Boasting new buy Feleti Mateo, the New Zealand Warriors enter season 2011 as a premiership darkhorse, thanks to a roster that showed its true potential at the back end of last year.
Indeed the Warriors defied a horrendous start to last season to eventually finish in fifth position on the ladder, only to bow out in the first week of the finals.
Although the Warriors lost their finals match against the Gold Coast Titans, the upset victories achieved by the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders were the real knockout blows that left the 2002 grand finalists eliminated from the competition.
Despite the disappointment of their finals exit, last season was a successful one for the Warriors, given the fact the club was affected by serious injuries to key players throughout the course of 2010.
Captain Steve Price, new captain Simon Mannering, Brent Tate, Manu Vatuvei, Brett Seymour, Jacob Lillyman, Jerome Ropati, Elijah Taylor, Sam Rapira, Kevin Locke, Ian Henderson and Michael Luck all spent considerable time on the sidelines, with Price in particular having to retire from rugby league due to injury.
With such a mounting casualty ward, it was no surprise to see the Warriors languishing outside the top eight for the opening half of last season, winning only 5 of their first 13 matches.
The return of key players such as Mannering, Tate, Seymour and Vatuvei however was the antidote the Warriors needed to kick start a turnaround which saw them win 9 of their final 12 matches to secure a top eight birth.
With last season’s painful finals exit still fresh in their minds, the Warriors must start season 2011 well if they are a hope of snatching a top four birth and a crucial home final.
New Zealand’s draw to start this season however is nothing simple, with matches against last year’s finals combatants, the St George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters and Wests Tigers to feature inside the opening five rounds.
While a full strength Warriors outfit is more than a match for any NRL opposition, they will need to fix a few aspects of their game if they are give themselves the best chance of starting season 2011 on a positive note.
The Warriors last season ranked 11th and 13th in metres gained and line breaks made respectively. They were also ranked a lowly 10th for tackle breaks.
While injuries to key forwards played a part in those statistics in 2010, a healthy Warriors pack this year must carve out considerable territory if they are to keep the likes of the Dragons, Roosters and Tigers at bay in the early rounds.
This is where new buy Feleti Mateo will make a huge difference.
The former Eel is one of the most gifted ball playing forwards in the NRL, producing a competition high 72 offloads last season. Mateo also ranked third in the competition for tackle breaks made by a lock forward, behind only Corey Parker and Chris Heighington.
Indeed Mateo is the X-factor the Warriors have sorely lacked in the forwards, ever since the great Ali Lauitiiti departed the club back in 2004.
No doubt a fit and consistent Mateo will bring out the best in a talented Warriors backline which now makes do with the talented services of another former Eel in Krisnan Inu.
While Inu will add further flair to an exciting Warriors backline, it is the power and try scoring prowess of Manu Vatuvei that provides Ivan Cleary’s men with such an advantage over their opposition.
In just 19 matches last season, Vatuvei scored 20 tries to finish just one shy of joint top tryscorers Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Akuila Uate.
The man known as “The Beast” is impossible to stop close to the try-line, and with a player like Mateo creating second phase play, don’t be surprised if Vatuvei surpasses the 20 four pointers he scored last year.
For all the Warriors flair in attack however, one attribute of their game which improved immensely last season was their defence.
The Warriors conceded the fourth fewest tries of any side in the NRL last season, conceding an average of 3.6 tries a match. New Zealand also ranked 2nd in the league for metres conceded, trailing only the Penrith Panthers.
Their low error count throughout last season also helped the Warriors defensively, producing just 11.1 errors on average. Only the Dragons and Manly Sea Eagles were more tidy in possession.
The Warriors should have a lot going for them heading into season 2011 despite a tricky opening five weeks to open the year. The inclusion of Mateo should prove to be the missing link the Warriors need to finally take that extra step from being top eight hopefuls to premiership contenders.
Why they’ll win:
Why they won’t:
TAB sportsbet odds
Premiership winner – $13.00
Wooden spoon – $23.00
Additions: Krisnan Inu, Feleti Mateo, Shaun Berrigan, Steve Rapira
Departures: Brent Tate (North Queensland Cowboys), Siuatonga Likiliki (Newcastle Knights), Ian Henderson (Catalans Dragons – Super League), Elijah Niko (Melbourne Storm), Patrick Ah Van (Bradford Bulls – Super League), Mark Ioane (Canberra), Nafe Seluini (Penrith), Steve Price (Retired), Jesse Royal (Retired).
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