Winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck collected the NRL player of the year double at the One New Zealand Warriors’ 2025 Simon Mannering Medal awards dinner at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on Tuesday night.
As well as being voted by his teammates as the Players’ Player of the Year he claimed the club’s supreme accolade – the Simon Mannering Medal – at the Warriors’ 31st annual awards presentation.
The night was also highlighted by Warriors captain Apii Nicholls being acknowledged as the Harvey Norman NRLW Player of the Year in the club’s return to the competition while rookie Kaiyah Atai won the Players’ Player of the Year crown as decided by her peers.
It is the fourth time the 32-year-old Tuivasa-Sheck has been honoured with the top NRL award, six years after his last in 2019 which completed a treble following recognition in 2017 and 2018. He was the first recipient of the Simon Mannering Medal, minted in 2018 in honour of Mannering who had just ended his record-breaking 301-game career with the club.
The other nominees for the Simon Mannering Medal were second rower Kurt Capewell, loose forward Erin Clark, prop Jackson Ford and fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
Clark and Nicoll-Klokstad were the other two players in contention for the players’ player of the year award.
Tuivasa-Sheck, moved to the left wing this season, had an exceptional year despite injury forcing him to miss six of the Warriors’ 25 games early in the campaign.
He made a total of 4121 metres to average 216 a game while his average of 72.7 post-contact metres is the best of all players in the NRL following the week one finals matches.
He is fifth among all players for most average runs a game (21) and, of players who have been regulars during the season, he is second behind only Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards (221) for most average metres a game.
Tuivasa-Sheck’s 12 tries in 19 matches equalled his career best total first achieved in 27 appearances for the Roosters in 2015.
Leka Halasima also picked up two awards – the One New Zealand NRL Rookie of the Year and the One New Zealand People’s Choice. In his first full season he played all 25 matches and became the first forward in the club’s 31-season history to top the try scoring list with 13.
The other contenders for the rookie award were hooker Sam Healey, second rower Eddie Ieremia-Toeava and prop Tanner Stowers-Smith.
Front rower Demitric Vaimauga was named the NRL Clubman of the Year ahead of front rowers Bunty Afoa and James Fisher-Harris, Taine Tuaupiki and Nicoll-Klokstad.
In the other NRLW awards, prop Ivana Lauitiiti was named the Rookie of the Year and centre Tysha Ikenasio was acknowledged as the Clubwoman of the Year. Winger Payton Takimoana won the Harvey Norman-One New Zealand People’s Choice.
Captain Kalani Going won the New South Wales Cup Player of the Year title and Tanah Boyd was voted the Players’ Player of the Year while Geronimo Doyle was named the NSW Cup Team Man of the Year.
The Jersey Flegg Cup (under-21) awards went to hooker Jaydee Auloa (player of the year), centre Caelys Putoko (emerging player of the year) and loose forward Paea Sikuvea (team man of the year).
One New Zealand Warriors 2025 awards
Jersey Flegg Cup Emerging Player of the Year | Caelys Putoko
Jersey Flegg Cup Team Man of the Year | Paea Sikuvea
Jersey Flegg Cup Player of the Year | Jaydee Auloa
New South Wales Team Man of the Year | Geronimo Doyle
New South Wales Cup Players’ Player of the Year | Tanah Boyd
New South Wales Cup Player of the Year | Kalani Going
Harvey Norman-One New Zealand NRLW Clubwoman of the Year | Tysha Ikenasio
NRLW Rookie of the Year | Ivana Lauitiiti
NRLW Players’ Player of the Year | Kaiyah Atai
Harvey Norman NRLW Player of the Year | Apii Nicholls
One New Zealand NRL People’s Choice | Leka Halasima
One New Zealand NRL Rookie of the Year | Leka Halasima
NRL Clubman of the Year | Demitric Vaimauga
NRL Players’ Player of the Year | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Simon Mannering Medal | Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
NRL Player of the Year 1995-2025
1995 Tea Ropati
1996 Stephen Kearney
1997 Stacey Jones
1998 Joe Vagana
1999 Jason Death
2000 Robert Mears
2001 Jerry Seuseu
2002 Ali Lauitiiti
2003 Francis Meli
2004 Wairangi Koopu
2005 Ruben Wiki
2006 Steve Price
2007 Steve Price
2008 Simon Mannering
2009 Micheal Luck
2010 Manu Vatuvei
2011 Simon Mannering
2012 Ben Matulino
2013 Simon Mannering
2014 Simon Mannering
2015 Ben Matulino
2016 Simon Mannering
2017 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
2018 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Simon Mannering Medal)
2019 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Simon Mannering Medal)
2020 Tohu Harris (Simon Mannering Medal)
2021 Tohu Harris (Simon Mannering Medal)
2022 Euan Aitken (Simon Mannering Medal)
2023 Shaun Johnson (Simon Mannering Medal)
2024 Mitchell Barnett (Simon Mannering Medal)
2025 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Simon Mannering Medal)
Acknowledgements
Departing/departed players | #213 Bunty Afoa, #250 Tom Ale, #260 Edward Kosi, #288 Moala Graham-Taufa, Morgan Harper
One New Zealand Warriors NRL debuts:
NRL | #291 Same Healey, #292 Tanner Stowers-Smith, #294 Eddie Ieremia- Toeava
One New Zealand Warriors | #290 James Fisher-Harris, #293 Tanah Boyd
One New Zealand Warriors NRLW debuts:
NRLW | #51 Michaela Brake, #52 Tysha Ikenasio, #54 Payton Takimoana, #55
Patricia Maliepo, #59 Lavinia Kitai, #60 Shakira Baker, #61 Kaiyah Atai, #63 Maarire Puketapu, #65 Lydia Turua-Quedley, #66 Ashlee Matapo, #67 Avery- Rose Carmont, #68 Metanoia Fotu-Moala, #69 Makayla Eli, #70 Tyra Wetere, #71 Ivana Lauitiiti, #73 Kalyn Takitimu-Cook, #74 Paris Pickering
One New Zealand Warriors | #51 Michaela Brake, #52 Tysha Ikenasio, #53
Emmanita Paki, #54 Payton Takimoana, #55 Patricia Maliepo, #56 Emily Curtain, #57 Harata Butler, #58 Capri Paekau, #59 Lavinia Kitai, #60 Shakira Baker, #61 Kaiyah Atai, #62 Laishon Albert-Jones, #63 Maarire Puketapu, #64 Matekino Gray, #65 Lydia Turua-Quedley, #66 Ashlee Matapo, #67 Avery-Rose Carmont, #68 Metanoia Fotu-Moala, #69 Makayla Eli, #70 Tyra Wetere, #71 Ivana Lauitiiti, #72 Lavinia Tauhalaliku, #73 Kalyn Takitimu-Cook, #74 Paris Pickering, #75 Felila Kia
Achievements:
50 appearances for One New Zealand Warriors | #218 Charnze Nicoll- Klokstad, #258 Rocco Berry, #277 Marata Niukore, #279 Jackson Ford
50 NRL appearances | #258 Rocco Berry, #270 Freddy Lussick
100 NRL appearances | #216 Erin Clark, #274 Te Maire Martin
100 One New Zealand appearances | #237 Adam Pompey
150 NRL appearances | #240 Wayde Egan, #277 Marata Niukore
