Steps are already being taken to improve the club's fortunes - problem is patience is needed to see that materialize.
One of the biggest problems with the Warriors is the inability for fans to look objectively at the quality of their roster. So many fans talked up the 2017 roster as one of the best in club history - presumably because of the all-star Kiwi spine. But in this competition you need more than that to be competitive. A good spine can't win without a decent forward pack laying the platform or serviceable backs capable of finishing try-scoring movements and holding out the opposition when they don't have the ball.
The Warriors roster this year had a good spine - capable of playing exciting football if [and a BIG if] they were given a strong platform - but there were glaring holes through the remainder of the side. Forwards Jacob Lillyman, Ryan Hoffman and Ben Matulino (whose knees are not great) are past their prime. Well past it actually. The younger forwards like Sam Lisone, Albert Vete, Charlie Gubb and Bunty Afoa are still refining their game - too many errors, too many penalties conceded and not good enough defensively just yet.
Issac Luke is not the type of hooker to make a forward pack go well (think Cam Smith) but rather a hooker that takes advantage of a strong pack. He was not likely to standout in this Warriors side. Nathaniel Roache was one player to impress - but for injuries he might have really put pressure on Luke to retain his starting spot.
That leaves the likes of Simon Mannering, Bodene Thompson, Ligi Sao and James Gavet. Gavet over-performed based on his contract and Mannering gave his usual classy service but the others were victims of being part of a pretty bland pack that struggled to bend the line, create second-phase play or even really stand up and take it to most opposition sides over 80 minutes.
In the backs - only the serviceable Blake Ayshford and skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck went close to fulfilling their expected performance. David Fusitua showed plenty of promising signs but went missing at crucial times too. Ken Maumalo had some strong games carrying the ball but has way too many limitations to bank on being a reliable first grader while Solomone Kata had a shocking year.
The signing of Kieran Foran failed miserably. Thankfully the well-documented off-field issues only cost him the first couple of games and he appeared to at least keep that aspect of his game in order. His body never looked fully healthy though and he had minimal impact on the side's performance. I don't buy too much into the impact he might have had on the younger players because he also was a road-block into first grade for Ata Hingano and Mason Lino. Hingano looked a fairly similar player late in the season as the one that started the year in the number six jumper. He has promise but will need time.
A number of players will leave the club now while only Tohu Harris and Leivaha Pulu have committed to joining the place. There will be a couple more props and one more back at least to join them - we wait eagerly for news around who those players might be but one thing is for sure - they won't be enough to make the Warriors a title contender and maybe even a top eight side next year.
Coach Stephen Kearney is going to gut this roster and assemble a dominant forward pack over the next couple of seasons. Then he will look to try and keep the majority of the spine together and add the right balance to the back-line. None of this can be done in one off-season. It takes until contracts expire to move players on. People say contracts mean nothing in sport - that can certainly be the case if a player wants out but it is impossible for a club to get rid of a player and get that cap space back unless they find someone prepared to take it off their hands.
A criticism I've heard constantly about the Warriors under Kearney is that they aren't playing with flair and that fans could tolerate a team losing but at least trying to play attractive football. That might be the case but it won't speed up the process of getting a competitive outfit. Kearney's way will at least help weed out those that can't adjust and speed up the rebuild.
I sympathise with frustrated and impatient fans. It has been a long time since the Warriors were competitive but trying to make a leap from also-rans to premiership contenders in an off-season has brought about the six seasons of failure. This time around the Warriors are being methodical and doing the rebuild the right way but it is going to take another year of struggles before the improvements will fully be seen.
