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In this instalment of Woodbine’s Wisdom, we discuss the flailing New Zealand Warriors.
I know that last week I pleaded for Warriors fans to show patience, but now time is of the essence.
While there were some signs of improvement for the Warriors against the Dragons on Sunday there now needs to be some significant changes to this playing group to cull the serial offenders that are stifling any form of confidence. The fans are demanding it.
There are reports that Ben Matulino is nearly ready to return to the playing field and he needs to be injected immediately. He needs to find the form he displayed prior to 2016 and lead the younger aspirants forward.
Against the Dragons, James Gavet was impressive through the middle and an interesting experiment perhaps would see him taking over on the left of the field from Ryan Hoffman.
The Hoff dropped the ball and gave away cheap penalties at crucial times; a sign he is struggling.
Charlie Gubb has had many opportunities but continues to look out of his depth.
Tui Lolohea has also surely finally used up his opportunities in the top team. He just seems to be one of those players who can’t make the step up from prodigious talent to a genuine contender.
With the Bulldogs looking to offload Adam Reynolds, a midseason swap would add value to the roster immediately.
Solomona Kata is a shadow of the player he was and his continued defensive lapses appear to be uncorrectable. His handling errors cost his side week after week.
Shaun Johnson had a great game and by doing so showed just how far below his standards some of his teammates are. He is off contract and must be considering his options if his career is to move forward. He would get big money over here in Australia.
A good friend of mine believes Steve Kearney will go down as the greatest assistant coach of all time, but can’t coach first grade.
It is time for Stephen Kearney to silence the critics and make some serious changes.
This will hopefully re-energise the squad and propel them to a big win against the Titans and improvement through the season.
If he can’t make some hard calls now, the Warriors fans might as well hunker down for another long and miserable season as they fight to avoid the wooden spoon. Right now, all they are doing is making other teams look good.
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