KEY POINTS:
The brains trust at the Warriors must be pulling their hair out trying to solve the Jekyll and Hyde issue when it comes to home-and-away games this season.
This week the issues for the Warriors run deep. Apart from the morale-destroying three losses away they now have to cope with the loss of another three key players to injury with Ruben Wiki, Manu Vatuvei and Sonny Fai joining Steve Price, Wade McKinnon and Jerome Ropati on the sidelines.
That's a large part of the attacking strength of the side so this is a real test of their depth.
For my money they also have significant issues in the back row. You have three players in Logan Swann, Simon Mannering and Micheal Luck whose strength is defence. None of them is offering much on attack and at the very best in my opinion - and I hate to say this - Swann has become a liability on attack, spilling too much ball at crucial times and throwing up turnovers that cost tries.
Add to that the lack of impact in attack and dumb decision making, demonstrated by his failure to pass to a man in the clear in a move that might have won them the play-off against Parramatta at Mt Smart last year, and it appears Swann's best days are behind him.
However, I'm just an observer of the game, not a student of it as are coaches Ivan Cleary and John Ackland, and I don't have access to the statistics they do. I can only assume that Swann continues to be selected because a) those stats show that he is doing an enormous amount of work on defence or b) there is no one else to go in.
When you combine the major injury toll to key players, the lack of go-forward from the pack and the lack of confidence after losses on the road, I just can't see the Warriors getting up to beat my old team Canberra on Sunday. I hope I'm wrong, but that's the heart talking. The Raiders have always been a tough outfit and they'll be looking to take advantage of any sign of weakness in the Warriors.
The Kiwis selectors' stance on choosing players that English clubs have said are unavailable - such as Brent Webb and Thomas Leuluai - is an interesting ploy to see if league's international governing body can force the hands of the clubs.
Initially I was sceptical as to whether this approach could work. But I spoke to Leeds chairman Gary Hetherington on British radio yesterday and was surprised to hear him say he would release Webb if instructed to do so by the international body.
I find this very surprising, but have no doubt at all that there will be more theatrics to be played out - protestations of player welfare and the heavy travel burden, claims of injury, straight-out delaying tactics - before Webb gets on the field.
But if convenor Howie Tamati and his selectors can pull this off they are to be applauded.
