There is never a shortage of former coaches offering views on current coaches.
Former premiership and State of Origin coach Phil Gould produced a season-opener in the Sydney Morning Herald listing requirements for a premiership-winning team: No 1 was "quality of the playing roster, particularly the experience andtalent of the key positions".
You couldn't win without quality halves, hookers, front-rowers and experienced centres and winning teams almost always contained representative players at the peak of their careers, Gould said.
Injuries could kill any team's chances. Clever rotation through that and the representative season and management of all the above came down to the coach.
"I also rate last year's form," Gould said.
"The Warriors looked shattered after their drubbing at the hands of the Cowboys in last year's finals. They might take a real confidence hit from that. Coach Ivan Cleary has a real repair job on his hands there."
But the Warriors reckon Cleary's up to it, no problem. Manager John Hart, on announcing his contract extension, said: "We have great confidence in him and see him as critical to our future."
