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You can say what you like about Lowie but this the best Warriors articles I have read this year!
Graham Lowe: Missing X factor haunts Warriors
20.08.2004 NZ Herald
The sensational NRL top-of-the-table match last Sunday between the Bulldogs and the Broncos showed how much the Warriors have dropped off the pace this year.
In fact, their disappointing loss to the Dragons the previous night indicated the sooner this season is over for the Auckland-based side the better.
The sad thing is that just two years ago the Warriors were displaying all the skill and enthusiasm that was shown at Suncorp Stadium in that epic won by the Dogs last weekend.
Some argue that if the Warriors had a few of the Broncos or Bulldog stars they would be able to put on similar displays.
I disagree, and that's why I still have concerns for next year.
Losing Ivan Cleary and Kevin Campion were big blows (even ignoring the fact they were both self-inflicted) but the club should by now have moved on.
Certainly, Mick Watson has pulled off a coup with the signing of Steve Price and Ruben Wiki.
But I fear unless there is a major change in thinking at the club, the two powerhouse forwards will be struggling to make much of a difference.
I have been looking for a change in the type of football the Warriors have been playing and I'm sorry to say it just isn't coming through. In fact, I'd have to say there is no improvement evident at all this year.
And that's why I am so worried for next season. I'd have thought that with a new coach we'd by now be seeing a new brand of footy being played by the Warriors. But it's just not happening, and it's not because the talent is not there - the majority of these players nearly won the NRL two years ago.
I'm reluctant to use the term X factor but that's what is missing. The X factor relates to several areas including leadership and direction at the top, player strength, club harmony and coaching.
Each of these components is important at a strong footy club. Obviously the Warriors' problems do stem from one or more of these areas.
Sure, clubs such as the Broncos and the Bulldogs have some great players, but there's nothing wrong with the depth of the talent pool at the Warriors.
Certainly much of that talent is just not currently producing and seems to be just going through the motions. The big question is why? There could be any number of reasons, but an obvious one is that they are trying to play a type of game that doesn't fit the players, and the result is that confidence has been eroded.
The Bulldogs and the Broncos are playing an open, running game that is giving their younger players plenty of confidence to try things. With that confidence they are improving each game.
The Warriors on the other hand are trying a conservative approach that brings with it a harsh spotlight on mistakes and puts unnecessary pressure on the less experienced players.
Young Broncos fullback sensation Karmichael Hunt and the Dogs' young superstar Sonny-Bill Williams are brilliant young New Zealand players. Yet in my opinion, they are no more talented than Ali Lauitiiti was for the Warriors. The big difference is Hunt and Williams are encouraged to try things, not hung out to dry if they make mistakes.
It's a fine balance getting the right mixture of talent, youth and results and it is an area where the Warriors are struggling.
Many will argue that all that is missing is the so-called go forward that Price and Wiki will bring, but I can't go along with that theory.
The Warriors have the potential to become another juggernaut similar to Brisbane but only if they play their own type of game.
Coach Tony Kemp has a massive responsibility on his young shoulders. It is up to him to turn the fortunes of the club around and you would have to say the signs so far haven't been good.
The great success the club achieved two short years ago was based on an open and often ad lib style of attack similar to that played last Sunday by the Broncos and the Bulldogs.
With just three games to go the fans need to see a glimpse of what they can expect next year and if that does not happen, Price and Wiki could be walking into a footballers' graveyard.
- ADVERTISEMENT -
Graham Lowe: Missing X factor haunts Warriors
20.08.2004 NZ Herald
The sensational NRL top-of-the-table match last Sunday between the Bulldogs and the Broncos showed how much the Warriors have dropped off the pace this year.
In fact, their disappointing loss to the Dragons the previous night indicated the sooner this season is over for the Auckland-based side the better.
The sad thing is that just two years ago the Warriors were displaying all the skill and enthusiasm that was shown at Suncorp Stadium in that epic won by the Dogs last weekend.
Some argue that if the Warriors had a few of the Broncos or Bulldog stars they would be able to put on similar displays.
I disagree, and that's why I still have concerns for next year.
Losing Ivan Cleary and Kevin Campion were big blows (even ignoring the fact they were both self-inflicted) but the club should by now have moved on.
Certainly, Mick Watson has pulled off a coup with the signing of Steve Price and Ruben Wiki.
But I fear unless there is a major change in thinking at the club, the two powerhouse forwards will be struggling to make much of a difference.
I have been looking for a change in the type of football the Warriors have been playing and I'm sorry to say it just isn't coming through. In fact, I'd have to say there is no improvement evident at all this year.
And that's why I am so worried for next season. I'd have thought that with a new coach we'd by now be seeing a new brand of footy being played by the Warriors. But it's just not happening, and it's not because the talent is not there - the majority of these players nearly won the NRL two years ago.
I'm reluctant to use the term X factor but that's what is missing. The X factor relates to several areas including leadership and direction at the top, player strength, club harmony and coaching.
Each of these components is important at a strong footy club. Obviously the Warriors' problems do stem from one or more of these areas.
Sure, clubs such as the Broncos and the Bulldogs have some great players, but there's nothing wrong with the depth of the talent pool at the Warriors.
Certainly much of that talent is just not currently producing and seems to be just going through the motions. The big question is why? There could be any number of reasons, but an obvious one is that they are trying to play a type of game that doesn't fit the players, and the result is that confidence has been eroded.
The Bulldogs and the Broncos are playing an open, running game that is giving their younger players plenty of confidence to try things. With that confidence they are improving each game.
The Warriors on the other hand are trying a conservative approach that brings with it a harsh spotlight on mistakes and puts unnecessary pressure on the less experienced players.
Young Broncos fullback sensation Karmichael Hunt and the Dogs' young superstar Sonny-Bill Williams are brilliant young New Zealand players. Yet in my opinion, they are no more talented than Ali Lauitiiti was for the Warriors. The big difference is Hunt and Williams are encouraged to try things, not hung out to dry if they make mistakes.
It's a fine balance getting the right mixture of talent, youth and results and it is an area where the Warriors are struggling.
Many will argue that all that is missing is the so-called go forward that Price and Wiki will bring, but I can't go along with that theory.
The Warriors have the potential to become another juggernaut similar to Brisbane but only if they play their own type of game.
Coach Tony Kemp has a massive responsibility on his young shoulders. It is up to him to turn the fortunes of the club around and you would have to say the signs so far haven't been good.
The great success the club achieved two short years ago was based on an open and often ad lib style of attack similar to that played last Sunday by the Broncos and the Bulldogs.
With just three games to go the fans need to see a glimpse of what they can expect next year and if that does not happen, Price and Wiki could be walking into a footballers' graveyard.
- ADVERTISEMENT -
