KEY POINTS:
The Warriors team and management would have welcomed a fourth-placed finish on the ladder and two playoff games had it been an option on offer at the start of the season.
So said club chief executive Wayne Scurrah this week when reflecting on what was and what might have been in 2007.
He and director of football John Hart are more than satisfied with what was achieved this season and excited about prospects for 2008.
They still carry some hangover from the salary cap over-spend by the previous administration, the last of which is rolled off next season. But all the players they wanted are signed and that stability, plus the experience of the payoff losses, are expected to drive a greater desire next season.
"Our goal was to make the top-eight. We over-achieved," Hart said. "It was an exceptional performance and to not progress in the finals was not unexpected." They didn't have the experience.
Put test players in, new buy Brent Tate in the backline next season along with Manu Vatuvei and Jerome Ropati back from injury, Simon Mannering in the forwards, and the attack increases enormously.
"And there's the experience factor for the likes of Grant Rovelli and Michael Witt, Evarn Tuimavave and Sam Rapira," Hart said.
The big loss in Townsville was a disappointment. "They were tired, lack of ball. We did more than 300 tackles, they did 190."
The playoff appearances push the budget from red towards break-even, a big turnaround from the $2 million loss inherited. The increased interest from corporates and sponsors, 1000 new fan club members and early signs of a rise in sales of season tickets are proof of what winning can do.
Hart and Scurrah are also confident they have the right coach in Ivan Cleary to keep the team on a roll, to take it further. It's clear he has the respect of the players. He has also impressed the management that he has the ideas and ability to implement them.
Crowd averages were 9000 two years ago, this season it was over 13,000. They aim for 15,000 in 2008, realistic that mid-winter weather is always going to have a bearing. "We know we have to perform consistently, people don't want to see us as a one-off season," Scurrah said.
"A year ago our relationships were nil. It was a year of apologising, really. There is a new culture now, a long-term aim."
Both have a great deal of admiration for their ageing props, captain Steve Price and deputy Ruben Wiki, in that regard. The young players pick up a lot from them.
The main thing, Hart said, is professionalism in all things.
Price always leads by example. "His dedication to the stakeholders - to the fans the sponsors, the media, you've seen it. He's something special," Hart said.
The club has 12 years to go on its deal with the ARC at Mt Smart. The owners are committed. Several players are signed well beyond 2008, though it is the last season for Price, Wiki and probably Logan Swann.
The goal for 2008 is to make the playoffs again and push on further in them.
There is a new structure to be put in place to cater for the under-20s competition and the players that push on from that to the NRL.
The Warriors have seriously appreciated the opportunity to use the Auckland Lions as back-up for players not selected and those recovering from injury. The Warriors' work in 2007 received an above-average pass-mark from NRL bosses when they met in Townsville. The club is well-placed to improve its on-field performance next season. The missing factors this season were experience and composure under pressure, plus insufficient X-factor players in key positions. Next year's team will have a better balance.
Dare to dream.
