The run to the finals

[ozenzud]

I still have to keep telling myself, that two rounds to go and we are in the top 4. Thats a good season. We have made the finals. Just not sure what place. Amazing comp when it could be 3rd to 7th. The pessimist (i.e. logical warriors supporter) is telling me we will be 7th. But there are a lot of different outcomes as teams in contention are playing each other over the next 2 weeks. 5 or 6 would be OK. 4th Better but optimistic

The top two are certain, but not which order.

There are still probably 3 teams in contention for 8th position, being easts, dolphins and unfortunately, Manly. So the last game of the year is going to mean a lot, not just DCE's last game.

Broncos have Cowboys and Storm - I predict 2 wins as Storm likely to rest players on the last round.
Sharks have bulldogs and knights - 1 win minimum
Penriff have bulldogs and knights - 1 win minimum - potentially throwing the bulldogs game
Manly have St George and Warriors - potential 2 wins? Hoping they win only 1.
Easts have storm v bunnies - this is potentially tough. Will Storm coast? Will Bunnies fire up for this last game?
Dolphins have Titans and Raiders - will raiders rest players?

Plenty of scenarios to play out.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Yeah, ironic really since according to the outdated stereotypes we're supposed to be hard to predict. Really, under Webster we are pretty good at grinding out wins against average opposition but lack the extra class to beat the top teams.

Quite similar to te Cleary years in that respect. We should take note and give Webby time to develop.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Quite similar to te Cleary years in that respect. We should take note and give Webby time to develop.

That's not the way I remember the Cleary years? We used to beat the Storm quite often, or certainly more than now, but I also remember we used to lose to low teams more often than you'd expect

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Easts have storm v bunnies - this is potentially tough. Will Storm coast? Will Bunnies fire up for this last game?
Dolphins have Titans and Raiders - will raiders rest players?

Plenty of scenarios to play out.

Off topic a wee bit but while having a look at the playing loads of some of the key Storm and Raiders players... Katoa's efforts have been absolutely incredible.

The man has played all 22 games this year and only 3 times less than 80m. But in those 3 games he played 70, 77 and 77 minutes respectively. Basically just given a token spell when the games were decided. All while also playing 3 80+ GP games, and averaging 140m, 32 tackles and 2 offloads each outing. Not to mention some ridiculously good tries and assists throughout the year.

If anyone needs/deserves to be spelled over the next couple weeks its him. FMD the dude is a cyborg.

Was already a shoe-in for a Dally M backrower spot, but gotta be a shoe-in for Storm POTY too.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

That's not the way I remember the Cleary years? We used to beat the Storm quite often, or certainly more than now, but I also remember we used to lose to low teams more often than you'd expect

Hmmm. We definitely had a thing about beating the Storm under Cleary, but this still doesn't feel right because Cleary also tended to play a low-risk style and construct a team around high effort/low talent players. I think the comparison with Webster is very fair. Ultimately, Cleary was sacked because while our results were solid it always looked like he was building a team to sneak into the 8, not a team to win a comp.

Of course, hindsight has given us a very different view both from a post-Cleary Warriors perspective and a post-Warriors Cleary perspective.

 

[Shaun Hewitt]

Season is cooked

I retract this statement

 

[Shaun Hewitt]

Hmmm. We definitely had a thing about beating the Storm under Cleary, but this still doesn't feel right because Cleary also tended to play a low-risk style and construct a team around high effort/low talent players. I think the comparison with Webster is very fair. Ultimately, Cleary was sacked because while our results were solid it always looked like he was building a team to sneak into the 8, not a team to win a comp.

Of course, hindsight has given us a very different view both from a post-Cleary Warriors perspective and a post-Warriors Cleary perspective.

I also seem to remember we had some cracking games against the Dogs around that time as well.
Games against the Storm and the Bulldogs just hit different

 

[nswarrior]

Panthers resting 16 players and paying $8 to win against the Dogs.

Assuming they lose on Thursday, Warriors guaranteed 6th place or better for the season already. Thats atleast 1 home final.

very happy

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Panthers resting 16 players and paying $8 to win against the Dogs.

Assuming they lose on Thursday, Warriors guaranteed 6th place or better for the season already. Thats atleast 1 home final.

very happy

If the Dogs win, they're guaranteed top 4 so you'd think they'd do it comfortably. Means they can rest players against the Sharks in the final round - which is a bad omen for us, because the Sharks are breathing down our neck

 

[ozenzud]

Panthers resting 16 players and paying $8 to win against the Dogs.

Assuming they lose on Thursday, Warriors guaranteed 6th place or better for the season already. Thats atleast 1 home final.

very happy

I wont be happy playing Penriff week one of the finals if its an elimination round

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Hmmm. We definitely had a thing about beating the Storm under Cleary, but this still doesn't feel right because Cleary also tended to play a low-risk style and construct a team around high effort/low talent players. I think the comparison with Webster is very fair. Ultimately, Cleary was sacked because while our results were solid it always looked like he was building a team to sneak into the 8, not a team to win a comp.

Of course, hindsight has given us a very different view both from a post-Cleary Warriors perspective and a post-Warriors Cleary perspective.

This guy gets what I meant!

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I wont be happy playing Penriff week one of the finals if its an elimination round

Yeah I have nasty feeling (i.e. I am imagining the worst case scenario) we drop at least one game and end up playing a full-strength Penrith at home week 1, and get soundly beaten and eliminated in front of a silenced Mt Smart.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Yeah I have nasty feeling (i.e. I am imagining the worst case scenario) we drop at least one game and end up playing a full-strength Penrith at home week 1, and get soundly beaten and eliminated in front of a silenced Mt Smart.

That would be horrible.

Not only the prospect of us being knocked out in week 1, but even if we somehow jagged a a miracle, part of me would still be disappointed.

I know lots would rather otherwise, but I reckon Penrith winning again would make a great story.. 5peat, from outside the 4, and from being dead last earlier in the season.

If it cant be us, I wouldn't mind seeing them pull that off.

 

[ozenzud]

Lets face it, we ain't winning a premiership this year. Top 4 finish or not. What we want, is the young guys in the Warriors team to get experience of finals and to believe they belong there and get confidence as well. One week, ain't gunna do that. Ideally, we want to be alive, week 3 of finals. A GF, is way too much expectation and even optimistic warriors fans, ain't thinking that.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Lets face it, we ain't winning a premiership this year. Top 4 finish or not. What we want, is the young guys in the Warriors team to get experience of finals and to believe they belong there and get confidence as well. One week, ain't gunna do that. Ideally, we want to be alive, week 3 of finals. A GF, is way too much expectation and even optimistic warriors fans, ain't thinking that.

Making week 3 would be an outstanding outcome. Probably need to nail 4th to pull that off though... unfortunately I don’t think we’ve got the class to jag more than one big result.

 

[vvvrulz]

Yeah I have nasty feeling (i.e. I am imagining the worst case scenario) we drop at least one game and end up playing a full-strength Penrith at home week 1, and get soundly beaten and eliminated in front of a silenced Mt Smart.

Good lord *shudders*

Which makes me think there's no room for stuffing around and resting anyone against Manly.
It's got to be go hard every week for a top four finish, especially since we're a momentum driven team.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Making week 3 would be an outstanding outcome. Probably need to nail 4th to pull that off though... unfortunately I don’t think we’ve got the class to jag more than one big result.

3rd week would be unreal. 2023 was a success but we goofed it the year after. Getting Metcalf and Barnett back, plus a bunch of young guys coming up - how much of a prospect does EIT look??? - then we're poised to get stronger.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Hmmm. We definitely had a thing about beating the Storm under Cleary, but this still doesn't feel right because Cleary also tended to play a low-risk style and construct a team around high effort/low talent players. I think the comparison with Webster is very fair. Ultimately, Cleary was sacked because while our results were solid it always looked like he was building a team to sneak into the 8, not a team to win a comp.

Of course, hindsight has given us a very different view both from a post-Cleary Warriors perspective and a post-Warriors Cleary perspective.

My memory is that we beat top 4 teams, in fact now that I look back on it, we quite regularly did. Webster teams do not. Pretty sure in 2023 we beat no top 4 teams, 2024 we beat the Panthers and Sharks, and this year, again, none.

No doubt you're correct about Cleary moving on (he wasn't sacked, was he? Wayne Scurrah was umming and arring then Gus swooped in). I vividly remember not being that worried he was going, because we were 8th/9th at that time in 2011, 2010 was unmemorable and 2009 was obviously a disaster. But people within the environment should have been smarter that the consistency he brought was actually hugely note-worthy for our club and unless Bellamy/Bennett were coming, it was dumb to let him go. Certainly for Bluey.

In other news, I saw Bellamy twice in two days last week in completely different suburbs. Every part of me wanted to ask him if Wayne Scurrah stopped him coming to the Warriors, but timing wasn't right

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

3rd week would be unreal. 2023 was a success but we goofed it the year after. Getting Metcalf and Barnett back, plus a bunch of young guys coming up - how much of a prospect does EIT look??? - then we're poised to get stronger.

Yea getting some key troops back next plus the growth in the young fellas.. hopefully means we dont regress like '24.

Still feels like we'll lack a bit of class in the halves/outside backs though, to become a proper title contender.

Right now we're tough and resilient which is so so good. But we're short a Weekes or Pap or Strange or Crichton.. someone who can just bust shit open from nothing. Dunno where that'll come from though.

 

[Manurewa_Marlins]

As long as they get stuck in and have a crack. It's been by far the most unpredictable comp in years, wahs fans get that. The casuals don't, but they never have/will.

Blooded plenty of QUALITY talent this season, stumbled upon a gem in Erin Clark, and have weathered a horrid run of injuries.

Plenty to work on, but there always is. Lukey Met, Ali in the centres, Barney would certainly improve chances, but what can ya do.