By Sam Ackerman
The Warriors are odds-on to suffer the curse of the beaten NRL grand finalists.
In the last two years, the competition runners-up have missed out on the playoffs the following season and yesterday’s shocker against the Cronulla Sharks has all but put the Warriors in the same boat.
Almost 14,000 fans at Mt Smart watched in disbelief as the Warriors season took a potentially fatal hit – among them, former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe.
“I think yesterday was probably the lowest point I can remember as far as performance team-wise goes,” he says.
There was little argument from coach Brian McClennan after the 41-point capitulation.
“All the boys feel very down about that performance, that’s not us – we’ve got to bury that,” he says.
Lowe dismisses any talk of pressure on McClennan’s position as unfair and uncalled for, but says questions need to be asked internally.
“They’ve got to look at what they’ve been doing and not be pig-headed. I think that Bluey’s a good coach, but he probably needs to look at how he’s been doing things and what has been happening around him – otherwise he’s going to fall into an even bigger hole.”
With four rounds to go, the Warriors are mathematical hopes for finals contention – but historically, the odds are against them.
They play the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday – it’s been 10 years since they won there.
In two weeks, they will play at their bogey ground, Wollongong. The last time they left there with a victory was 1996.
“It’s made it as difficult as it can be. If we win four, there’s a outside chance, it’s not over completely, no,” says McClennan.
With influential duo Ben Matulino and James Maloney the latest players in doubt, it will take quite the transformation.
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