KEY POINTS:
While the experts flood talkback radio with the theory that it's halfback Grant Rovelli who is the stuttering point in the Warriors attack and that Ruben Wiki is past it, the statistics suggest those balls are off the mark.
In every game the Warriors have won, all at home, their forwards have dominated in terms of metres gained and they have had all-round contributions with multiple players making or getting close to 100m.
In every game they've lost, all in Australia, they have been well beaten up front and the game in which they received the biggest thumping on the scoreboard, in Manly, was the one where they gained the least metres all season.
And in those games where they suffer for go-forward, consistently among those delivering the most is one R Wiki.
If Rovelli has no time and space the Warriors will stutter, as all teams do when their halves are not allowed movement and options. He is criticised for not taking on the line often enough, but too often in the five games in Australia he's had to take the tackle.
The Warriors pack has been out-muscled in every game in Australia and the spread of contribution has been limited - one or two players carrying too much load, too little contribution from the rest.
Why this is the case is the $64,000 question, though the Warriors management and owner Eric Watson would doubtless proffer more than that amount for a proven solution.
Sure, Rovelli does not grab hold of a game and control it as Johnathan Thurston, Scott Prince, Matt Orford or Cooper Cronk can. But Rovelli has just 56 NRL games behind him after debut in 2006; Orford has 187 games over eight seasons, Prince 185 in the same period, Thurston 102 games since debut in 2002 and Cronk 94 after starting in 2004. Give the kid a chance.
At the opposite end of the experience spectrum stands Wiki, on 295 NRL games. Sure, at age 35 years and four months, he ain't getting any quicker. But his work ethic, work rate and mana in leadership cannot be questioned and he remains a valuable cog in the machine.
The Warriors still need some old, wise heads out there to guide the younger players and to get them talking to each other.
The other clear area for improvement for the Warriors is in completion rate.
Win that, and they win the game. Lose it, and they lose, without fail.
Of course there are other areas where games are won or lost - missed tackles, the individual brilliance of a Thurston or a Billy Slater. But the recipe for parity with the Roosters at Mt Smart on Sunday is simple - go forward and hold the ball, give the halves some room and the time to decide on the better options in terms of running, passing or kicking.
