In the aftermath of their first-week finals exit, Andrew Alderson looks at what made and broke the Warriors season.
1. A settled game plan
The Warriors used to throw the ball around helter-skelter while making plenty of errors. That could be fun for fans to watch but so is winning games more regularly with a sturdy defensive platform led by Micheal Luck, Sam Rapira and Simon Mannering. Last year the Warriors were second in the competition for offloads per game; this year they were sixth. This year they made the third-least errors in the competition, last year they made the fourth-most. This year they conceded the least metres, behind just Penrith - last year they were 14th in that category.
2. Finals foibles
It is a tricky one to master because teams might get one shot a year. The Warriors could not seize the moment against Gold Coast, yet against more formidable opposition in Melbourne in 2008 they won. When the pressure came on this year, their performance was strewn with errors, especially in the play-the-ball, offload and defensive-line departments. The furious pace against the Titans induced mild panic. Finding a solution is tough - and another year's experience will help - but it seemed the glitches were driven more by anxiety and pressure than lack of ability. Many players were simply overwhelmed.
3. James Maloney
Maloney was probably the best value-for-money buy in this year's competition. He slotted comfortably into the halves, despite arriving with just four first-grade games to his credit at the Storm. He also faced the daunting prospect of replacing foundation member Stacey Jones. Maloney is now ensconced in the side, thanks to his directional play, sound goalkicking (74 per cent) and spirited enthusiasm. Suffering the highest penalty count in the competition (28) and second-worst missed tackle rate (121) means there are areas for work.
4. Manu Vatuvei
Vatuvei deserved his player of the year award. As a local - like Stacey Jones before him - he has become the club's most valuable, if not their best, player. He recently signed on until 2013 on a deal worth more than $500,000 a season - the club's highest-paid player. The Warriors won 14 games out of 25. Vatuvei was involved in 13 of those wins (injury restricted his game time to 19 matches). He also broke the club try-scoring record - he now has 78 tries from 113 matches - and equalled Sean Hoppe's 1995 record of 19 in the regular season.
5. Only three real hidings
The Warriors suffered a 40-12 loss to Penrith (they beat them 12-6 in round 18), Melbourne dispatched them 40-6 in the week they were exposed as salary cap cheats (the Warriors beat them 13-6 in round 19) and Wests Tigers handed out a 50-6 hiding in round 12. Otherwise, the Warriors were resolute. Yet in 2009 they were beaten by 20 points or more seven times.
6. Struggling against top eight teams
The Titans proved the side's nemesis, capping it off with a 28-16 win in the opening round of the playoffs. That was the Warriors' last match. Gold Coast had already beaten them twice in the season to make it six wins in a row. The Dragons, Tigers, Raiders and Sea Eagles also kept unblemished records against the Warriors. Just Penrith (12-6, round 18) and the Roosters (20-18, round 16) succumbed.
7. Leadership
The demotion of Steve Price from the captaincy ranks raised few, if any, blips. Mannering, although just 24, has taken a firm hold with his actions-speak-loudest-type approach rather than turning into Barack Obama for the pre-match talk. Mannering finished the season with 12 wins from 18 matches in charge. He also appears to have good support with Luck, Brett Seymour, Lance Hohaia and Rapira. Coach Ivan Cleary also survived another season despite some early naysayers. He has now taken the Warriors to the playoffs in three of his five years in charge. His inclusive team culture has helped fashion a unit that could survive despite a dire injury toll.
8. Fitness regime
Despite a woeful injury toll, the team were rarely run off the park or left gasping in pools of their own sweat. The regime was the antithesis to Jake the Muss sneering after beating an opponent in Once Were Warriors - "too much weights, not enough speed work". The secret involved a lot of running and no one touched a football pre-Christmas. Torturous sessions with Ruben Wiki in the rehabilitation department probably helped too. Players couldn't wait to be fit again, and out on the field.
