Michael Brown: Warriors have form for this

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The Warriors are a bit like New Year's Eve. When you get excited about them, they let you down. When you give up on them, they surprise and delight. It's a tantalising phenomenon that plays with a range of emotions.

Ivan Cleary's side were tipped for good things in 2011 - and they still might produce - but three straight defeats to open their season has been as deflating as the latest injury to Manu Vatuvei.

Not surprisingly, they have fallen out of favour with the bookies, who now rate them at $26 to win the title when they started the season sixth-equal at $13.

A similar thing happened in 2009, when they went into the year as one of the favourites after their compelling run to within one game of the grand final in 2008, only to finish 14th.

Then there was the excitement of 2004, after their minor premiership and grand final appearance in 2002 and run deep into the playoffs in 2003. They finished 2004 14th of the 15 teams with only six wins in 24 games and it saw Daniel Anderson resign mid-season after an embarrassing 52-point loss to the Sydney Roosters.

But it would be wrong to write them off this term. They have been here before. They were in awful shape midway through 2008 before catapulting back into contention with 10 wins in 12 games, including an incredible win in Melbourne in the first week of the playoffs. It wasn't just the beards that got them that far.

It was a similar story the previous year, when they fell into a dreadful hole on the back of six straight defeats, only to finish with nine wins and a draw in their final 12 games to end the regular season fourth.

In both years, fans had all but given up on them.

Maybe it's the pressure of expectation. Maybe the players can't handle that anticipation or maybe they start to believe the hype around them and forget what it is they need to do.

The Warriors are too good and have too much depth to fade from contention this season but they seem to be doing their best to make this happen.

Maybe now the hype has largely evaporated as they languish at the bottom of the table, a turnaround will be sparked. Maybe it will take a few more weeks of pain before that happens.

The Warriors aren't the only New Zealand side that puts fans through this turmoil.

The New Zealand cricket team and Wellington Phoenix also have form and the All Blacks have put fans through the wringer with their inability to win a World Cup since 1987.