The barista greeted me cheerfully, my usual order already underway before I spoke. As he handed me a steaming cup, he asked with a smile; “what happened to the Warriors on the weekend… I thought this was supposed to be their year?”
“I don’t know” I muttered weakly while images of Dessie ‘Fabio’ Hasler’s flowing locks and Titans try celebrations played in my mind.
Obliterated 66-6 by the bottom-dwelling Titans. The worst result in the Warriors’ 29-year history. The 60-point margin had been conceded once before, pummelled 70-10 by Melbourne in 2022, but even the Titans would acknowledge that currently they are no Melbourne Storm.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
With ten minutes to go in the first half, I turned off the TV in utter frustration, only to turn it back on again in the second half, unable to watch; yet unable to turn away.
Missed tackles, errors and points continued to mount, as young fullback Keano Kini cut through the Warriors at will.
My wife asked why I was torturing myself. Like the Warriors’ defence, I had no answers.
Arguably there is more depth than last year’s side that performed so well. Coach Andrew Webster drove that defensive resolve, a man who it is whispered walked across the Tasman to join the Warriors.
So what’s going wrong?
The Warriors lead the league in possession (52 per cent), set completion (82 per cent), line engagements, runs, run metres, decoy runs, and are second for kick return metres. And those figures include the Titans match.
They sit seventh for missed tackles, tenth for errors – with only one more error than the top-placed Storm – 13th for handling errors – which is one place above third-placed Sharks – and seventh in penalties conceded. Hardly inspirational stuff, but not the worst either.
With Barnett on well-deserved Origin duty, the big rigs needed to step up. Errors and poor defence limited momentum. Addin Fonua-Blake made 34 tackles but only managed 70 metres with ball in hand from eight hit ups.
Niukore made 77 metres with 22 tackles and Ford managed 97 metres and 39 tackles.
Fonua-Blake has been disappointing over recent months. His charging runs and post-contact metres have made him a fan favourite, but it’s hard not to conclude the move to the Sharks is affecting him, and possibly others.
Andrew Johns has said the Warriors’ issues stem from attitude; victims of their own success, believing the hype without doing the hard yards.
Looking at the numbers, it’s hard to disagree. They look like a team going through the motions. The Storm and Sharks have a similar number of errors but don’t concede points.
Injuries haven’t helped, but every side has had its share. Shaun Johnson has struggled with lingering hamstring issues and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck hasn’t convinced at centre. A spot on the wing could be an option considering Nicoll-Klokstad is in career-best form at the back.
With the Broncos arriving next week, they don’t have much time to work it out. They need to forget the Titans and rediscover their mojo. Like many fans, I’ve had to adjust my expectations, again and again. Right now, I’d be happy just to see them rip in for 80 minutes. If they can’t find the energy and enthusiasm to compete and play for each other, more pain surely awaits. It already feels like next year could be our year.
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