Richie Barnett: Cowboys arrive carrying their big guns

Brett Seymour. Photo / Greg Bowker

Opinion

Tomorrow night's game is huge for the Warriors. It's D-Day.

They've got three of their most experienced players back on board so it's time to make a statement.

They need to stamp their authority on this competition.

Win, and they are back in the playoff hunt. Lose, and things start to get pretty damn hard.

The return of Manu Vatuvei, Simon Mannering and Brett Seymour adds about 300 games of NRL experience to the side but, even so, the Warriors will have their work cut out beating a huge North Queensland side that is coming into form nicely.

The Warriors have definitely lacked size this season, but with Mannering coming back and Ukuma Tai'i starting they have added both bulk and experience, which should help.

Young prop Mataupo Poching is also quite a big guy and a talented player. He has been injured for a while but he definitely has the goods.

I saw him in the under-20s and he looked really, really good. He looked like he was going to push quickly into first grade before injuries slowed him down. But he has got the potential, so if he stays injury-free he could be a real bonus for the side.

Like the Warriors, the Cowboys have had their ups and downs this season, but Monday night's victory over the Roosters was extremely impressive. Matt Bowen added a lot and he is a player the Warriors have always had plenty of trouble with.

Much could depend on whether Johnathan Thurston runs out for the Cowboys - and I wouldn't be surprised if he did. If he is at all fit, he will play. The Cowboys need the points. It's as simple as that.

But even without Thurston the Cowboys are a huge threat.

Like Penrith - who steamrolled the Warriors in round six - the Cowboys have a massive pack. James Tamou, Willie Mason and Manase Manuokafoa are all around 195cm tall. They are huge boys. And Antonio Kaufusi is also a huge prop. We are talking Land of the Giants here.

Both sides have extremely potent left-side attacking units, which should make for an intriguing match. Scott Bolton has been playing extraordinarily well on the left flank and I think he'll break into the Queensland State of Origin side.

The Cowboys also have Willie Tonga on that side and he is a massive threat. They will be up against a fairly shaky Warriors right hand-side defence, with rookies Tai'i, Kevin Locke and James Maloney partnering Brent Tate.

It's a real danger area for them. Maloney is tough cookie, but he is a tiny bloke up against the likes of Bolton, so the Warriors will have to have numbers on that side and make sure he gets plenty of help.

The same can be said for the Cowboys, though, who will have to deal with Mannering, Jerome Ropati and Vatuvei on the Warriors' left.

The Warriors have struggled to score points at home - particularly in the first half - so the pressure is really on to perform.

They have had a week off. Most teams in that situation get together and talk through what they need to do to improve. That improvement has to start this weekend. It is D-Day all right - no doubt about it.

It was a big week for the Warriors on the signings front.

Feleti Mateo is a decent buy. He adds that ball-playing ability and has plenty of athleticism, too. You can lock him in at six or 13, but really you can slot him in anywhere and he'll be your go-to man.

At one stage Krisnan Inu was rated above Jaryd Hayne at Parramatta. Brent Tate rates him as one of the hardest players in the comp to mark - he is extremely fleet-footed for a sizeable bloke.

He's got the ability, but he lacks that mental edge that makes someone into a great player. Put Tate's head on Inu and you've got the perfect player.

Both Inu and Mateo are exceptionally talented, but they don't always turn up to the game. However they are certainly something the Warriors can build on.

Re-signing Micheal Luck was huge for the club. Luck is one of those guys you just have to have in your side. He does all the tidy up work; he gets through all that labour that nobody ever sees.

If the opposition makes a break he is there to clean up and if a gap needs filling he is the one that moves in there to help out. Those guys are worth their weight in gold.

But you also need that X-factor, and that's what Feleti will bring.