot of Cup together, so, there's differences to our makeup, but there's a lot of there's a lot of cohesion as well.”

Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, who will need to work closely with the new spine alongside five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita, said he was look in forward to clicking with the new combinations and trusted Boyd and Tuaupiki to slot right in.

“(Boyd’s) probably been the best player in the New South Wales Cup from what I've seen,” Egan said.

“He just directs teams around and he's going to give us good direction this week.

“I think he's used his voice really well at training and got a great kicking game, obviously that you've seen throughout the year.

Wayde Egan with the ball for the Warriors. ©Anthony Kourembanas / NRL Images

“Really looking forward to seeing what he can bring for us.

“He's a natural halfback and he's played halfback a fair few years in the NRL. He’s sort of a directive halfback, a game manager.

“Lukey's built that into his game as well, and Luke's more off the cuff and you can see his speed and agility and stuff like that, so a little bit different players, but, we have got the same systems here, so he would just fall into it.

“Everyone knows our system and New South Wales Cup play the same system, so don't really have to do anything different.

“Our systems are the same all the way through the grades, so any guy that comes to the New South Wales Cup just falls right into his role in NRL and those guys have played a lot of NRL and know the system as well.

“Taino's a gun, he's really confident, he's a great talker at the back as well, so he'll do a great job.”

In some good news on the injury front, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has been named to make and early return from an injury and will line up on the wing.

It will be a massive day at Go Media Stadium with three games being played, with the club’s Cup, NRL and for the first time since 2019, NRLW team playing at home.

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