Road to playoffs is looking hairy
Warriors may need to bring back the beards — and win seven of their last 11 games
To reach the NRL playoffs, the Warriors will have to make history — and maybe bring back the beards.
Based on previous seasons, it’s likely the Auckland club, who face the Gold Coast Titans this evening in Robina, will have to win seven of their last 11 games.
It’s a tough ask. They haven’t managed that kind of win ratio in the post- Ivan Cleary years, where they have averaged just four wins over the corresponding period.
They will also need to string together a series of consecutive wins, something that has been a rare feat in recent years.
Given the season so far, where the team have managed to record backto- back victories only once, it’s seems unlikely. But there are some reasons for hope.
In 2007, 2010 and 2011, the Warriors put together big late season runs to make the finals, as everything came together in the second phase of the campaign. But the most famous example was in 2008, when the team recovered from a near impossible position to reach the finals. Things had looked hopeless when they lost seven of nine matches between April and June before starting a stirring run, dropping only three of their last 11 games to finish eighth.
That series was accompanied by the team all growing beards, as part of a tribute to the retiring Ruben Wiki in his last season.
“Maybe we should grow beards again,” veteran Simon Mannering said with a laugh yesterday.
“But to be honest, it’s about building consistency in our game. We have got no problem getting a performance together when we need to.
“We have done that plenty of times over the last three or four years when our backs are against the wall. But once we get a performance together, it is about backing that up. If I knew the answer, we would have sorted it by now.”
Mannering has unfortunately become symbolic of the team’s struggles. Over his 269- game NRL career, through many ups and downs, he has generally maintained the highest standards of professionalism and performance, but many of his teammates, both senior and junior, have struggled to reach the same levels. The 30- year- old would never complain but deep down, it must be intensely frustrating.
“It’s such a hard comp and getting harder every year,” Mannering said.
“You see with Melbourne, between their good and bad game they find a way to win because they come up with the plays when it matters. That is where you have to get too.”
Mannering is still hopeful though, recalling the deeds of years past when the Warriors progressed from outsiders to contenders across a few roller- coaster months.
“When you get one or two good performances, it becomes standard, the stuff you need to do in a game and what it takes,” said Mannering.
“Like with Penrith . . . they were struggling really badly and then they get a couple of wins. You get that extra belief and confidence and then you do it again and it becomes habitual.”
The Warriors have a strong record against the Titans, having won 12 of the previous 13 clashes, including six consecutive wins on the Gold Coast. Akuila Uate has haunted former club Newcastle with a controversial tryscoring double in Manly’s 18- 14 win over the Knights last night that temporarily moved the Sea Eagles into the NRL top four. Playing his first match against the Knights since shifting to Brookvale last summer, Uate scored the opening try before incorrectly being awarded his second midway through the second half after he dropped the ball over the line. The Brisbane Broncos won their seventh game in a row at Suncorp Stadium last night, beating the South Sydney Rabbitohs 24- 18 in the late NRL game. Brisbane led 12- 0 midway through the first half but Souths were level at 12- 12 six minutes in the second spell. The Broncos pulled away again with another two tries and while a 74th- minute try from Angus Crichton raised hopes of a Rabbitohs comeback, Brisbane closed out the match efficiently to climb to fourth. Souths remain 13th, one place behind the Warriors. Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore has been included on the bench for the rugby test against Fiji in Melbourne today while Joe Powell and Richard Hardwick are in line to make their international debuts. Moore was left out of the starting side with coach Michael Cheika preferring hooker Tatafu Polota- Nau and flanker Michael Hooper as captain.
Israel Folau, Dane HaylettPetty, Tevita Kuridrani, Karmichael Hunt, Henry Speight, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Scott Higginbotham, Michael Hooper, Ned Hanigan, Adam Coleman, Sam Carter, Alan Alaalatoa, Tatafu Polota- Nau, Tom Robertson. Res: Stephen Moore, Toby Smith, Sekope Kepu, Rory Arnold, Richard Hardwick, Joe Powell, Quade Cooper, Reece Hodge. Wallabies centre Karmichael Hunt says reaching the pinnacle in his third football code has been a long, tough battle but running out onto AAMI Park to make his test debut against Fiji will make it all worthwhile. The 30- yearold is the Wallabies new inside centre, with his test debut coming 11 years after playing his first league match for Australia. In between, he spent four years in the AFL. Hunt’s selection was a surprise — even to him. “It was a little bit surprising given I’ve been playing at 15 for the last couple of years but when it comes to test footy you take whatever jersey is given to you,” Hunt said. There is a four- way tie on top of a crowded leaderboard but littlefancied Australian Matt Jones is ready to pounce after a sterling performance in the first round of the St Jude Classic golf tournament. Jones is tied for fifth with 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel after posting six birdies, and three putting for his lone bogey on the 13th. Jones is hot on the heels of Matt Every, Scott Brown, Stuart Cink and Sebastian Munoz, who each shot six- under 64s. One tactical error proved costly in what was an otherwise good day of racing for Kiwis Alex Maloney and Molly Meech at the World Cup final in Santander, Spain, overnight ( NZT). The Olympic 49erFX silver medallists posted two thirds but were 13th in the first race of the day. The pair are now seventh in the 15- boat fleet. It was a challenging day for fellow Kiwis Josh Porebski and Trent Rippey, who carded two 13ths and a ninth in the 16- boat 49er fleet to slip one place in the overall standings to eighth. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has apologised for “any offence caused” after its players declined to participate in a minute’s silence in memory of last weekend’s deadly attacks in London before the start of a World Cup qualifying match against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday night. When the stadium announcer called for a minute’s silence to honour the eight victims, including two Australians, the 11 Australian players on the field lined up near the centre circle with arms on their teammates’ shoulders. Their opponents from Saudi Arabia stayed on the other side, most seemingly ignoring the gesture, which sparked an immediate backlash. Australia won the match 3- 2 to move level on points with Saudi Arabia and Japan atop the qualifying group with two games remaining. Suzann Pettersen and Mi Hyang Lee each shot an 8- under 64 yesterday to share the first- round lead at the Manulife LPGA Classic in Cambridge, Ontario. Hyo Joo Kim, Gonzalez Escall and Shanshan Feng were one shot back at 65, followed another shot back by Alena Sharp, Emily Pedersen, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff. Now that he has rejuvenated Kiwi Benji Marshall’s NRL career, master coach Wayne Bennett fears the offcontract veteran may be out of his price range. Bennett raised eyebrows when he signed the 32- year- old Marshall on a modest one- year deal for 2017. But he appears to have had the last laugh after Marshall’s inspired form for Brisbane during their tough State of Origin period. However, Bennett may become a victim of his success. He wants to re- sign the veteran but fears the former Kiwis, Tigers and Dragons playmaker Marshall may now be too expensive. “We are keen to keep him here, whether we can I am not sure,” Bennett said after training yesterday.