KEY POINTS:
When the Warriors run out into the inferno of Townsville and semifinals footy on Sunday, I hope they use a bit of lateral thinking of the type Aussie coaching legend Bob Bax once passed on to me. Bax was the master at coming up with different plays on and off the field.
Because of him, the International Board reduced the value of a field goal from two points to one.
The reason being that during his period of coaching Norths in the 1960s and 70s Bax brought Australian Rules superstar Barry Spring to the club.
Spring consistently landed three or four field goals a game from anywhere within 65 yards of the opposition posts.
It was a revolutionary step at the time and one that other clubs could not counter so they did the next best thing and sought a change in the rules.
Bax constantly thought outside the square.
He approached me one day with one of the most bizarre suggestions I'm sure had ever been made to a football coach.
I was coaching Norths at the time in Brisbane. Early in the week leading up to a semifinal, Bax suggested to me that we could counter the savage 40C heat of the day by washing the players' hair at halftime.
His argument was that when the players came into the sheds at halftime he would have a group of make-believe hairdressers armed with buckets of icy water and shampoo.
He assured me that they'd get all the players' hair done inside three minutes, and with a new jersey they'd be ready to go out and do battle again in the second half at Lang Park.
After a couple of days of thinking it was just a joke I did see the merit in his suggestion and I agreed to do it.
Unfortunately, we didn't ever get to see whether it worked or not. The players came into the dressing room at halftime after making a couple of stupid mistakes, I blew my stack and kicked the table over sending all the water and shampoo flying.
Fortunately we went on to win the game but to this day I often wonder what may have happened had Bax's plan been put into operation.
The thing is, it was something different and the experience of Bax convinced me of the benefits of always being prepared to think outside the square.
His coaching philosophy certainly reinforced to me that if you do what you always did you will get what you always got.
Now I'm not suggesting that Ivan Cleary needs to employ a dozen hairdressers, but I am saying the approach taken against the Eels last week won't be enough to beat the Cowboys on Sunday.
This is the biggest stage of the year for the Warriors and it requires new thinking and new plays, not repeats.
The Cowboys know that the Warriors' defence is rock solid and they will need to come up with something they have not done before.
They won't do what they always did. Matt Bowen and Johnathan Thurston will make sure of that.
The Warriors need to apply the same formula.
I said last week a game can be turned by a moment of magic and the same certainly applies for this match against the Cowboys.
Last week the Bulldogs came within two inches of beating the Cowboys but that two inches may as well have been a mile. Although they played well, without the Sonny Bill Williams factor, they were always going to do what they always did.
Any change is quite intimidating for some people, and football teams are no different.
The boring old saying that games are won on defence, is just that - boring. League is quite simple. When the opposition have the ball, you need good defence. When you've got the ball, you need to score tries and against well prepared sides you can't afford to do what you always did.
A goal-line crossfield kick to a flying winger may well get a good result but will be expected.
It's at halfback and five-eighth that the Warriors can make a point of difference.
A little shimmy or movement of the head by Grant Rovelli or Michael Witt could be just the thing to provide the unexpected.
Both these players have performed like tradesmen throughout the year. But against the Cowboys, master tradesmen performances are required.
Last Friday night the crowd played a significant part in what was a great game and the Cowboys' home crowd will provide a similar atmosphere this weekend.
This gives the home side an advantage.
There is little between the two teams if you take Thurston and Bowen out of the picture.
And Bob Bax would surely have had a plan for doing that.
