Richie Barnett: An Origin bonus for Warriors

Brent Tate of the Warriors is tackled by Scott Bolton of the Cowboys. Photo / Getty Images

The Warriors must take full advantage of the disruption caused to other clubs by State of Origin.

With no Warriors involved - unless Brent Tate gets a call-up later in the series - they are pretty close to full strength.

The same won't be said of their opponents throughout the Origin period. Sunday's opposition, South Sydney, are without massive backrower Dave Taylor. The former Bronco has been incredibly dangerous this season. With Roy Asotasi's horrible run of injuries continuing, the Bunnies' forward pack will be down a bit on quality.

It's a great chance for the Warriors and it's one they need to take.

When the second Origin match comes around the Warriors will travel to Newcastle to face a Knights side almost certain to be without inspirational captain Kurt Gidley. Before Origin Three they face Parramatta, who will be without Jarryd Hayne and Timana Tahu.

All three of those matches are great opportunities to bank what the Warriors should be thinking of as four-point wins. But the results won't happen just because their opponents are missing a few key players.

With Souths coming off a hugely impressive win over the Tigers, Sunday's game is yet another huge test for the Warriors.

Taylor might not be there but, with Sam Burgess and Eddy Pettybourne in the back row, the Bunnies still have plenty of size and power in the pack. Five-eighth John Sutton is playing great at the moment and, with Rhys Wesser in great form at the back, it doesn't get any easier for the Warriors.

But the NRL is all about getting up for the challenge every week.

Last weekend against the Cowboys, the Warriors were much improved. Their defence was enthusiastic. They rushed up on the Cowboys and bashed them, causing plenty of mistakes. They have to do that every week.

All of the players should take a leaf out of Sam Rapira's book. The energy he displays is what we want to see from everyone in the team.

Brett Seymour's return made a huge difference. He is a very, very good talker. He directs and demands. That is the key to Buster's game. Directing a team around when players are getting tired is an art in itself.

That allowed James Maloney to concentrate on what he is good at and he looked a lot more dangerous against the Cowboys. The kid has certainly shouldered a huge burden so far this season, so no one would have been happier to see Seymour return.

Tate is another player who should flourish with Seymour back in the side. He would be absolutely pissed off about missing out on Queensland selection. His biggest problem was that he wasn't able to show the selectors much playing in a Warriors side that has struggled to create opportunities for him. Seymour's return and the improvement in the team's structure should help that.

Whether Tate remains at the club beyond this year is another question.

When I moved from Cronulla to the Roosters, it was a no-brainer. Playing outside Brad Fittler and Adrian Lamm was only ever going to improve my game.

If the Cowboys are chasing Tate, I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave.

The chance to play in a team that has Willie Tonga on one flank, Johnathan Thurston running the show in the middle and Matt Bowen at the back might be too tempting for Tate to resist.

I've got to be brutally honest - any player with that opportunity would probably want to leave. Any outside back would love to be involved in a team like that. The other side of the equation is money. At 28 Tate isn't getting any younger. It will probably be his last major contract so he will want to set himself up.

Tate is on big money at the Warriors but, after his injury troubles, it's hard to see how he could command the same sort of salary this time around. He is critical to the club but, at the end of the day, you can't really afford to pay a centre too much. So it is a real balancing act - and it's vital the Warriors get the negotiation right, whatever the outcome may be.