Let's start with the win percentage criticism - it means nothing. It means he happened to be appointed to coach two very average sides that were in a total mess before he arrived. Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy, Jack Gibson or whoever couldn't make this current side a competitive outfit if they had inherited what Kearney did and were being judged only this far in. If Kearney is a poor coach it will show itself when he has overhauled the roster and it is still losing.
All season Kearney has spoken about his process - trusting in the process. The process is built around being consistent, getting into an arm-wrestle and earning the right to play adventurous football. We haven't seen much up-temp play from the Warriors this season because they haven't been good enough to earn that right very often.
We saw it to good effect with the Kiwis while Kearney was at the helm - no-one seemed to complain about his side's lack of flair at international level. I remember Shaun Johnson thriving under Kearney's Kiwi environment. I expect that slowly we will see more of that as we head into next season and beyond.
At times the Warriors did play some expansive football - think the win over the depleted Broncos at Mt Smart Stadium during Origin period. The forwards laid a platform that day and the spine played off the back of it. Simple stuff in theory. Win the play-the-ball, get forward momentum, turn it over to the fleet-footed backs and give it some air. The Warriors haven't jumped the first hurdle enough this year for people to see the end product.
The change is there too but you have to look for it.
They probably won't admit it publicly but my guess is this club went into rebuild mode around about this time last season - when Kearney was appointed. There was minimal cap space to play with so Kearney's hand had been dealt to him the moment he signed on. He had a roster that he was given; not one he could shape in any way.
They added Kieran Foran on a reduced contract and took a punt that maybe he would be the golden ticket to avoiding a long, rebuilding season. The chasing of Foran apparently had been in the works long before Kearney got involved so you could even excuse him for that mistake too. Foran clearly wasn't the golden ticket.
I think we have seen Kearney implement a game plan and ask the players he was dealt to fall into line and play a certain type of football. Some have adapted better than others. He is moving on those that haven't or can't adapt as they become free agents. Gone from the forward pack this year are Ryan Hoffman, Ben Matulino, Charlie Gubb, Toa Sipley and almost certainly Jacob Lillyman and Bodene Thompson.
The jury remains out on Issac Luke and Sam Lisone, who are still under contract - we won't know how Kearney valued them until they come off contract 12 months from now. The only players in the forwards Kearney re-signed were James Gavet and Albert Vete - and they earned those extensions by playing well and by taking dollar-friendly terms. Recruited from other clubs are Tohu Harris and Leivaha Pulu. There will be more to come in the coming weeks. Next year's Warriors pack will be vastly different to this year.
You'd like to think that pack might be more adept at playing the style of football Kearney desires rather than the one he was handed. Imagine how the Melbourne Storm might have gone under Bellamy if they had a forward pack of rocks and diamonds type players. It probably wouldn't have worked because that isn't the style Bellamy wanted to play.
The other thing to consider in this is that Kearney is having to teach grown first graders some of the basics of footy all while being challenged by teams that don't have to worry about that. The golden point loss to Manly highlighted the issues Kearney is facing. With the game on the line the Warriors made a bust through David Fusitua. They then shifted the ball to an edge only to be bundled into touch early in the count. It was crazy play when they needed to set for a field goal.
The looks on senior players' faces at the time showed how frustrated they were with their teammates' decision to risk going into touch but it still happened. Game management is something that all players need to be aware of and sadly there are too many players at the Warriors that fail badly in this area due largely to their [lack of] pre-NRL development.
Kearney is working on it and some are showing signs of improvement. Others I'm sure won't be re-signed as their contracts come up. There is a greater emphasis on this at the lower levels, with individual plans now helping develop youngsters at the club.
There will be better investment in programs to help grow that quality. Look for the club to send their youngest talent to the SG Ball competition to better ready themselves for structured football. The club will spend more on recruitment at lower levels as well, getting a type of player that projects to be a first grader rather than someone with raw talent but major flaws. Basically if the club isn't certain a player is going to be a complete first grade player they will be cut on the way through.
While 2017 has been one of, if not the, most disappointing seasons in the club's history there is finally some reason to hope that the corner has been turned. I couldn't say that this time last year.
