From Chaos to Contenders - Richie Barnett on NZ Warriors vs Sharks, & Club's Turnaround | 2025 NRL Season

Richie Barnett - former Kiwis captain, and a man who once worse the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla Sharks strips - joins DSPN host Martin Devlin, to reflect on the Warriors’ stunning rise in 2025. Their NRL campaign started with a huge defeat to the Canberra Raiders, but since the Mount Smart club has garnered a 10-3 record and sits comfortably inside the NRL top four. Richie praises the squad’s identity, leadership, and consistency, highlighting halfback Luke Metcalf’s growth and the spine’s improvement. Richie also flags the importance of squad health heading into the finals in a few months' time, and with a six-point gap to fifth, the top four dream is looking very real. As well as that, Richie and Marty chat the Warriors' supposed soft draw, and share admiration for coach Andrew Webster.   Website: rova.nz/podcasts/dspn-devlin-sports-podcast-network Instagram: @martindevlin_dspn TikTok: @martindevlin_dspn YouTube: @DevlinSportsPodcastNetwork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices