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Faint-hearted Warriors are little more than coach-killers

8th March, 2016
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The New Zealand Warriors are the most disappointing team of the year. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Expert
8th March, 2016
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The New Zealand Warriors urgently need rebranding with a new nickname.

Warriors they most certainly are not and any link from this rugby league team to the fearsome Maori warriors of history is an insult.

No, ditch that Warriors name. Call them the New Zealand Coach-killers and you cannot go wrong.

I am still shaking my head at the first-half dealt up by the ‘Warriors’ against heavy underdogs the Wests Tigers in their 2016 season opener at Campbelltown.

It was a display that lacked heart, guts, team spirit and, above all, pride in a jumper that represents an entire nation.

And, despite an exciting player influx during the off-season, I expected it.

Yes, and I tipped the Tiger cubs in all of my tipping competitions with confidence. Why wouldn’t I? Well, history with the Kiwi club repeats. And repeats. And repeats…

The last time the so-called Warriors won a season opener was against Parramatta, way, way back in 2009. And next year will inevitably be the same old story.

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I often wonder what happens in the off-season at Auckland.

The Warriors know who they’ll be up against in Round 1, be it home or away. For sure, they train their butts off to prepare for the new campaign and every player realises the club has an ugly record in season-openers to amend.

Nah. Nothing ever happens. New Zealand were down 28-4 against the Tigers at halftime, thanks to horrendous (and often laughable) defence, zero offerings in attack and an attitude that beggared belief for a club supposedly heading for one of its best years in the NRL.

It’s a safe bet that head coach Andy McFadden and his staff came up with a goodish gameplan for a team of finely tuned footballers, the majority of whom were internationals.

And what did they produce? A steaming pile of… is there are stronger stench than crap?

“Hang on a minute,” I hear you say, “the Warriors came back in the second half and almost jagged a win.”

If that happened, it would have been fool’s gold. Or papering over some pretty alarming cracks.

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I have previously written columns on The Roar critical of the New Zealand team’s mental deficiencies and lack of heart when pressure is applied.

Some players at the New Zealand Warriors are not applying themselves, or trying hard enough for the entire 80 minutes. Opposing teams know it and simply bide their time before the cracks appear.

These players are frauds to the cause and deadweights on their teammates. They must be weeded out before another ball is kicked; dumped from first grade and possibly never to return.

It will not happen. The Coach-killers will inevitably claim another scalp.

McFadden, sadly, is a dead man walking.

He was signed on to coach footballers. He has no hope of coaching their hearts. The New Zealand Warriors will never achieve anything in the NRL until they get an 80-minute combination of ticker, mongrel and skill.

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