What's wrong with the Warriors?

Wrong the

It's often not the team with the best players that wins it's the team who believes they can win more often than not will win. The culture of winning is in the mind. History is full of examples of battles being won by an inferior force against impossible odds. They need to develop this mindset, perhaps start with psychology and go from there. Being tough on players I don't think will work, instead place more responsibility on the players as Bennett has done. It's working ,for brisbane

Dead right Benedict, that's how it was. However with McFadden it is shape up or ship out, see ya Mateo. Hello Hoffman. That is the difference right there. Instead of bum slaps and head rubs after stuff ups it is now growls and dirty looks. The expectation has risen big time. Tomkins has made a big difference. He is not your conventional kick return type player, more a 3rd half with brilliant fast hands and a knack of picking the right pass and time to run. Off field he is very professional giving a good lead to the young roster. The other factor in the Warriors favour is depth, guys like Ikahihifo, Louisi, Rapira, Matagi, and a new boy Faitala-Marriner in the background provides good depth, even after losing Ben Henry for the year. Henry is actually rated higher than Elijah Taylor who is a gun. However, you are dead right, they have to prove it.

This is it. I would feel comfortable in saying that half of the games, maybe more, that the warriors are lost due to things completely in the warriors control. They beat themselves so often. I don't know if it is attitude, pressure or what but they just manage to find this uncanny way of giving it away.

The Warriors are like the France Rugby Union team - so inconsistent and you never know what team is going to turn up on the day. I just pray for a season were we finish top 1 or 2 and win consistently. I also think we have a habit of over-valuing our players and having crazy high expectations. i.e. Warriors fans look at our team and think guaranteed success because of what we do well (Manu, Hurrell, SJ, the speed and power of our team etc). What a lot of fans struggle to do is to see the underlying weaknesses; its really the first thing I notice - the lack of fitness/focus in the last quarter of games, Hurrell getting absolutely wrecked defensively against the Storm/dropped balls, SJ's poor passing and kicking every now and then. And because we all have these lofty expectations, when things don't go well, we criticise them, bag them out and de-value them. I think we need more realistic expectations and yes, we do have some very talented players, but sit back one game and just focus on the weaknesses and you"ll see we make a fair few mistakes/bad reads/out of position.

well said Gazza!

What us Kiwis think about Johnson is what Australians think about Johnson. He's an electric player who has no consistency and fades in and out of games all too often. He can cut any opposition to shreds when he's on his game but he doesn't do it enough. Thurston is no doubt number 1 in the game. I think your reaching a bit far to say their forwards and backs are way better though.

I said I Think they did but I was wrong. I was probably thinking of the Canberra game. Don't get your panties in a bunch Juggernaut

Watching them last week, they should have beaten the Tigers easily, but they didn't. I don't know if they are complacent or what. The Cowboys should thrash them this week, judging by their form, no matter what the kiwis think about Johnson, Thurston is the best player in the game and has been for the past 5 seasons, the Cowboys have a much better forward pack and their outside backs are better than their Warriors counterparts.

50 points? The Warriors won 20-18. The Warriors have never put 50 points on the Cowboys. Don't know where you get your information from.

They lack self belief.

Nate Friend?

This has an element of truth to it. The coaching staff at the Warriors are at least aware of this. When McFadden took over part of the way through last year he lamented the fact that the players were unfit & identified this as 1 of the primary reasons for the Warriors continual late season fades. He sacked the conditioning coach at the end of last year & has brought in Dayne Norton to get the players in better shape. He has also bought 80minute players like Thompson/Hoffman & promoted U20s workhorse Lisone to the top 17. Im not sure if that will translate into a better season but the Warriors at least appear to be competing for the full 80, even in matches they lose. As a die hard Warriors fan Im a bit more optimistic that with these changes the Warriors can find more consistency, & that will be a massive step forward.

Guys this honestly happens every year. Just remember... we are approaching origin period soon and we all know that is when the warriors start to find winning form. They will surge into the eight off the back of wins against origin depleted sides and we will all be warming to their premiership credentials. Shaun Johnson will finally "turn up" and we will all be praising his match winning ability. Then all of a sudden, toward the back end of the season with origin being over, the others teams will be back and the warriors will start losing games again. We will all be asking "what's happening with the warriors?", they will drift in and out of games and won't stay in the fight for the full eighty and we will all begin to doubt if they have what it takes - all the while backing them to be able to beat anyone on their day. This is the story of the warriors. Consistently inconsistent.

Don't hold your breath boys. Sure an upset is possible, but it will take a very big improvement by the Warriors and an equally big reversal in the Cowbies form.

yes watcher I agree. Warriors had about 6 rookies in the 17 for a couple of games, I think it was against the Bronco's when they, including Manu, each had a turn at dropping the ball under pressure. I think it was a big wake up call for the youngsters. Warriors were average that day due to all those mistakes, and really the Broncos only just beat an average side that day. The Warriors have a very good set of forwards which will give a strike backline a launching pad, bring on the return of Laumape, Fusitua and the fish!!!!!!!!! I think in about 2 or 3 weeks it will all come together, LOOKOUT!!!!!!!!!!

Me too Walter. I think The Warriors put 50 points on them last year up in Townsville so lets hope history can repeat!!

Good comment Watcher. We are really missing Tomkins as the opportunity to score is ever present but it's that last pass which hasn't been sticking and that's what is so good about Tomkins. He seems to have that composure to make the right play. At the moment we have plenty of attacking ball runners and a great pack of forwards with Matulino and Lillyman getting us going and Mannering and Hoffman doing the hard graft. Manu and Kata starting our sets off with big runs. Townsend has been one of our best and Konrad is just back from injury and now played 2 games so will only get better. Once Tomkins is back from injury we can get rid of the pedestrian Wright and start making our charge towards the top 4. I'm never confident when it comes to The Warriors and making the top 4 or even 8 but this year seems to be different and I'm feeling confident.

They need someone to do 60 tackles like Michael Luck, in other words one player who will do all the tackling for the other 12 so those 12 can concentrate on attack.