Time for tough decisions at the Warriors

I think your last paragraph was spot on Alex. I hope Matalino's return comes with passion, if not we're gone. At least Gavet showed some guts. Gubb is good defender but shows zero on attack. I hope if Matalino can get some go forward with help from mannering Gavet then Luke can add some much needed spark, if not Luke needs to be dropped. I think the outside backs are not being given the room due to the lack of go forward from their forwards. Lisone gets going forward. At the moment the only forwards I'd keep would be Mannering Matalino (lets wait and see) gavet Lisone and Afoa! A few years back I was hoping we could lure Boyd and Vaughan from Canberra, that would have been a great investment instead we got alot of good backs who of course struggle when there is no go forward!! There must be some young big boys in country NSW, Qld or NZ, HELP!!!!

I never rated Tommy, but last season he was on of the best. He proved that he's a tradesman, knows the craft and just executed well. Most importantly, he turned up to play every week - he gave a damn. Putting skill and ability aside, it feels like the current team just don't want it enough. You see guys like Jordan Rapana who give it their all, every moment - every run is as hard as possible, 120% all the time. Then you look at Ken Maumalo, huge - but runs soft and high. From a team perspective, ditch all the forwards except Mannering and maybe Sam Lisone. Keep Bodene Thompson but put him in the centres. They're either too small, or just not willing to go all in - mostly they're both. Don't recruit guys who are no longer hungry, who have won a championship and are looking to see out the rest of their career on a good pay day. While I think Tommy was great, we don't need more halves. We need Wingers who can contest in the air and score tries, and forwards who have mongrel and want to dominate every other pack out there. If we have go forward, our halves will dominate.

Do I think Johnson is as good as Thurston? No, but JT is arguably the best player of all time - if that's the yard stick that Johnson is compared to then he's going ok. But I don't think Thurston would be effective in this team. The forwards are being beaten week in, week out and there's no one running the ball at the line other than one out forward hit ups. JT would quickly get sick of taking the ball to the line and having no one running off him. The blow ups would be deluxe! I'm pretty amazed at Warriors fans hanging their performances on Johnson. He's been their best, most threatening energetic player in every game I've seen this season and reports are he was for the Dragons game as well. But if Johnson isnt scoring tries and making 60 metre breaks he's automatically the problem. I rarely use SuperCoach stats as part of a discussion re football. I'm not holding it up here as the be all and end all. In this context SC provides a weighted statistical comparison. That's all. Johnson is the 6th ranked player in the comp this season from a team that is 1-3 and is struggling to score points. Again - not the be all and end all, but it shows his workrate, impact and statistical contribution to the team remains high. I look at that side and think they have so many other areas that need urgent attention before Johnson.

Warriors have always struggled to sign top Australian players - must be reading all the media reports about Auckland housing affordability...

"Isaac Luke would have to be the worst buy in the clubs history." That title is still held by Denis Betts but Luke is challenging...

Wasn't this the reason the Warriors kept McFadden around? Because he was so well liked by the players?

TB do you think Thurston would be as bad as Johnson in that same team? johnson is very nuch a poor mans Thurston. He needs someone else to run a game so he can drop in and do a bit of brilliance...which is his best asset,

100% He's trying to be Bellamy and Bennett.

Awesome Max !

I think they are badly missing the mix of steel and creativity that Tommy Leulai provided. He rarely missed a tackle and was a brilliant fulcrum in attack. He is now doing the business in the middle for Wigan Warriors, alongside young half-back partner George Williams, where he will take up a coaching role after he retires from playing. NZ need a new Tommy Leuluai!

Norris who do you actually support because all your Woodbines Wisdom seems to be anti the Warriors and i fail to understand your petty little obsession with rubbishing them...Kicking them while they are down....Get your OWN Fffing team...Piiiiisssss off and leave my team alone....I am fully aware that they have issues but so do half the NRL teams in the comp because only 8 qualify for the finals....I just dont understand your anti Warriors obsession....go away

Under Anderson a little and Cleary a lot, the Warriors had decent players and a decent half. Johnson cant run a game and almost all his other backs are under 25 and most of his forwards are under 25. Those over 25 are average apart from Mannering... I have no idea how any one who follows league actually believed the Warriors had a chance at top 4.

There are times when the Warriors look like a group of seventeen strangers forced to play against their will , but doing so as it is the only form of employment available to them. What is wrong with Issac Luke?

How does Manu still get a run? Done nothing for 2 years They really need to start signing the top players, not just the top NZ players

That was a bludger of a game on Sunday night .It really finished the weekend off on a low . There is plenty of truth in all the posts above . They don't look like a happy bunch . They have been beaten through the middle in every game this year , even the game they won . It was only SJ got them home in the opener .I find it curious that a new coach has failed to show anything different . It's basically the same unsuccessful team of the past few seasons playing in the same unsuccessful way . There is absolutely nothing consistent in the way they play and they never seem to have a plan on how the are going to win . Most new coaches will normally make a statement when coming to a club (selections,style etc) but so far that statement seems to be business as usual . Kearney hasn't tried anything new ! There must be some underlying dissent in the ranks somewhere that needs to be dealt with . Maybe the axe will fall this week . They need a shake up ... and how .

I'm with you Aem ! Lolohea played one good game a couple of seasons back and hasn't been sighted since apart from his ongoing raft of errors ! He should be the first of a long list that need to be cleaned out of the team ! If it was me, I would be keeping only RTS, Fusitua, Johnson, Mannering, Lillyman, Gavet, Afoa & Thompson. Send the rest packing immediately. Bring in some fresh blood from their 20's who are always strong, and find an on field leader from somewhere.

Aside from the Adam/Josh Reynolds mixup, I have to take major issue with that suggestion. They are getting eviscerated in the middle and dropping loads of ball with horrible centre/wing play.... and you think signing another half is the solution? They have Kieran Foran and Ata Hingano as 6 options - the last thing they need is a 6. They need at least one genuinely good middle forward, and at least one quality outside back. Oh, and a coach. Still shaking my head that Kearney was selected over Geoff Toovey, Ivan Cleary or a number of other well-credentialed rookie head coaches who weren't proven failures in the NRL (Garth Brennan, Walkers, Jason Demetriou etc...). And that McFadden is still at the club. And that they thought that three assistants, two advisors and a head coach would somehow make a difference... quantity over quality, right? Ridiculous.

Lolohea played in the halves for the Warriors in the last game... surprise! He was rubbish. Just like every other time he's played in the halves for the Warriors. He seems best fit at fullback in the NRL - but that's not particularly good either. I'm losing interest in him as an NRL prospect, regardless of position. All show and no go.