History shows NRL top eight isn’t finished while the Warriors still fail to convince
WHILE most believe the NRL top eight is done and dusted heading into round 18, the Warriors’ history suggests a sudden slump could be on its way to New Zealand.
Opinion
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WHILE most believe the makeup of the top eight is done and dusted heading into round 18, Fox Sports Stats highlight just how horrendous the Warriors’ post-Origin record has been since 2012.
Of all the clubs in the past six seasons, the Melbourne Storm have the best record with 34 wins and only 11 losses for a 75.56 per cent strike rate from their last 45 games in the post-Origin period.
But at the other end of the scale, the Warriors have only managed eight wins and 37 losses for a success rate of just 17.78 per cent.
To put that in context, it is almost twice as bad as the next-worst club, which is Gold Coast, who have 15 wins and 29 losses from their last 45 games.
Last year the Warriors lost their last nine games of the regular season, while in 2016 they only won two of their last eight and in 2015 they lost all of their last eight.
While it is a statistic that would give hope to Canberra and Wests Tigers, who both remain a mathematical chance of making the cut, it would still be a huge call to say the Warriors are in danger of dropping out.
In eighth spot, the Warriors are on 22 competition points and equal with Brisbane, Cronulla and the Sydney Roosters — but just as importantly, they remain three wins above the Raiders and Tigers on 16 points.
But since they beat St George Illawarra back in round seven, the Warriors’ performances against rival top-eight teams have been awful.
The Storm belted them 50-10 in round eight, followed by a 32-0 hiding from the Roosters in round 10, a 30-10 thumping by Souths in round 12, an 18-15 loss to the Sharks in round 16 and then last week’s 36-4 pumping by the understrength Panthers.
It all points to a pretty important showdown with the Broncos in Brisbane this Sunday, which will be followed by the Storm in round 19.
Steve Kearney bristled at suggestions his team could be heading for another late-season collapse in the aftermath of the loss to the Panthers, saying people have been anticipating it all season.
That is true, although the statistics highlight exactly why the doubts come with good reason.
BENNY’S NOT DONE YET
PLENTY of people have tried to tell us all season Wayne Bennett is washed up as an NRL coach. In fact, it’s been going on for some years now.
But watching his young Brisbane team put the cleaners through Gold Coast last Sunday convinced me that the Broncos are still in this competition right up to Bennett’s big ears.
And Bennett might get the last laugh yet.
In what’s been an incredible career, the 68-year-old super coach will be chasing his 500th win in the big league this weekend when the Broncos take on the Warriors.
FORWARD TINKERING
AS bad as the Warriors were last Friday night, you just wonder how many more rotten forward pass calls have to go through to the keeper before the NRL acts — and allows the bunker to start ruling on them.
It’s beyond a joke. The Warriors had two terrible calls go against them early in the loss to the Panthers that could have changed the context of the match.
While Warriors coach Steve Kearney didn’t want to use it as an excuse given the eventual scoreline, it’s worth remembering his side was also robbed the previous week when a forward pass to Cronulla decided the match.
POSER FOR PANTHERS
IT will be interesting to see if Anthony Griffin rests his Origin players for Friday night’s game against Cronulla.
While it sounds like a good idea in theory, and the young kids who came in last week, including Jarome Luai, did a wonderful job, the last thing the Panthers need is to give the Sharks any extra motivation.
Cronulla have won their past four games against Penrith — and nine of the past 11. A loss here could cost the Panthers their place in the top four.
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