A dejected looking Ben Murdoch-Masila after the defeat to the Manly Sea Eagles. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
Where it matters most, accountability is non-existent at the Warriors.
It is easy to point the finger at the players for wretched results. While they must accept some responsibility, often the root cause lies much higher up the chain of command.
The abrupt end of Nathan Brown's dire 12 from 37 tenure – halfway through his three-year deal – brings to a close yet another painfully predictable coaching hire that is merely one example of poor management.
Who, honestly, did not envision this juncture coming? Hiring a coach with a 26 win per cent record at his previous club was destined to end in tears.
In many ways, though, Brown's exit is a smokescreen for deeper endemic issues that have pushed the club into tailspin on course for the valley of doom.
There is a strong case this is the worst state in the club's turbulent history.
Sure, the Warriors have endured a set of extremely challenging circumstances over the past two years. Being forced to be based in Australia, away from family and friends, for 60 matches takes a huge mental toll on those at the coalface.
And, yes, since the club's inception 27 years ago it has faced hurdles no other NRL team confronts, such as transtasman travel and recruitment barriers that lead to paying well above market rate to attract players.
Those issues do not, however, excuse the litany of recent management failings that should have serious questions asked about whether chief executive Cameron George and owner Mark Robinson are the chief architects of this train wreck in motion.
Here's a recap of the Warriors revolving coaching door in the past three years. For the record, there have been eight head coaches since Ivan Cleary left at the end of 2011.
• 2019: Stephen Kearney extended until the end of 2022.
• June, 2020: Kearney sacked mid-Covid and paid out.
• August, 2020: Interim coach Todd Payten rejects Warriors offer to retain the role, Brown appointed.
• June, 2022: Brown departs, Stacey Jones appointed interim coach.
Where is the long-term planning in this shambolic, ill-conceived hiring-and-firing track record? There is no direction, no clear vision, to speak of.
Brown was never the Warriors' first-choice head coach – more like fourth choice; a desperate, late appointment after Kearney was sacked and Payten opted to escape.
Winston Churchill said those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It's often said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
That's exactly where the Warriors sit – back at square one, facing another long rebuild having wasted the past year-and-a-half.
As one coach departs, there is again no clear plan about who will next lead the Warriors. In this embarrassing state, who would want the job?
At this point, with one year remaining on his contract, results heading towards the club contesting their first wooden spoon and a trigger-happy owner, is it any wonder Brown could not convince his family to move to New Zealand only to be sacked next year?
Sure it's a cop out but after jumping from a sinking ship before being pushed Brown will be lucky to coach in the NRL again – a notion that says everything about the Warriors' decision to appoint him in the first place.
In terms of baffling management decisions consider the pay-outs made by the Warriors to coaches and players in recent years.
Kearney is believed to have received over $1 million. Prop Matt Lodge had the outstanding $700,000 on his contract paid out, despite it being his decision to walk away after a public fallout with Robinson following a bar confrontation.
And now Brown, with 18 months remaining on his deal, is seemingly next in line for a hefty severance package. Throw in a membership discount scheme gone wrong, and the Warriors continue to lose money faster than inflation.
The Warriors have several major problems to address – starting at the top.
Robinson's impulse decisions and constant interference cast a dark, undesirable shadow for any future coach. There is a big difference between splashing cash to help Point Chevalier win a Fox Memorial title and attempting to replicate that model in league's toughest competition.
Cameron's tight-knit relationship with Robinson is the next, pressing issue. The chief executive and owner should be close, sure, but not to the point where millions are squandered, three coaches in four years filter through the club, no hard questions are asked and a jobs-for-the-boys mindset is prevalent.
It certainly appears as though no one is being held to account.
How can you possibly expect to build any form of stability, any form of culture, with a new vision every 18 months?
From a local perspective, emerging talent is far more likely to be viewing former Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck carving a pathway with the Blues to the All Blacks than they are considering anything positive about a league future in Auckland.
If it somehow hasn't already, the penny needs to drop that fixing the Warriors is a long row to hoe. Sugar-hit recruitment will not work. Developing genuine cohesion is desperately needed.
Management must pick and stick with a group of committed players who have the capacity to improve. The Warriors must have the courage to think long term, and a coach who views the club as the destination, not a stepping stone. Someone who will inspire self-belief.
On that front, they could do much worse than target Kristian Woolf after his success uniting the Tongan national team, but as a rookie NRL head coach he would need experienced support.
In light of Brown and Lodge's exits, and Euan Aitken cutting short his deal to join the Dolphins next year for the same apparent reason, it might be worth checking whether touted 2022 arrivals Mitch Barnett, Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore and Dylan Walker know the Warriors are based in New Zealand, and that they remain willing to move under a different coach.
Before the Warriors finally return home, anyone not on board the waka should get off now.
The sad part about the latest malaise is club legend Jones has accepted the ultimate hospital pass for this year's remaining 12 rounds.
Rebuilding broken trust and dwindling connections with an increasingly disillusioned, downtrodden fan base with a squad bereft of confidence seems an impossible task.
Pumas loose forward Pablo Matera is expected to leave the Crusaders at the end of this season to join the Honda Heat in the Japanese Top League.
Matera's departure after one season raises several questions around the risk and reward scenario of welcoming imports to New Zealand rugby.
While Matera's recruitment attracted attention it's debatable whether he greatly enhanced the competition and given the Crusaders depth in the loose forwards, it could be strongly argued they didn't need him.
The risk for New Zealand rugby is Matera now leaves with a stack of intellectual property from one of the world's most successful club teams.
An England versus New Zealand test shrouded in Shane Warne tributes was... strange to put it mildly. Warne was, of course, a giant of the game with a larger-than-life persona to match. England had every right to doff their caps and honour his legacy. But as the tributes and funeral footage stretched into day four, it all became too overbearing and out of place for a contest not involving Australia.
Record: 8/16 ($1)
Last week's Crusaders –7.5 and Waratahs +14.5 multi failed, thanks to the Chiefs blowing the latter out in their quarter-final, leaving The Sauce with a return that could not afford a modern-day lolly bag from the local dairy. This week I like the Chiefs +12.5 and Queensland in State of Origin +15.5 multi that will fetch $1.92.
Who do you see as those most at risk of missing the cut when the All Blacks name their squad on Monday? Bevan, Nelson
A 36-man squad leaves plenty of room for development and injury cover but the likes of TJ Perenara, George Bridge, Hoskins Sotutu, Brad Weber and Tyrel Lomax will be among those most nervous.
• Send in your questions to liam.napier@nzme.co.nz
On the surface, the Warriors draw for the 2025 season is quite kind