KEY POINTS:
The Warriors have set themselves a platform to build on for next season's NRL, says former coach Frank Endacott.
But whether they had the right mix yet in their personnel to win a grand final was open to question, he said.
The Warriors' 2007 campaign ended in the Townsville heat on Sunday as North Queensland scorched to a runaway 49-12 victory in their elimination semifinal.
As in their narrow opening playoff defeat at home to Parramatta the previous weekend, the Warriors were undone by an inability to complete their sets.
But Endacott, the former Kiwi coach who also guided the Warriors for two seasons in the late 1990s, saw plenty of encouraging signs for the future.
"Over the whole season they can be very, very satisfied," he said.
"It's a very good foundation for better things to come and I think they learned a lot about themselves."
Endacott said a major highlight was the way the club turned around a mid-season slump of six consecutive losses to win nine and draw one of their next 12 matches.
The reversal of fortunes resulted in the Warriors ending the minor premiership in fourth spot and making the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Endacott regarded the Warriors' pack, led by veterans Steve Price and Ruben Wiki and with youngster Sam Rapira developing into a quality front-rower, as one of the best in the competition.
They were strong in other parts of the field as well, and he said coach Ivan Cleary, with his "cool, calm and collected" approach, was someone he could see in the job for a few years to come.
The main reservations Endacott had about whether the Warriors could achieve grand final success in 2008 was their lack of game-breaking halves, describing Grant Rovelli and Michael Witt as "solid" performers.
"I see the Warriors kicking on and going up another step next year," he said.
"But to go on and win a grand final, you need special players. At the moment, I don't think they have that in positions that count."
The Warriors finished the year with 13 wins, 12 losses and the extra-time draw with the Sydney Roosters.
Their star performer was skipper Price, who led from the front in record fashion.
The 4515 metres the prop gained in his 23 games was the best for a forward in an NRL season since records began in 1998.
* Storm skipper Cameron Smith says the return of injured five-eighths Greg Inglis has lifted his side ahead of Sunday's preliminary final against Parramatta.
Inglis missed the Storm's crushing win over the Broncos after being kneed in the back at training but is a certainty to play in the Telstra Dome match, with the winner to advance to the grand final.
The 20-year-old star cruised through a light training session yesterday.
Smith said his prodigious talent could provide the winning edge for the team.
* Joe Galuvao's career has been handed a lifeline with the former New Zealand test forward agreeing to a two-year deal with Parramatta yesterday.
Galuvao will link with the Eels in 2008 and 2009 after falling out of favour at South Sydney this season.
The 29-year-old ended the season playing for Easts in the Queensland Cup and it was believed his NRL career was as good as over before the Eels swooped.
- NZPA, AAP
