Warriors rollercoaster ride heads for a nervy ending
Kiwi side have mixed tenacious with terrible this season but tend to fire up after defeats
The Warriors are running out of second chances, though that might actually be a good thing. The awful 27-26 defeat to the Bulldogs last Sunday has left the Auckland team in a precarious position.
If they fail to beat the Panthers on Friday, there could be no more tomorrows.
It will end their prospects of a home semifinal and even leave their top eight hopes hanging by a thread.
They would still be handily placed on the NRL ladder but their belief and confidence would take a massive hit, making Canberra’s visit the following Friday a nervy prospect.
It might be getting ahead of things, but that’s exactly what the Warriors have been guilty of several times this season.
Like taking on a severely depleted Penrith side in round 17, or facing a Titans team they had topped in 14 of their previous 15 encounters.
And like playing a Bulldogs outfit vying for the wooden spoon, with a finals spot on the line. There was an edge of complacency in those games, and it told.
It’s hard to reconcile, given the courage and conviction the team has exhibited on other occasions in 2018.
The good news is the Warriors have perfected the art of the bounce back this year.
It shouldn’t take the anger and disappointment of a flat loss to provide motivation but that’s often been the case.
That might happen again this week, given the bizarre circumstances of last Sunday afternoon.
The Warriors haven’t qualified for the playoffs for seven years, encompassing more than 180 rounds
The good news is the Warriors have perfected the art of the bounce back this year.
of football and a whole generation of players.
But unfortunately, it didn’t seem to matter on Sunday.
For whatever reason, the Warriors couldn’t seize the moment. There was no sense of urgency, given what was at stake.
Sure, it happens to sports teams. Unfortunately it has happened to the Warriors too often.
The team has made some extraordinary gains this year and can look back on some wonderful performances.
But that won’t mean much if the Warriors don’t finish the season well; it’s like leading the Melbourne Cup as the field passes Flemington’s clock tower, before fading back to the middle of the pack.
It’s sport, and it’s unpredictable. And only insiders will know if some players are carrying knocks into games, or affected by illness.
But something was badly amiss at ANZ Stadium.
On an occasion screaming out for some senior Warriors to step up, instead the biggest moments were orchestrated by a 22-year-old Bulldog playing his seventh NRL game.
It’s part of the mystery of the Warriors.
In their defence, they are playing in the toughest, most competitive domestic sports league in the world (maybe alongside English football’s League Championship) but they have a habit of doing things the hard way.
The victory at Wollongong three weeks ago was an extraordinary effort, one of the grittiest performances in the club’s history.
That win set them on course for a possible home playoff but it’s a much tougher path now.
Hang on for the ride.