The Warriors' win over the Tigers wasn't pretty. Photo / Photosport
The Warriors' win over the Tigers wasn't pretty. Photo / Photosport
Warriors fans can breathe a little easier, even if their team is still far from the finished product, after the scrappy 16-12 win over the Tigers on Friday night.
Though no one associated with the club was going to say it, reluctant to add any extra pressure, thematch had an immense amount riding on it.
A loss to the struggling Tigers would have been disastrous for the confidence levels and just about curtains for their already faint hopes of making an impact later in the campaign.
History doesn't lie.
Across 27 years, the Warriors have only come back once from a 0-3 season start to make the playoffs.
That was in 2011, where they famously went all the way to the grand final.
It was a special team, who were coming off a fifth place finish the season before and still had memories of the 2008 run to the preliminary final, with a perfect blend of silk and steel, wonderful leaders like Simon Mannering and Micheal Luck and plenty of tough veterans.
This group is much more of a work in progress, a mix of promise and potential, experience and hope, and it's hard to see how they could have replicated the same feat.
The knowledge of what was on the line at Campbelltown stadium, even subconsciously, produced a nervy performance, in a true dance of the desperate.
The Warriors again managed plenty of head-scratching moments, and invited a ton of pressure, particularly in the second half.
But this time they hung on, showing great resilience after Marcelo Montoya was sinbinned in the 69th minute. It was evidence of spirit within the group, even if execution was often sub-par, against an equally inaccurate Tigers team.
The Warriors picked up their first win of the season. Photo / Photosport
"Last week we played far better and didn't get anything," said coach Nathan Brown. "This week we played a lot worse and got something."
Brown was pleased with the effort but not much else, among the errors, poor options and bad decision-making.
"We certainly came up with some disappointing plays, which was quite clear for everyone to see," said Brown.
After an encouraging performance last week, half Chanel Harris-Tavita had an off-colour night, but he was far from the only one.
Addin Fonua-Blake and Matt Lodge managed good yardage but overplayed their hand with the ball while Reece Walsh (for endeavour alone) was the best of a misfiring spine and few others emerged with great credit.
Both the Warriors' tries came off kicks, as they managed only one line break (the Tigers had four) and looked indecisive and scattered on attack, not helped by 12 errors, while yielding 30 missed tackles on defence.
"[That] is affecting us the most – we can't put a group of people together that are pretty solid," admitted Brown. "No one is looking for remarkable but at the moment we are getting some real fluctuations in performance. It's not to the standard that we need - you can't carry people at NRL level."
The Warriors were also fortunate a possible Tigers try was ruled out midway through the first half without being referred to the bunker, with Tigers coach Michael Maguire labelling the moment as a "game changer".
Back rower Eliesa Katoa – who started well – didn't return in the second half, after having problems with his vision, and looks an unlikely starter next Friday against the Broncos.
Brown added that Ash Taylor's hip issue is still being assessed, but "he is not looking likely in the short term at all."
Shaun Johnson is tracking well, with Brown indicating he is a chance for next week's game and "if he is not fit [for that] he is not far away."
