Warriors fans are growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of results with some considering abandoning ship. Photo / Getty
Warriors fans are growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of results with some considering abandoning ship. Photo / Getty
I've had a gutsful.
"Keep the faith", "stick to the process" and "we're trying really hard" - they're just catch phrases to keep Warriors fans blindly walking through the gates in the hope that one day they'll taste success.
No fan wants to give up on their side but like many others, I'm close to the point of no return.
Having been a season ticket holder for nine years and a mad follower of the club since the late 90s I've experienced the highs of a 2011 Grand Final and the lows of missing the top eight for the past six seasons.
It's not the losing that has me pulling my hair out - it's the excuses that come with pitiful performances year after year.
Warriors players often come out saying they're training hard but it's "just not clicking".
Time to cut the crap, Warriors. You look across the ditch to the Melbourne Storm's regime and read through their intense training methods which involves jiu-jitsu and MMA sessions, "shark-bait" techniques and player rating systems which demand discipline and accountability.
Storm players are thrown into the octagon and made to survive gruelling contact drills where you can have up to four players charging at you. The goal - to put all four down to the ground before the next wave of players comes charging at you.
It was also revealed that Storm players are only allowed to return from the off-season no more than 1.5kg heavier than when they left at the end of the year.
And then there's their red and green light rating system. Score 5 or less and you face a confronting barrage of critique and abuse - those players don't tend to last at the Storm. And there is no doubt the majority of the Warriors squad would be out the door.
In startling contrast the Warriors have some players returning out of shape, out on the drink and an everlasting list of excuses.
The simple fact is the players aren't prepared to put the hard yards in. We see that game after game when the middle defence falls apart in the 60th minute. Line speed drops, communication disappears and the will to bleed for the jersey and for the bloke beside you is non-existent.
The Warriors have lost their last nine games and have missed the playoffs for the past six seasons. Photo / Getty
Next time a Warriors player comes out saying they're "training hard", I want to be sure they're training as hard as the likes of Cameron Smith and Billy Slater under a Craig Bellamy regime. Anything short should not be tolerated by fans.
One of my biggest irks is coach Stephen Kearney's philosophy and the Warriors' lack of for appetite for success.
Employing coach Kearney who had a 24 per cent win record with the Eels was an admission of defeat. Former coach Andrew McFadden held a 45 per cent winning record with the Warriors yet was sacked - a step backward for a club already against the ropes.
It is widely known, at a basic level, that the Warriors strategy is to "stay in the arm wrestle", a strategy that reeks of mediocrity. When the likes of the Storm and the Roosters aim to blow teams off the park, the Warriors have had it ingrained to just "hang in there". This approach and mindset is immediately riddled with negativity - something fans shouldn't have to stand for.
The Warriors have won just half their games at home and only one on the road this season under Stephen Kearney. Photo / Getty
When you mix an inability to be mentally tough, an inept coach and a negative philosophy the final product is a failing club culture.
Former Warriors utility Tui Lolohea's recent alcohol admissions are a prime example of what is wrong with the club.
He revealed he was "overweight, unhappy" and "drank his sorrows" away while at the club, having since turned his fortunes around after making the move to the Wests Tigers.
In recent seasons we've seen the likes of Konrad Hurrell flourish elsewhere and players such as Sam Tomkins and Ben Matulino wanting early releases from their contract. Leaders like Albert Vete, Manu Vatuvei, Sam Lisone, Bodene Thompson, and Matulino were caught up in the energy drink and prescription drug scandal while the Warriors continue to miss the playoffs year after year.
The decline of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Issac Luke and Kieran Foran's form is a sad sight for all league fans and the front row stocks for 2018 look abysmal.
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? It appears not.
As a season ticket holder, I have one question for the club - Why should myself and thousands of fans renew our season passes to support a club in limbo?
If All Blacks fans can demand accountability and success, then Warriors fans can too.
