At Witt's End - Forgotton half now with Warriors
Michael Witt has enjoyed the good times but he also knows what life is like at the other end of the NRL conveyor belt. The new Warriors five-eighths was seen as one of the brightest talents on the scene and was runner-up to Melbourne's Billy Slater for the 2003 Dally M Rookie of the Year Award. But the Warriors are the Toowoomba youngster's third club in four years. "I'm only 23 and I would like to think I have a lot of football left in me.
If I have a big year this year it can set a platform for years to come," he says. "But if I have another poor year, it's going to be harder and harder to get back on track. Clubs might not want to take a chance with me. "When you're on the top and you're just cruising, everything seems to fall into place, but sometimes you feel like you can't do anything right. That's not just with footy, though. When things are going well it feeds into other things in life. When things are going bad, you need to draw a line in the sand and fight." Auckland is that line.
The Warriors hired Witt to provide cover in the halves. There appears little chance he will force his way into the starting side initially, as Jerome Ropati is first choice in Witt's favoured position and Grant Rovelli will start at halfback.
His best chance appears to be on the bench covering the halves and hooker - but George Gatis and Lance Hohaia will have their sights on that role. Witt has superior general kicking and goalkicking abilities.
Warriors coach Ivan Cleary said it was important Witt had a good year. "It's a long year and he will definitely get opportunities. It's just a matter of whether he takes them. He's certainly got the ability to do that." Witt was a Queensland junior and won a Parramatta scholarship.
He made his NRL debut in 2003, helping to spark a turnaround in the Eels' fortunes. He was their top points scorer, rookie of the year, and had a four-year deal. He was out of favour in 2004 and went to Manly who were so impressed in the first half of the 2005 season that they publicly thanked Parramatta for letting Witt go. But he was soon on the outer.
Last year he gained only one NRL start but as frustrating as things were on the field, Witt enjoyed 'exposure' off it. As he admits to getting a hard time about being in the League of Their Own Calendar in 2006 and Cosmopolitan's Boys With Balls 06.
