KEY POINTS:
What's up with the Warriors?
Not much, the jokesters will quickly answer.
They are down on try-scoring ability, down on entertainment value and down on the NRL ladder.
But most of all they are down on confidence and until that changes it's hard to see them changing results on the scoreboard.
The worst aspect is they are now boring to watch. Whereas there was once flair with mistakes, now there are just mistakes. And ill-discipline.
Here are notes from the diary of a Warriors' coach mid-game and for delivery in the dressing room: "Are you brain dead? The worst effort of the season, too many mistakes, ball control pathetic, no one wanted to go forward, our attack was too flat."
In their 300th game in the Australian premiership against Melbourne last weekend the Warriors chose to turn on one of their poorest performances, unable to score a try against a Storm filled with ring-ins.
But the diary entry above was not by Ivan Cleary last weekend, rather by Frank Endacott during his tenure 10 years ago.
So what's changed?
For fans, the last six Warriors games have been a major disappointment - losses to sides they were expected to beat, close losses, poor second-half performances, inability to close games out. The offloads, the excitement plays, the stunning tries that the Warriors used to turn on to bring crowds to their feet have been sadly missing.
In their last three games they have failed to score a try in the second half against the Storm and Eels and notched just one second-40 four-pointer against the Bulldogs.
They have done too much tackling in each of their last six games, expending too much energy on defence then running out of petrol and stuttering on attack.
The age spread among the Warriors players is a possible drawback. They have "old wise heads" in Steve Price, 33, Ruben Wiki, 34, Logan Swann, 31, and Tony Martin, 28. And there is loads of youthful talent in Simon Mannering, Sam Rapira, Manu Vatuvei, Patrick Ah Van, Jerome Ropati and Grant Rovelli. But there are few players in the middle ground, in their mid-20s and with 100 or more NRL games behind them: Lance Hohaia, Wairangi Koopu, Nathan Fien and Micheal Luck are it.
Australian juniors are brought up in a tough and competitive environment, in far greater numbers. From early teens, any Sydney or Brisbane player reckoned to have talent is being groomed by the depth of old premiership players those clubs have directly employed or as hangers-on. By their late teens, players are being groomed in the NRL system, via the SG Ball and Jersey Flegg competitions and then through reserve grade.
By comparison, Kiwi juniors play a half-season of age group football then must go to Bartercard Cup, where performance is very patchy and well short of the NRL's reserve grade.
Because of the depth within the Aussies clubs, there is greater pressure on incumbents to perform. The Warriors players do not have the pressure of demotion hanging over them anywhere near as threateningly as do their transtasman counterparts. And conversely, some of the young players that come to the Warriors do so with big heads, thinking they have already made it and taking things too easy whereas in Australia the competition for spots is much more intense and a hardened work ethic is required.
It is a combination of those two factors - more extensive coaching and more pressure - that sees young, former Warriors who leave go on to do well at other clubs.
There are positives.
The new under-20s competition starting next season will provide a stepping stone for young talent. Between that and the Auckland Lions, Warriors prospects will finally have the pathway enjoyed by other clubs.
The management appear to have better talent-spotting procedures as well as a wider national spread of informants so hopefully they will unearth halves and hookers, five-eighths and fullbacks, the positions which handle the ball most and dictate play.
It's clear Cleary can coach, that he is not afraid to make changes and that he is not easily driven to panic reaction. He admitted this week that he was constantly analysing his own performance as well as that of the team. "You have to be careful not to over-analyse," he said.
He is learning a lot in these hard times, he said.
The club is financially sound. CEO Wayne Scurrah told the Herald they have improved the financial performance. Owners Eric Watson and Mark Hotchin remained committed to the club and to football development. More money would be spent and they were still looking to beef up the coaching staff as well as looking forward to the arrival of former Kiwi Dean Bell.
"We accept that the fans, the media, the shareholders, the sponsors are all hurting," Scurrah said. "No one is hurting more than the head coach and the players."
During the first half of the 2006 season the Warriors played six games at home and six away for four wins and eight losses, during which they scored 48 tries and conceded 45.
The next 12 games, six home and six away, resulted in eight wins and four losses, 54 tries scored and 47 conceded. In the first 12 games this year they have played seven at home, five away for four wins and eight losses, 39 tries scored, 37 conceded. So their defence is better than in 2006. It's getting over the try-line that matters now.
The halves have taken much of the flack for the Warriors' inability to score. Grant Rovelli said he knew responsibility fell to him "and I'm comfortable with that". He said the team felt it was matching opposition sides on defence and in physicality. "If we were getting belted every weekend it would be harder. I feel we're not far away [from a win]. We've spoken about taking more risk, promoting the football more. Everyone knows we've got the players to do it."
If the playoffs slip away they will continue to work hard to ensure they are better in 2008, Rovelli said. "We're going to worry some teams."
