NRL: Wiser heads find emotion aplenty

Brent Tate hopes he has instilled some of his work ethic at the Warriors before he joins the Cowboys next year. Photo / Richard Robinson

Emotion is one of those indefinable factors which can draw a team together, making them seem invincible. The Warriors had emotion aplenty to draw from in their 36-4 dismissal of the Brisbane Broncos on Friday - from the likes of Steve Price, Manu Vatuvei, Sam Rapira and, especially, Brent Tate.

The win meant the Warriors are in the finals for the third time in five years under coach Ivan Cleary.

Tate, playing probably his last home match for the Warriors (there is a slim chance they could yet snare a Mt Smart game in the play-offs), provided key motivation.

Despite his unfortunate injury record over three seasons, Tate's professionalism will be missed - as he showed against Brisbane, busying himself with robust tackles, penetrating runs close to the ruck as well as providing a general sense of direction.

He hopes he has instilled some of his work ethic at the club before he joins North Queensland next year.

"I'm sad to be going; I have fond memories and a lot of respect for the boys. I'd like to think I've left a legacy of hard work. It's pleasing to be leaving and seeing guys like Manu and Simon developing into real leaders.

"There's also nothing better than playing in front of a full Warriors crowd, who come along and have a bloody good time."

Tate believes the Warriors development programme is starting to pay dividends too, when compared to the way his former club Brisbane is approaching the game.

"The difference between the teams at the moment is that they've got a lot of young guys in their first years and we've got the same type of young guys, but they're in their second or third years."

He felt that had an impact on the outcome: "We made plenty of in-roads just holding onto the ball and completing our sets. When you do that, it doesn't matter how fit they are or how well they're playing because they will struggle. Once they get behind, it's hard to break that momentum. We had it won in the first half really."

More emotional fuel was tipped on the Warriors' fire when Price - a much-loved player and fixture at Mt Smart - was paraded before the fans in a ute before kick-off. Rapira was playing his 100th game. The recent re-signing of another Warriors icon, Vatuvei, seemed to swell the hearts and the confidence of the team - and all in front of a club record crowd of 21,617.

They were confident, too, after beating the Broncos - a club they have a good record against - 48-16 in the third round this year.

There were other reasons - an aggressive game plan, the whiff of a finals spot or simply the five-try blitzkrieg in the first half, which left the Broncos helplessly flicking between "catch-up" and "hang-in-there" footy.

The Warriors in this mood are a scintillating team to watch when they produce such fearless, irreverent league. They indeed took advantage of a young Brisbane side that doesn't have the big game experience at present to counter such instinctive brilliance. The Broncos were further hindered without injured five-eighth Darren Lockyer (for the match) and halfback Peter Wallace (for the second half). Both players provide valuable direction.

Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak lauded the Warriors form, a fortnight from the play-offs.

"We just had no ball or field position, especially in the first half. The Warriors put together some great sets, their kicking game was strong and they ran with real purpose, supporting each other."

His captain Corey Parker agreed: "They had a fair bit of possession in that first half; all we felt we were doing was tackling."

Statistics show the Broncos have been vulnerable at dummy-half this season and before the match were ranked in the bottom two teams for conceding line breaks, offloads and missed tackles.

The Warriors did not miss the invitation. Three of the seven tries came from pivotal moves around the ruck.

Enjoyment is another ingredient that is hard to quantify in a winning sports team. It might not fit into any scientific equation as to why some sides win certain games - but it can't be underestimated.

Tate agrees with that and will now instill his values - including the ability to enjoy the game - at the Cowboys. They could use them, given they face a potential second-to-last place finish, in front of guaranteed wooden-spooners Melbourne.

But for now it is a chance for Tate to celebrate the win with the Warriors.

"One thing that footy's taught me is that when you have a good win, you've got to enjoy it. That's what we'll do before getting back to work on Monday."