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There are few more emotional experiences in sport than being a Warriors fan. Among the all too rare highlights, there is plenty of frustration, despair and disappointment.
Last year fans went on a ride more exciting than anything at Rainbows End but there will be no thrilling conclusion in 2008. They might presently be only two points behind where they were at this stage last season but they seem incapable of reproducing the sort of form that saw them win nine and draw one of their last 12 games and it seems implausible they will make the top-eight playoffs.
Historically, 28 points is seen as the magic number to guarantee finals football but this has probably reduced to 26 through the introduction of the Gold Coast Titans and the tight nature of the competition. Last season the Broncos sneaked in with 24 and that might be enough again.
Regardless, the Warriors are playing poorly and there is a realisation within the club that 2008 is not the success story they thought it might have been.
"You have got to say we are at risk [of missing the top eight]," Warriors director of football John Hart says. "You would be a fool to say otherwise. We would have to win seven of our last 10 and that's a tough ask."
Although the number of defeats is disappointing, it's the manner that has been most disconcerting.
Defensively, they are the worst team in the competition, having conceded 405 points at an average of 29 points a game. Furthermore, they have conceded the most number of tries (5.21 a game), committed 11.79 errors and missed 31.64 tackles a game.
It's hard to win with these sorts of numbers and, when it comes down to it, individuals are making basic errors. By and large they are the same individuals who helped the Warriors to fourth last year.
"I thought we would improve this year," coach Ivan Cleary says. "As it's turned out, we've had some major injuries and when that happens inexperienced players come in.
"I thought we were in a position to see those guys get better, the guys around the 50-100 NRL games mark, but they haven't. When you are missing a few guns, and those guys aren't filling the breach, you get exposed and that's what has happened.
"Quite a few of the players have plateaued. Those guys aren't improving as we'd like. We've got senior guys tailing off as well."
Those senior guys include Ruben Wiki, Logan Swann and Wairangi Koopu, who will all finish up with the club at the end of the season.
Wiki is not the player he was in 2005, when he was the club's Player of the Year, Swann is safe but has offered little and Koopu has featured only five times this season, and only then because of injuries.
All three will leave the club at the end of the season, along with Michael Crockett and Ryan Shortland, which will free up significant room to move the wage bill under the salary cap.
The Warriors say they haven't been able to do that until now because of the salary cap breach of 2006. They deferred payments from previous seasons and extended contracts of others to correct their mistakes.
"Whereas people might have seen 2008 as the year good things would happen after what happened last year, I have always thought that until we got out of our salary cap woes, which are not of the current management's doing, it would be difficult to win a championship with the roster we have," Hart says. "Next year we are free of that burden and that burden has been equivalent to a couple of decent players."
The Warriors have already secured Brisbane winger Denan Kemp (21) and five-eighth/centre Joel Moon (20) as well as the Cowboys second-rower Jacob Lillyman (24).
A feature of these three, and it has been a deliberate ploy, is that they are young, but reasonably well-established first-graders.
"The guys we are trying to sign, we feel, have their best football in front of them," Cleary says.
There has been considerable debate about whether they are the right type of players. Lillyman is in a similar mould to Micheal Luck and Simon Mannering but Hart is adamant they have the right mix.
He points to the fact their defensive record is poor and that Lillyman will provide more surety, while Moon will slot in at the troublesome five-eighth position and Kemp will provide some extra speed on the wing.
They have not finished yet and a halfback remains their top priority but it obviously doesn't help their plight this season.
FORMER KIWIS captain Duane Mann has found himself shaking his head at the Warriors on more than one occasion this season.
"To say they are the most disappointing team in the competition is not fair," he says. "I don't think the Warriors are as bad as the Cowboys, Rabbitohs or Bulldogs. But they are certainly underperforming and for me the big problems are around their recruitment and selection choices.
"It's also about how they are being coached. Some of the things they are doing tactically on defence and attack, I doubt that players understand what the coaches are saying.
"When you see the players shifting the ball, it's quite predictable. Tactically I don't think they are doing much and they're not changing enough each week when things clearly aren't working.
"I don't see them addressing the problems from week to week, from kick pressure, last play and yardage kicks and setting things up on the left or the right. It's all a bit repetitive."
It's a view shared by former Kiwis captain Hugh McGahan.
"There needs to be some harsh words spoken, some honesty," he says. "There are too many guys not playing well enough and they need to be told that.
"If the club are looking for the public to support them, and that they won't stand for mediocrity, they need to be seen to be doing things and making changes.
"They are starting to do that and play a few of the younger guys, but it is too late. Their season is gone."
Pressure is mounting on Cleary but Hart is convinced they have the right man. It's why the club moved swiftly at the start of the season to tie him down to a long-term contract to ward off rival clubs when the coaching merry-go-round was getting into full swing across the Tasman.
There have been suggestions the board have since looked around to see if there are other options but it's doubtful they will make a change.
The club pride themselves on being a stable outfit and see Cleary as a promising young coach.
"We are totally supportive of him," Hart says. "I have strong belief in Ivan as a coach. There's no doubt it's hard but he's been strong throughout and we're not losing because of the coach or selections. We are losing because players are letting us down from time to time and a lot of that has to come back to personal responsibility.
"I see how hard Ivan and [assistant] John [Ackland] are working and nothing I am seeing gives me anything but confidence that the coach is a good coach. Sometimes you go through bad periods.
"I think it's interesting that, if we're so bad as many others would believe, how did we sign Joel Moon when Wayne Bennett and the Dragons thought they had him? How did we get Jacob Lillyman and Denan Kemp? There has got to be something going well here.
"The club is in good shape, we are respected. You wouldn't be attracting players if that was the case. I'm really happy with the coaching staff."
IT'S OFTEN said the salary cap ensures a tight competition and it seems to be borne out by the fact the top 12 teams are separated by just six points and five teams are on 16 points in the middle of the table.
Interestingly, heading into this weekend's games, just three of last year's top eight have a home in the Promised Land (Sea Eagles, Storm, Broncos). Furthermore four of last season's top-eight sides occupy the bottom four (Warriors, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Cowboys).
The Warriors lament the fact they're not higher up and highlight dropped points against both the Rabbitohs (28-35) and Sea Eagles (14-20) which would have put them on the cusp of the eight.
In truth, however, they don't deserve to be there. Their squad is not good enough and injuries to Wade McKinnon, Steve Price and Manu Vatuvei have exposed a lack of depth.
McKinnon has been missed the most. While Lance Hohaia has done an adequate job at fullback, he isn't the strike weapon McKinnon is and other players, like the much-maligned Grant Rovelli, base their game around backing up the fullback.
In 60 minutes last weekend against Manly, Vatuvei also showed what they have been missing with his absence through a fractured leg.
"McKinnon was in spectacular form last year and Price is one of the top five players in the competition, let alone in the front row," Mann says. "To lose them has left a big hole but it happens at every club. Every club has to cope with injuries.
"Even if McKinnon and Price were on the field I don't think it would have made much difference. Sometimes you can win a game when three or four players aren't performing but it's impossible when half a team aren't firing and that's what is happening at the Warriors."
Cleary is a loyal coach but that loyalty has been tested in recent weeks as players continually struggle. He doesn't though, in Mann's opinion, have many other options and isn't one to rush under-20 players in if he doesn't think they're ready.
"When you're not winning, loyalty gets pushed," he says. "There aren't a lot of guys who could say they have had great years. Having said that, you only have so many players.
"I also feel that most are doing well off the field. I don't see poor attitudes at training. If you see that, then it's pretty easy to make changes.
"You have to work hard enough for things to turn around and when they do, you have to ride that wave. It's a momentum thing and it's against us at the moment. There's no magic wand... but I feel there's hope. There's got to be a good game coming soon."
Fans certainly hope so.
