By Sam Ackerman
2011 was a memorable season for the Warriors, and this year they are keen for another shot at the Grand Final.
But success on the field only adds to the club’s pressure off it.
The Warriors are out to buck one of the NRL's newest trends, with the two previous year's beaten Grand Finalists falling off the radar the following season.
But as far as new Warriors coach Brian McClennan is concerned, there are no pitfalls to success.
“I'd rather have it this way then the other way. Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing. This is a team that's got used to winning, they like it.”
Raised expectations add pressure on the front office as well. It costs $18 million a year to run the club.
“Brian's come with new ideas [but] everything costs money. We've committed some more money to areas of football so revenue's always the biggest challenge,” says Wayne Scurrah, Warriors chief executive.
Next season's salary cap is tipped to rise to above $5 million, but that figure is still up in the air.
The NRL's next rights deal is expected to top a billion dollars but an Australian court case over protecting internet broadcast rights could have a nine-figure impact on that. The uncertainty makes recruitment a tricky prospect.
“Some clubs are taking a bit of punt, putting out some pretty big offers here and there, and others are being a little more circumspect and waiting to see what it is,” says Mr Scurrah.
Holding on to talent can also be a struggle.
While 15 of the Grand Final 17 remain - many locked in long-term - James Maloney's already lost for 2013, and stars like Lewis Brown and just back from injury Jerome Ropati are off-contract.
“I'd love to stay at the club,” says Ropati. “It's a club that I love and the only club I’ve been at.”
But the goal is clear: Taking the club that one step further.
“If you want to win finals, you need to be consistently up in the top four. That's what history has shown, that's what we have to work to do,” says McClennan.
That work starting with their second pre-season trial against the Rabbitohs on Saturday.
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