ozbash
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Matt Elliott is looking to make changes below the surface to turn the Warriors into a winning side again.
Having witnessed a dreadful opening effort in the 40-10 loss to Parramatta Eels last weekend, the Warriors coach has suggested that the culture of the side is wrong.
They go into tomorrow night's game against the Sydney Roosters at Eden Park again as the underdogs and, if beaten, it will be loss No 10 on the bounce for the club.
Elliott is starting to realise that their problems go deep and is already working at addressing some fundamental issues.
"We have identified an issue and it's something that's in our past," Elliott said. "It is something that's in the furniture here, it has got to change and it will change.
"There are a few ways of changing that and I'm committed on behalf of the club, the fans and members that that's going to be the case.
"I won't be satisfied until that's addressed, because we're not going to win anything until we do that."
Whether that is a dig at how the team was under Brian McClennan, or pointing to the effects of an appalling end to the 2012 season, is open to debate.
One thing is for sure, though: Elliott was expecting more from his players last weekend.
"The main thing is that you can only accept and expect the very best effort from yourself and then you need to expect that from your team-mates," Elliott said.
"Both are equally culpable. If you accept the best for yourself but prepare for your team-mates to give in, that's not good enough either and it's something that we've addressed head-on.
"The indications in practice are that they've responded to this, but the ultimate measure will be on the weekend.
"Last week was a fantastic lesson for us; a lesson that, if you miss, you're going to have to learn twice, so I'd prefer to learn it once. There were some pretty crucial things there unearthed and sometimes getting your pants pulled down like we did . . . if the scoreline ended up 28-12, we would have missed the point that there are some fundamental things that we need to work on."
There will be plenty of attention on how Sonny Bill Williams goes in his second appearance for the Roosters.
Although he did score a try in their loss to the Rabbitohs in round one, it was a largely unspectacular performance from the former All Black. He did all the basics well, but there were none of those magical moments that have made him such a superstar on both sides of the Tasman.
However, Elliott feels Williams will make rapid improvements as he continues his return to league.
"He will be a better player than he was in the last game. I think he'll make a quantum leap, but more so in the next month," Elliott said. "He just needs to reacquaint himself with the game and get more field time.
"Our issue is not our opponent. We'll be the opponent's issue when we get our stuff sorted."
The Warriors will hold a training run at Eden Park today and it will be Elliott's first visit to the stadium.
"It will be my first opportunity to go there and I'm excited by it," he said.
"I hope our members and fans can find the excitement as well.
"I understand that what we showed them last week was not the carrot that we should have showed them.
"The criticism I've heard, some of it is warranted and the other criticism is going to come when the team plays like that, but from naive people.
"At some stage, this change is going to be a permanent one, so it will be pretty cool to be there at the beginning I reckon."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/8427656/Warriors-team-culture-must-change-to-win
Having witnessed a dreadful opening effort in the 40-10 loss to Parramatta Eels last weekend, the Warriors coach has suggested that the culture of the side is wrong.
They go into tomorrow night's game against the Sydney Roosters at Eden Park again as the underdogs and, if beaten, it will be loss No 10 on the bounce for the club.
Elliott is starting to realise that their problems go deep and is already working at addressing some fundamental issues.
"We have identified an issue and it's something that's in our past," Elliott said. "It is something that's in the furniture here, it has got to change and it will change.
"There are a few ways of changing that and I'm committed on behalf of the club, the fans and members that that's going to be the case.
"I won't be satisfied until that's addressed, because we're not going to win anything until we do that."
Whether that is a dig at how the team was under Brian McClennan, or pointing to the effects of an appalling end to the 2012 season, is open to debate.
One thing is for sure, though: Elliott was expecting more from his players last weekend.
"The main thing is that you can only accept and expect the very best effort from yourself and then you need to expect that from your team-mates," Elliott said.
"Both are equally culpable. If you accept the best for yourself but prepare for your team-mates to give in, that's not good enough either and it's something that we've addressed head-on.
"The indications in practice are that they've responded to this, but the ultimate measure will be on the weekend.
"Last week was a fantastic lesson for us; a lesson that, if you miss, you're going to have to learn twice, so I'd prefer to learn it once. There were some pretty crucial things there unearthed and sometimes getting your pants pulled down like we did . . . if the scoreline ended up 28-12, we would have missed the point that there are some fundamental things that we need to work on."
There will be plenty of attention on how Sonny Bill Williams goes in his second appearance for the Roosters.
Although he did score a try in their loss to the Rabbitohs in round one, it was a largely unspectacular performance from the former All Black. He did all the basics well, but there were none of those magical moments that have made him such a superstar on both sides of the Tasman.
However, Elliott feels Williams will make rapid improvements as he continues his return to league.
"He will be a better player than he was in the last game. I think he'll make a quantum leap, but more so in the next month," Elliott said. "He just needs to reacquaint himself with the game and get more field time.
"Our issue is not our opponent. We'll be the opponent's issue when we get our stuff sorted."
The Warriors will hold a training run at Eden Park today and it will be Elliott's first visit to the stadium.
"It will be my first opportunity to go there and I'm excited by it," he said.
"I hope our members and fans can find the excitement as well.
"I understand that what we showed them last week was not the carrot that we should have showed them.
"The criticism I've heard, some of it is warranted and the other criticism is going to come when the team plays like that, but from naive people.
"At some stage, this change is going to be a permanent one, so it will be pretty cool to be there at the beginning I reckon."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/8427656/Warriors-team-culture-must-change-to-win
