Warriors to take game to opponents
Coach Stephen Kearney has ordered his to side to express themselves more with the ball after underwhelming on attack last NRL season.
STEPHEN Kearney isn’t someone who likes to draw comparisons.
The former Kiwis coach will embark on his second season in charge of the Warriors on Saturday and is charged with the task of turning around the fortunes of a team that finished 13th last season.
Last year he attempted to get the Warriors into the playoffs for the first time since 2011, with a team clearly not good enough for the NRL over the latter part of the season. It was a team that had once again become the butt of jokes for some, the target of anger and frustration for others.
One year on, he’s refreshed the squad, analysed where things need to improve, worked on fitness and is looking to start the season with a reinvigorated team.
On the surface, the Warriors look to be heading into the campaign in better shape than last year but it’s not a conversation Kearney wants to have.
‘‘I don’t really get into comparing,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘I’m just about the moment, 12 months ago is looking in the rearview mirror for me and it’s just about what’s important today.
‘‘I don’t want to make the comparison, there are things we need to improve on and be better at for next week against Souths Sydney and that’s what all my focus is on.’’
So no luck with going down that line of questioning with the 45-year-old Kearney, but he does admit he knows a lot more about the players now than this time last year. Their strengths, weak- nesses and what buttons to press to get the best out of them.
‘‘That’s a natural part of being here for 12 months,’’ he said. ‘‘I definitely feel that.’’
There have been comments from the likes of Shaun Johnson that there will be a return to the Warriors brand of footy this season.
That could mean they’re playing a more expansive game and will be less obvious for defences to read.
Kearney said, following his review of last season, he needed to make changes to the gameplan on attack.
‘‘What I recognised after the season was finished, was that we didn’t ask enough questions of the opposition,’’ he said.
‘‘What that means in terms of our style of play was that we were a pretty high completing team, but I think we faded away at the back-end of games a lot of times last year.
‘‘We put ourselves into a position – whether we were a try down or a try up – going into the last quarter of the game and then we faded away.
‘‘I think you can put that down to a couple of issues, you can put it down to the conditioning element, so fitness. But if you’re asking more questions of the opposition, you’re taking more petrol out of them too.
‘‘We think we’ve got a style of play and there are subtle, little adjustments we can make to that.’’
The end of last season was as bad as it’s ever been for the Warriors. They lost their final nine games and the atmosphere at Mt Smart Stadium was joyless and depressing.
It was a tough time for everyone at the club, but Kearney revealed that during it he had his eyes on the 2018 season.
The young players who went out there and lost every week were able to understand what playing in the NRL is like.
Kearney believes bringing in some experienced players around them, makes the squad a more rounded one.
‘‘The depth is getting there, but we’re getting guys 12 months on,’’ he said.
‘‘I consciously kept some guys in this position so they could get that experience.
‘‘Then when Gerard Beale, Anthony Gelling and Peta Hiku comes, then all of a sudden the guys who were around the team last year are 12 months more, 20 games more experienced.
‘‘That’s about not panicking when you’re under pressure and having a method to your process. ‘‘So that’s why there is depth. ‘‘Sometimes it’s a tough ask when these individuals are asked to do a job and it’s on a pretty big stage,’’ he added, referring to the young players thrust into the spotlight last year.
‘‘My personal opinion is that they did get something out of it.
‘‘But it’s my job and the coaches’ job to make sure the learnings are that we have taken something out of it, it’s not just putting them out there, frying them and doing nothing about it.
‘‘It’s giving them lessons from that experience.’’
What I recognised after the season was finished, was that we didn’t ask enough questions of the opposition.’ STEPHEN KEARNEY