Warriors last in goalkicking ratings

The Warriors will finish last — in the goalkicking department.

That's the prediction from nrl.com, after analysing each club's main goalkickers going into the 2019 league season.

There is one important omission in the analysis however — the rating system has been done without including the Warriors’ recruit Adam Keighran.

And if he is good enough to hold his NRL first grade spot, Keighran could be a goalkicking saviour.

The scary thing for Warriors fans is this: if the ageing dummy half Issac Luke is not on the field and Keighran fails to make the grade, they do not have a recognised goalkicker.

Doubt over the halves combination has many pundits expecting the Warriors to drop like a stone after making a rare top eight appearance last year. The goalkicking situation hardly helps.

Keighran, a former Bulldog and Panther, is a strong goalkicker and landed 81 goals in 23 games for the Penrith reserve grade last season.

But the 21-year-old Keighran is an unknown quantity who has yet to play first grade. The signs are he will start in round one against the Bulldogs next month, but he is by no means a selection certainty yet.

Apart from Keighran, the Warriors goalkicking prospects make for grim reading with Shaun Johnson and Mason Lino having left the club.

Chanel Harris-Tavita, who will vie with Keighran to partner Blake Green in the halves, landed 39 goals at a 65 per cent rate in reserve grade last year.

Luke is the only recognised first grade goalkicker left, and even he is a part time kicker these days. Luke's improved fitness meant he played many 80-minute games last year, but not always.

Nrl.com rated the Warriors' goalkicking resources as the worst in the competition.

"The Warriors are the biggest losers in the goal-kicking department," nrl.com states in analysing the controversial loss of Johnson to the Sharks and Lino's earlier departure to the Knights.

Luke is recovering from shoulder surgery and is in major doubt for the season start. He has landed 46 goals at a healthy 78 per cent in three seasons at the Warriors.

However, his overall career rate is around 68 per cent which is why the Warriors' goalkicking situation is rated so low.

Some clubs have goalkicking riches.

The Panthers are in a brilliant situation — Nathan Cleary and James Maloney have landed a mountain of goals at over 80 per cent each. Canberra, who have Jarrod Croker and Aidan Sezer, are in a similar situation.

And the Bulldogs may have unearthed the game's sharpest shooter in backrower Rhyse Martin.

Doubt over the halves combination has many pundits expecting the Warriors to drop like a stone.