Nonce were Warriors. Will New Zealand ever get their act together?

Oh to be a Warriors fan! Most would expect this submission by now, the annual spike during Origin followed by a winless final 5-6 game run to finish the season off on a high.

A side who show no soul, spirit or passion for the jersey they wear and their long-suffering fans, aside from the usual suspects, Simon Mannering and Simon Mannering from round 1 to Round 26.

It’s a given he will win the Players Player and Best and Fairest in 2017.

Human body language is not something Ray and I are experts in, but standing hands on hips in the in-goal, not supporting your runners making half breaks looking to off-load, walking back onside by tackle four and moving up out of the defensive line quickly or not at all at various times, sort of kinda makes a huge statement you either want the season cut from 26 rounds to 18-20 or you want to play elsewhere.

This club has bought in some fine players over the past two to three seasons. The current skipper who only two seasons back was close to the game’s best fullback now shows no patience in attack. He is defensively weaker than when he was a teenager and lacks the same spark and pace.

Next we have, at the time of signing, the game’s No.2 hooker. He would be lucky to rank in the top 20 hookers in the comp on Saturdays display and don’t get me started on the one-year wonder at No.6!

A record without Shaun Johnson of 0-12 also tells you that while their talisman can infuriate at times with his inconsistency, he is not to blame for this club’s lack of conviction, culture or self belief.

My spy in the Hunter told me after the bus rolled into town last Friday, members of the coaching staff made a bee line for a local establishment, got on the beers and had a punt. For the record Steve Kearney was absent from this shindig.

For a club to succeed they need their leaders to show decent leadership skills. Don’t get me wrong this habit of winding down with a few beers and a punt is all and good, but my spy claimed they were on to beer number three or four within the first hour with no sign of letting up.

If the coach ran a light session that afternoon it shows the lack of professionalism that this club displays, not just on the field but off it as well.

The under-20s are losing by 50+ every weekend, the ISP NSW Cup side has had a pretty poor last six weeks and the first grade team are travelling like busteds. There appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Critics, rival fans and the like are lost for words now to explain how the Warriors can transform top line stars into bang average park footballers overnight.

This club could Neymar Junior into Stan Lazirides within 12 months!

Apart from James Maloney, Michael Luck and perhaps one or two others, many a player has ended up on the scrapheap once making the move to Mt Smart!

(AAP Image/David Rowland)

Sacking Kearney and Doyle now won’t be the solution. They know the problems first hand and are the right men at this moment to get the place sorted from top to toe. Both will be judged on next season and rightly so. A lot of players off contract have been told they are no longer required so once Kearney gets some of his “players” in, only then will he be held accountable for on-field performances.

As he quite rightly said on the weekend after another inept display, he doesn’t possess the cattle to make wholesale changes and Ray feels he is giving certain players a chance at redemption before he calls them to his office for the news to pack their bags or look elsewhere, even if contracted for 2018.

The only solution would be for either of Craig Bellamy, Wayne Bennett or Trent Robinson to come in and strip their place bare like that mob do to homes on The Block.

Even then it is no guarantee they can sort out the NRL’s most consistent inconsistent basket case that is the New Zealand Warriors. Maybe the coaching staff needs to be stripped back and replaced as a first step removing all those who have been with the club from 2016 prior to assist Steve Kearney.

To have your previous coach as a current assistant coach would not happen at successful sporting organisations. It’s like having your ex-wife stay in the spare bedroom until you sort out your messy settlement in court. You need to remove all previous links to poor performance, culture, acceptance of failure and lack of conviction.

The buck starts with the coaching infrastructure and the front office.

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

You can’t make changes and lead the club into the direction and path you envision while holding onto those present during the dark periods, regardless of whether their a decent bloke or not.

Sport is a cut-throat business, you don’t buy success or demand it. You need to cut all ties from the past if you want to make changes. Head hunt the young up-and-coming assistant coaches, looking for an opportunity and who are hungry and passionate about becoming a first grade coach. No use signing experience or those who are mates or clicky with the current squad. The players should not possess that type of influence they have been rumoured to hold within the club.

It’s a sad state of affairs for a club when their most consistent performer aside from Simon Mannering was 27 year old journeyman James Gavet in 2017. Gavet displayed the ticker, aggression and work ethics that was lacking in the players who should of developed by now. Sam Lisone, Albert Vete and Charlie Gubb have all regressed in recent seasons. At least two of that trio should be moved on in 2018 and some hard-nosed front rowers bought in as a starting point to support Gavet.

Ray and I decided to play the role of Kearney and Doyle over the weekend. We signed James Graham on a big deal for three seasons, we think he would be a decent fit for the style of play and provide leadership the club lacks.

Next we signed Adam Blair, another leader with a high work ethic. We then sent out feelers to rival clubs to take Issac Luke off our hands. We were successful and lured Michael Liicha to Mt Smart from Belmore, a move that had fans and critics dumbfounded. Luke went in the opposite direction to Belmore.

We also snared James Fisher-Harris from the Panthers once they indicated they would struggle to fit all their forwards under the salary cap over the next two seasons. We’re confident of getting his good mate Corey Harawira-Naera in 3-4 years time when he’s mid 20s and entering his prime. We are also in talks with Canterbury in signing Moses Mbye on a two year deal from Belmore who we have pencilled in as our number six to compete with Ata Hingano. He can also play at fullback, hooker or halfback.

Our second option is young Panthers half Tyrone May who we think could turn into an established first grader if given a chance, much like the James Maloney risk we took in 2010. We don’t predict he’ll get much game time behind Moylan, Edwards, Cleary, Cartwright and Co. in 2018. Now it’s easy for Ray and I to sit back, sink a dozen cans each and come up with this scenario and most will question why we would attempt to sign a trio of players out of Belmore.

Truth be told unlike previous signings in Luke, RTS and Co. most of these guys would be looking for an opportunity at redemption and to show how much they have to offer. Others bought back over the ditch announced as saviours have disappointed more than the grand final of Ninja Warrior where nobody claimed the title.

Ray and I have never felt so ripped off after the painful loyalty we showed putting up with the worst pair of clichéd commentators since Billy J Smith and Fiona MacDonald during ‘It’s a Knockout!’

Thankfully Freddie Flintoff provided us with some comic relief much like the New Zealand Warriors’ final four weeks of 2017 will.