Review clarifies Warriors’ gaps
Warriors coach Stephen Kearney says the club has completed its review of the 2019 season, which has revealed where improvements need to be made.
The Warriors finished 13th on the ladder this year, a step back from 2018, but Kearney says the review highlighted areas where they need to be better.
‘‘We had a really good review process post the season and identified areas where we needed to close the gap on and part of it was a game model,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘So what we were doing in defence, what we were doing in attack and we have identified those areas as a coaching group and what we need to do.’’
While there were only three clubs that finished lower on the ladder than the Warriors, Kearney does not feel they are far away from being a successful club.
‘‘The reality was that there were seven games this year where there were six losses and a draw and the total points difference average over those seven games was three points,’’ he said.
‘‘We missed out on the final by two wins, so what that says is the competition is very close.
‘‘But what it also says is that we need to be better and that is the reality of our situation.
‘‘So we need to be better with our game model, how we finish games, we need to be better as coaches and how we get that message across to the group.
‘‘I am excited about that and if I am honest, I thought it got a bit lost in the finish to the year, the last six weeks. In four of those games it was heavy defeats, which were very disappointing and not good enough.
‘‘So it is about putting ourselves in a position where we are better than that next time.’’
So far, the only player recruited for next season is hooker Wayde Egan from the Panthers, who can be seen as a like for like replacement for Issac Luke.
‘‘What Wayde brings is someone who was a dummy half since he was young fella.
‘‘He had a wonderful under-20s career and was just starting to find his way in the Panthers first grade and the opportunity for him to come to our footy club is a real positive one. He is young, he has got a bright future ahead of him and, ideally, he offers us that stability. I am really pleased that we were able to get him and it also helps because it challenges Nathaniel (Roache) and Karl (Lawton).’’
Roache may have hoped that with Luke departing it could have led to an easier route to the club’s No 9 jersey.
However, the 23-year-old has simply been too injury prone over his career and has played just 26 games since making his debut in 2016.
For all of his talent, the Warriors can’t trust him to stay injury free through the season.
‘‘That is the reality of our sport unfortunately,’’ Kearney said.
‘‘But if there is one thing I know about Nathaniel is that he will give himself every opportunity to play.
‘‘He is such a positive young man and as long as he stays like that, whatever gets thrown at
him, he will be able to live with it.
‘‘He has had rotten luck but what I admire about him is that he gives himself every opportunity to get back to playing footy.
‘‘If you don’t do that, then you have definitely got no chance. So that is what I admire about him.
‘‘I wish, I hope and I am pretty confident that he will give himself every opportunity and then it is keeping our fingers’ crossed for him. There is no doubt he certainly makes our footy team better.’’
The Warriors have a couple more spots to fill for next season’s roster and with the November 1 deadline gone, it means clubs can make offers to players for the 2021 season.
Clubs will also reveal whether they will look to make changes to their roster for 2020 and Kearney says the Warriors are ready to react to the market.
‘‘We have made it pretty clear that we are not going to jump into making quick decisions because we have to,’’ he said.
‘‘We are going to make decisions that will benefit our footy club next year and the years after that.
‘‘We will see what happens. There are clubs that want to move players, other clubs will have to move players, so the fallout of what transpires from this, I don’t know yet.
‘‘But what I will say is that Peter [O’Sullivan, Warriors recruitment manager] has been active in making sure we have positioned ourselves to get the right person to help our footy team.’’
‘‘We have made it pretty clear that we are not going to jump into making quick decisions because we have to.’’ Stephen Kearney