Richie Barnett: Glimpse of Warriors' future awaits with Eels clash

Lance Hohaia of the Warriors kicks the ball forward during their match against the Sydney Roosters. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

There's certainly no shortage of interesting storylines surrounding Sunday's game against the Eels.

With Brent Tate confirming he is to leave at the end of the season and Steve Price pulling the pin, next year will be the start of a new era at the Warriors.

Fans will get their first chance to see what that era may hold when new signings Feleti Mateo and Kristnan Inu come to town with the Eels.

Those guys are both exciting players and with so many of the Eels' top players out with Origin or through injury, they will be expected to spark their side's struggling attack.

Feleti is the player who really scares me in this Eels side. He has the talent to do some real damage, and could prove the difference.

The Eels are under all sorts of pressure at the moment and they come to Mt Smart without the likes of Jarryd Hayne, Tim Mannah, Justin Poore and Ben Smith. That's a seriously weakened side for sure.

Even so, they are a dangerous side. Mateo and Inu will be looking for huge games. Once you've signed for a club you always want to impress if you get a chance to go there before you join up. The Eels also have a strong contingent of Kiwis who will want to play well in New Zealand. Expect big games from Nathan Cayless, Fuifui Moimoi and Justin Horo, the son of former Kiwi Mark.

There are huge question marks over the Eels' attack at the moment. Daniel Mortimer is still very much a work in progress so the club is desperate to find a playmaker who can run their attack. Kris Keating looks like he might be the player to do that, so the Warriors will need to watch him closely.

Even after good wins over the Knights and Roosters, the Warriors' season is still very much on a knife edge. To make the eight they'll probably need to win at least five of their last 10 games, and they have some seriously tough matches to come.

Two of those are against the Eels, making Sunday's game even more crucial.

Coach Ivan Cleary will have been particularly pleased with last week's victory over the Roosters. The better side lost that game, but the Warriors gave themselves a chance by hanging in there. They are defending with plenty of confidence at the moment, which is what gave them the chance to steal the game through Kevin Locke's brilliant try.

In the back of their minds the players will know that Sam Rapira, Brett Seymour and Brent Tate will be coming back soon. They'll know that if they can bag a few wins now the club will be in good shape when those guys return.

With those key players out plenty of other guys are standing up and getting the job done at the moment. Lewis Brown has been the pick of the bunch. Last week against the Roosters he was sensational. His defence was superb.

The final talking point is the return of Daniel Anderson. The former Warriors coach is in a familiar position, having struggled to get results with the Warriors the year after the club had a good run to the grand final.

Anderson's comments about Hayne not playing well after last week's loss to the Broncos attracted plenty of media attention.

They were portrayed as if Anderson had blamed the fullback for the loss. He never did any such thing. His words were blown up and taken out of context.

But, even so, if shows just how much pressure the Eels are under after starting the season as favourites to win the title.

After last year's shocking season, the Warriors are under just as much pressure. Both clubs also have plenty of top players out and both have plenty to play for. It's a must-win for both sides.