NRL: Warriors' woes typify failure to fire in finals push

The hope for 2016 is that all the team's top-tier players will get more game time together. Photo / Getty Images

Loss to Cowboys same old NRL story for injury-plagued team.

High hopes have again turned into the stuff of nightmares for the Warriors as they crash out of finals contention for a fourth straight year and finish the season on another downward spiral of defeats.

Since making the 2011 NRL grand final, the infamous Penrose rollercoaster has been anything but a fun ride, with the back half of the Warriors' recent seasons resembling a big dipper that leaves the club's players, administrators and fans feeling sick.

Reasons behind each failing season seem to blend into one big relentless excuse that we've all heard before. No matter how valid the explanations might be, none of them offers much to appease those disillusioned with the team, or provides much hope that a brighter future lies ahead for the enigmatic club.

Saturday night's 50-16 thrashing at the hands of the Cowboys consigned the Warriors to their sixth straight defeat and spelled the end to any mathematical chance they had of scraping into the top eight.

With two games remaining, against Wests Tigers and Canterbury Bulldogs, things could get worse before the fast-approaching offseason.

However, three tries in the opening 12 minutes against the Cowboys gave coach Andrew McFadden's side the positive start they needed, and showed there was still some life left in their attack. And despite the avalanche of points that eventually engulfed them in their final home game of 2015, the signs were there that some positive football remains in them.

After breaking into fourth spot following the mad-cap back-flipping highs of their round 18 victory over Melbourne, the Warriors have slid down into 10th position in the past six weeks, but are things as bad as they appear to be?

What is different about this failed campaign compared with the misery of 2012, 2013 and 2014?

In 2012, under Brian McClennan, the team were in turmoil long before they lost their final eight games to finish third last.

Under Matt Elliott, 2013 was another season of inconsistency, but the Warriors were their own worst enemies, blowing a last-round chance at scraping into the eight with a weak 19-10 loss to the Dragons.

Last year was a similar story, when points differential curtailed their hopes after they were beaten 22-6 by the Panthers in their final round clash.

In short, things are not quite that bad, largely because of the crippling injury toll the Warriors have been forced to endure.

Losing Manu Vatuvei, Sam Tomkins, Konrad Hurrell, Thomas Leuluai, Ryan Hoffman, Shaun Johnson, Bodene Thompson, and Ben Matulino to injuries and suspension during the season has undoubtedly played a key role in undermining this year's title quest.

The high number of casualties has forced an over-reliance on younger developing players, with five members of the Warriors side belted by the Cowboys aged 21 or 20.

The hope for 2016 is that all the team's top-tier players will get more game time together, while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke loom as white knights riding in to help push them into foreign finals territory.

Late season woes
•Final 10 rounds of 2015 NRL season (currently have one win, six losses, one bye round) - 14%
•Final 10 rounds of 2014 NRL season (four wins, five losses, one bye round) - 44%
•Final 10 rounds of 2013 NRL season (four wins, five losses, one bye round) - 44%
•Final 10 rounds of 2012 NRL season (two wins, eight losses) - 20%