By PETER JESSUP
In all the disappointment of a Warriors' National Rugby League record of eight wins and two draws from 26 games for a second-to-last finish in what was a season of hope, it is worth reflecting on the performance of other "new" clubs.
The best of the lot were the Melbourne Storm who picked up the title last year - in only their second season.
Cronulla and Penrith joined in 1967. The Sharks have yet to win a premiership and the Panthers took 24 seasons to get their single result, in 1991. Canberra came in 1982 and took seven seasons to put together their first title, in 1989 - and that was "bought" with questionable salary cap dealings.
In 1988, Brisbane joined and Newcastle returned after decades out, with the one-state Broncos capturing the title in their fifth season, and the Knights winning the Super League-split competition after nine seasons.
And Auckland and North Queensland joined in 1995. The Warriors' record is far better than the Cowboys but still well short of potential and expectation.
Injury cost them this year, with stars Stacey Jones, John Simon, Ivan Cleary and Awen Guttenbeil all sidelined for lengthy periods.
The coaching staff spoke regularly of the impact of playing without Jones, in particular. But in the end that put too much pressure on Jones when he did come back and under-rated the efforts of others, who managed to beat Melbourne and draw with Newcastle without him.
Simon's loss for several weeks with a broken thumb also hurt as the team looked to a less-than-100 per cent Jones too often when on attack.
The off-season buy-ins did not work. Oversized prop Mark Tookey's value is gone, given the slimmed-down interchange next year, and it looks unlikely he will see out his two-season contract.
Ivan Cleary showed promise but was sidelined after round six with a smashed shoulder. Talite Liavaa and Scott Coxon struggled with injury. Matt Spence started to look good towards the end of the season and has value as a back-up forward in the harder-working game, and David Myles shows promise, but neither is a matchwinner.
It is true that the slimming down of the NRL from 22 teams in the Super League year to 17 last season and now 14 has stiffened the competition.
It is also true that enforcement of the salary cap and regular auditing of clubs is settling the talent balance.
But it is also worth considering the number of dead clubs: Queensland Crushers, Adelaide Rams, Hunter Mariners, Perth Reds, Gold Coast Chargers, while existing in new forms are Manly, Norths, St George, Illawarra, Balmain and Wests. Souths are struggling for life.
The Warriors' Tainui owners need to swallow some pride, and get out of the Warriors as soon as possible. Otherwise the Auckland club will join the dead. Already there is clamour in Australia for Souths to be readmitted at the Warriors' expense, and the playing record and internal and ownership strife at Ericsson Stadium do nothing but support that argument. The players do not know who will be paying their wages or ordering the game plan next season. Some, including skipper Simon, are in limbo because contracts cannot be finalised.
The management has been unable to go into the player market. It is not a way to look forward to a new season.
There is no doubt the team's troubles on-field followed the management squabble that came before game five, with part-owners Graham Lowe and Malcolm Boyle tossed out by the two-thirds tribal owners.
Why Tainui dumped their one-third partners beggars belief. They already outvoted the pair and could have sidelined them without the public acrimony.
The scrap left a bitter taste all round and the club without sufficient leadership. It remains so.
Coach Mark Graham has shown the pressure of carrying the weight of defeat all by himself. The players continue to struggle for confidence. The public, unfortunately, are caring less and less.
What is required is a quick resolution of the ownership issue, with Tainui taking a back seat to a business-proficient investor.
That investor needs to come with good rugby league background, knowledge and advice because one of the first jobs must be to review coach and player performance, determine the path for 2001, and sweep the unwanted away while revitalising the rest.
League fans have to be the most resilient of any sports follower - they get regular beatings from the Aussies but come back again and again in the hope of enjoying one of the rare wins.
The hard-core fans will always be there to see the talent they have watched from the sidelines at Mangere East, Otahuhu, Northcote and Glenora, such as the Henry Faafilis, and Jonathon Smiths.
But they are not enough to ensure the future of the Warriors. There has to be a level of support through the wider community, as there was in 1995, when tickets for the opening game, against the Broncos, could not be bought for love nor money.
The ray of hope is the peace talks brokered by the New Zealand Rugby League. All power to Gerald Ryan and his board as they try to sort the mess because the Warriors are New Zealand league's flagship.
Rugby League: Time running out for Warriors revival
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