Omens unkind for the Warriors
So the Warriors have never won any of their previous nine games in Perth, they’ve lost five in a row the Rabbitohs and ended last year on a nine-game losing streak
Some Australia pundits have the Warriors picking up the wooden spoon and their TAB (where there isn’t the pro Warriors bias to skew the odds) is paying a whopping $41 to win the grand final.
Welcome to the 2018 NRL season Warriors fans.
It all kicks off for Stephen Kearney’s side tonight with the game against the Rabbitohs in Perth and with statistics like that, you have to wonder why they’ve bothered making the long plane journey to Western Australia.
On the outside, there is probably less hype around the Warriors going into a campaign than there’s ever been, but inside the camp there is a quiet confidence around what they can achieve.
‘‘I’m very excited,’’ said winger Ken Maumalo.
‘‘Especially when it’s been a long preseason and it’s been tough. I can’t wait to play some footy now.’’
Maumalo is like a number of those in the current Warriors squad that have moved from being inexperienced players, still getting to grips with the rigors of the NRL, to players that need to be match winners.
Other players in this category are Sam Lisone, Albert Vete and Solomone Kata.
They’ve all shown in patches how good they can be, but need to pull out top level performances consistently if the Warriors can be regarded as a team with genuine top eight potential and it’s these players just as much as the super stars that the heat will be on.
The 23-year-old Maumalo has played 41 games for the Warriors and knows there’s a lot expected of him this season.
‘‘I’ve been here for five years now,’’ Maumalo said.
‘‘I’m trying to pick up my leadership around the boys, inspiring the younger guys and giving them tips on what to do on the field.
‘‘The majority of the outside backs are young and Blake Ayshford is the only older one. So I can learn off him and pass those tips on.
‘‘I’d say I’m in the middle, I’m not in that top leadership group.’’
Last year Maumalo was in a battle with Manu Vatuvei for one of the wing spots and it’s one he was triumphant in, with the veteran making a midseason move to Salford in the Super League.
This year, there’s even more competition for places. Although Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad remains a backup player in Kearney’s mind, it will be intriguing to see where Gerard Beale fits in when he recovers from his broken leg, picked up playing for the Kiwis in the World Cup.
Beale can play centre or wing, so it will either Maumalo or Kata will get squeezed out, as it’s unlikely Peta Hiku or David Fusitu’a will be dropped.
‘‘Every year there’s competition,’’ Maumalo said.
‘‘But we have got extra backs
this year, so there’s another level of competition to step up to.
‘‘To me, that’s competing every day with them, I’m not looking to hurt them, but it’s competing for spots.
‘‘It’s up to Stephen Kearney on who he thinks is best for the team, I’ll just roll with the punches and all I can do is keep trying to be better.’’
And that’s all anyone can hope from the Warriors this year, to be better.
There’s no doubt that they have the talent, but it’s key factors like cutting out the errors and not fading in the last 15 minutes of the game that are vital.
But they’ve been issues at the club for too long that no one has been able to fix.
Will that change this year? We’ll get the first opportunity to see if it has at 9pm tonight.