Richie Barnett: Good leaders give Warriors confidence

Simon Mannering of the Warriors. Photo / Getty Images

I am enjoying the Warriors' strong start to the season and feel they are benefiting from having more leaders in the side with genuine experience.

There is an air of confidence and maturity about Andrew McFadden's team that hasn't always been evident.

Watching them play, it just feels as though when the going gets tough there is a belief and confidence that key individuals will perform.

With the likes of Ryan Hoffman, Bodene Thompson, Simon Mannering, Ben Matulino and Manu Vatuvei playing such consistent football, you've got guys right across the park in all aspects of the game who are really delivering.

They look to be building in confidence but there's still a lot of improving to do.

There's always the injury factor but now they have a wealth of depth to fill the voids created by injuries to Sam Tomkins and Konrad Hurrell.

Matt Allwood looked solid in the pre-season games without setting the world on fire but I'm assuming he has been chosen on the right to give that edge more confidence in defence. It's a problem area and opposition teams will look to target that side in attack and it will be no different this weekend against the Brisbane Broncos.

The Broncos have a pretty strong attacking left edge so communication in defence will be crucial for the Warriors.

Last week's defensive errors against Parramatta came down to poor reads.

Against any decent side a bad patch in defence can really change the game. There needs to be better communication and players must be clear about nominating their man.

While the Warriors are yet to put together a complete 80-minute performance, there are signs that they can develop into a more powerful team.

With more control and a greater completion rate they will be a devastating side. And when they can tick those boxes and play an up-tempo style they will be hard to beat.

The clashes between these two sides are always a personal highlight of the season and games I thoroughly enjoy watching.

Both teams bring the best out of each other and the football is always brilliant.

Being the 20th anniversary of the Warriors' first ever game against Brisbane just brings more spark to what will be yet another impressive battle.