Richie Barnett: Charge of young brigade needed

Elijah Taylor is well suited to co-ordinate defence. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The Warriors must re-group and do everything within their power to finish this season strongly after a disappointing run which reached a low with the thrashing by Cronulla.

I do have some concerns about where their heads might be after listening to an interview with five-eighth James Maloney. When asked if he thought the season was over for the club, he didn't reply "absolutely not".

I would have expected him to say that the Warriors can make the playoffs by winning the remaining four games, that they were more than capable of doing that. I've got genuine concerns they feel the season is lost before they even get to that final game. In saying that, Parramatta have shown that teams can respond with very good football when they feel the pressure is reduced.

It is absolutely critical the players remain accountable and do everything and anything to end the season on a fantastic note.

If things continue on this path, the pressure will land on coach Brian McClennan, as it always does in the NRL. McClennan deserves at least another season in charge, and I really feel that both he and previous coach Ivan Cleary had bad luck with injuries over the past two years.

People might not like hearing this, but those critical injuries have exposed the younger players in the club, and meant they could not make the big jump from the under-20s into an experienced lineup that could guide them properly in first grade. With that in mind, they need an experienced outside back to bolster the squad for next season, a player who might not always start, but one who would do a terrific job when gaps appear.

I've got faith that the new young brigade, led by Elijah Taylor, will take up the reins when it comes to communicating on the field, particularly in co-ordinating the defence.

They will have to, because the club is losing a couple of key players in that area when Micheal Luck and Maloney depart.

Luck returns against the North Queensland Cowboys this week but we can't expect the old heroics from him. He has lost size and power because injuries have prevented him from doing the necessary gym work. He'll provide less minutes, although what he does is always quality.

It will be interesting to watch Carlos Tuimavave at No 6. This is his chance to start stamping a claim for that position, especially if Thomas Leuluai - who I really like as a seasoned professional - does not gel when he arrives from England for 2013.

Tuimavave is also a centre prospect - he has a lot of time with the ball and seems very calm. He has been at the club for four years, which is a long time for a junior player.

But as I said, he and the other young players are arriving in difficult circumstances, in a team out of form and down on experience.