NRL: Magic returns as Warriors go for it

Joel Moon. Photo / Getty Images

Something different happened last weekend against the Raiders. Not only did the Warriors win, their first in five games and only their seventh all year, but they played like the Warriors of old.

They threw the ball around, chanced their arm, backed up team-mates and scored tries. Good tries.

Yes, it was only against the Raiders, a team that has been equally ordinary in 2009, and they did it with no hope of making the playoffs. But it was heartening and might give coach Ivan Cleary something to ponder as he works out how to turn things around in 2010.

As people pick over the Warriors' shortcomings, it's hard to ignore their attack. It has been dreadful and only the Sharks have scored fewer points this season.

Warriors teams of old might not have always been the tightest on defence but they could score tries. In the first three years under Cleary, they were among the top sides on the points-for column (2006 - 4th, 2007 - 3rd, 2008 - 9th). They were the Great Entertainers and the tired and meaningless phrase 'razzle dazzle' followed them.

The 2009 Warriors, however, have been inhibited. Cleary didn't consciously rein his players in but as the confidence fell as the defeats mounted, so did the flair.

"I have always wanted them to do that, pass the ball," he says. "We changed a couple of things [against the Raiders] and it worked, so the players got some confidence - almost to the point where they took it too far in the first half.

"We have done that a couple of times this year, against the Roosters and Panthers, but sometimes it's just not that easy. We haven't had a lot of errors this year and sometimes when that happens players tend to pull back a bit. It's something that's coming into the game more because defences are getting better."

Until recently, teams played more conservatively to ensure ball control and field position. Completion of sets was seen as paramount, as if that determined which team won.

The Dragons are masters of a structured game plan, just as the Broncos were.

Wayne Bennett built football teams around completing sets, mounting pressure and defending stoutly. But he also had the brilliance of Darren Lockyer and now Jamie Soward.

In the past few weeks, however, the more attacking teams have flourished - like the Eels, Wests Tigers and Panthers. Many were on the brink of elimination and needed to do something different, be more adventurous. It's paid off.

A good defence is still a necessity and is what counts at finals time. But it needs to be balanced with flair and a well-drilled attack.

Cleary knows things haven't worked this year and that a new formula is necessary if they are to enjoy more success in 2010.

"I have some ideas to change things next year. You have to play to what you've got and that will always be the case," he says of the Warriors' tradition of an expansive game. "We have some young guys in the team and part of it is getting those confident enough to play their natural game. It's finding that balance [between structure and playing naturally]."

Against the Raiders, the Warriors produced 25 offloads. This was second only to the free-flowing Eels (27) last weekend and 11 more than their season average.

A high offload count doesn't guarantee success - the Warriors won with only five offloads in the 14-0 win over the Wests Tigers and lost when they produced 25 in the 28-12 loss to the Titans - but if done judiciously it creates doubt in opposition defences.

The Warriors have nothing to lose against the Bulldogs today. No one expects them to win, especially without Steve Price, Kevin Locke and Simon Mannering, so they might as well chance their arm.

Because if it becomes a battle of trench warfare, the Warriors don't have enough ammunition to win.