Richie Barnett. Photo / Richard Robinson
Talented playmaker must make his mark for the Warriors to realise potential.
They've got such a great blend, the Warriors must come right soon. The club has got so many players who are prepared to do the hard yards and graft away that I just can't see it not being successful this season.
I'm talking about players like Simon Mannering, Elijah Taylor, Ben Henry and, when he comes back, Micheal Luck. Those guys are the glue. They work their butts off so that the flashier players can do their thing. And the club has certainly got plenty of flashy players. The only concern - and this is one you always have with the Warriors - is that sometimes they like to play too much before earning the right to do so. It comes down to knowing when to get in the arm wrestle and knowing when to throw the knockout punch. Figuring that out always takes time.
Coach Brian McClennan has consistently said he doesn't think his team will produce its best footy until about round six and that could be spot on. This is a team that is still in the process of jelling, particularly in defence. Last season it wasn't until the final few weeks that the Warriors really started to produce their best defensive displays, but once they did get it together they were one of the best teams in the competition. This season appears to be following the same pattern.
Defence is about confidence and communication and that takes time, particularly with a team that has young players like Henry and Konrad Hurrell and a new hooker in Nathan Friend.
But when things do click this Warriors team will be hard to beat.
While they might not be ready to play their best footy yet, the Warriors sure can't afford to keep losing. And things don't get a hell of a lot easier this week against a Titans side that will be just as desperate to win.
The Titans are very strong and physical across the field and if they get it right they can beat any team in the comp. That said, the Warriors are a much better balanced side and should be too good at home. Scoring points has been the major problem for the Titans so it was a surprise to see the club buy Dave Taylor. You would have thought they would have been looking to spend that money strengthening the halves.
Speaking of halves, after a couple of quiet weeks it's time for Shaun Johnson to step up. Sometimes the game will drift away from players, but Johnson needs to find a way to inject himself when his team needs him. He had a great chance to do that late on against the Bulldogs when he put that grubber into the in-goal. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Ben Barba ended up picking up that ball and racing away to set up the winning try. To me it looked like the perfect opportunity to attack the line and put on a left-foot step.
Johnson definitely needs to run more. It's not necessarily about whether he succeeds in cracking the line. By asking the question, he puts the defence in two minds, which can create opportunities for those outside him. I'd like to see him standing squarer and come on to the ball like he did against Manly. That way he'll at least keep defences honest.