New Zealand Warriors great Jerome Ropati says coach Andrew McFadden deserves time as the team works on their new combinations in the opening rounds of the competition.

Rumours suggest McFadden’s head is already on the chopping block if the Auckland-based outfit start slowly in 2016 with former coach Ivan Cleary waiting in the wings.

There will be plenty of pressure on the Warriors with superstars Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke joining halfback Shaun Johnson.

“We are going to be, in terms of player-for-player, a squad full of prominent players in terms of international and Origin stars,” Ropati told NRL.Com.

“So to have Roger and Issac is a big addition to what we do, and it’s going to be an interesting season.

“It’s still going to be a time for the Warriors to build on the players we have. Combinations are a real hard thing to come by, so it doesn’t matter what type of personnel you have – combinations are key for us being victorious.

“We’re fortunate to have a good squad and we’re fortunate to have retained Cappy McFadden who’s an excellent coach.”