Desperate Warriors focus on finished product
For the Warriors, the equation is getting pretty simple.
They have to win tonight against Cronulla, otherwise their finals chances will be all but gone.
Not only do they need the two points, they desperately need a shot of confidence and belief, especially with the Panthers and Rabbitohs looming as their next opponents.
They can’t go into games against top-four sides on a five-game losing streak and hope to spring an upset.
They also need to haul in the eighth-placed Sharks, who they play again in a month.
Statistical boffins will say the Warriors will remain contenders regardless of today’s result but the NRL doesn’t work like that. If you’re out of touch in mid-July — having dropped several games to middle of the road teams — there isn’t normally a way back.
The bizarre defeat to St GeorgeIllawarra last Friday only looked worse with the events of this week. The Dragons are a rabble and have major issues with their team culture and dressing room cohesion but still managed to find more desire than a desperate Warriors team.
The Warriors have lost five games this season in the dying minutes, against the Knights (twice), Sea Eagles, Cowboys and Dragons. They were unlucky in Townsville but the other four matches revealed issues with game management and composure.
“[We are] obviously getting some things wrong in the last five or 10 minutes,” said assistant coach Craig Hodges. “But we are getting a lot of good things done in the first 70 minutes. We can’t ignore that. Unlike other teams, who are having blowout scores, we are in every contest. Our challenge is, we just have to nail that last few minutes.”
The team have used their nine-day period between games to go through different late-game scenarios at training, along with video sessions and poring over match footage. Injured playmaker Chad Townsend has also been heavily involved this week, passing on his experience to the spine.
But the mental challenge is undeniable; how can the players make good decisions when the pressure goes on, especially knowing the importance of upcoming games? In 2018 and 2019, the club employed a mental skills specialist but that isn’t on the table for the current group.
“We haven’t gone down the track of sports psychologists yet, we have a fairly experienced staff, which has been of benefit to us,” says Hodges. “[We have] inexperienced guys in key positions. We feel like they are learning — I know it does not look like that when we are getting similar results. It’s a glaring part of our game that needs to be rectified.”
The Warriors will play their penultimate game against Shaun Johnson tonight before the Kiwis halfback rejoins the club.
“He has been brought up a bit in discussions,” said Hodges. “He’s a talented player, we’ve got some ideas about slowing him down. We don’t want him to have a good game but we are excited about what he can bring next year.”
The team have trained in rain for most of the week, ideal preparation for expected wet and windy conditions in Sydney.
Hodges didn’t anticipate any changes to the starting 13, but said the bench, which currently consists of four power forwards, may be tweaked ahead of kickoff.
He admitted a Warriors victory was imperative, after only one win in the past two months.
“It is getting that way,” said Hodges. “We are measured on results, and if you can string a few wins together, you will jump ahead of that cluster of teams we are part of really quickly. The Sharks will be a challenging team, but a team we can get on top of.”