NRL 2016 Round 26 Review: Embarrassing showing sums up 2016 for Warriors

Copyright Photos: David Joseph / www.photosport.nz

With all 2016 playoff hopes dashed the Warriors had one game left before they could turn their focus onto 2017.
A good performance against the Parramatta Eels was required to try and end the season on a positive note but an embarrassing 40-18 loss just served to plunge the dagger further into the hearts of the Warriors faithful that sat in the heavy rain witnessing a truly amateur performance.

For the first 20 minutes, the Warriors appeared to have come to play pushing out to a 12-0 lead.
Then the errors that have plagued this team came back and the Warriors went from bad to worse and found themselves constantly on the back-foot yet again.
Defensively the Warriors were found out and as a result were punished.
A lack of desperation was present yet again and the Warriors just appeared to put their heads in the sand and give up in what was a bitterly disappointing way to close out the 2016 season.

My Warrior of the game goes to Simon Mannering yet again, in comments duplicated from Round 25 Simon appears to be the only player putting in 100% every game week in and week out, I wonder how tempted he has been to test the market and move to another NRL club as I'm confident that any of the other clubs would sign him if they were the chance.

My Warrior who needs to improve is a tie this week between Ben Matulino and Jacob Lillyman.
The senior front rowers have been lacking all season and I would rather release both of them and sign another prop that is willing to put in the effort week in and week out grinding the metres instead of having the back line do it.

Sitting in the rain, losing the feeling in my hands due to being cold and wet, I thought back to the Golden-Point loss to the Cronulla Sharks where the Warriors were fighting for every metre and defending aggressively.
Where did that team go?
Going from taking the first (at the time) placed team to the wire to losing the last four games in a row conceding 151 points and only scoring 70 points themselves.
To go from playoff contenders to an embarrassment, where did it go wrong?
Was the middle of the season improvement just an illusion, a series of games where the Warriors were more lucky than good?

I cannot honestly say, the Warriors need to have a serious look at every facet of their organisation in the oncoming months in order to actually be competitive in 2017.
Be it coaching changes, roster changes, a change in preseason
training or a change in training in general.
Whatever can be fixed Warriors please go and fix it!

So that's the Warriors 2016 season all done, I will be writing a 2016 season review shortly so be on the lookout for that in the upcoming weeks but before that, I will leave you with some questions.

How would you describe the 2016 season?
What changes would you make for 2017?
Do you give the Warriors a chance of succeeding next season?

Let me know your thoughts below.

NRL 2016 Round 25 Review: Lack of effort eliminates Warriors from Playoff race

Copyright Photo: Shane Wenzlick / www.photosport.nz

With the Penrith Panthers getting a close victory over the Gold Coast Titans, the Warriors still had a chance to compete in the 2016 playoffs, all that was needed was a win over the Wests Tigers to keep them in contention.
With their season on the line and playing at Mount Smart you would expect the Warriors to pick their performance up a level but the Warriors threw away a 24-18 lead to lose 36-24.

Yes, there were two Warriors tries denied by the NRL Bunker but I believe only one of them should have been allowed anyway as the try from Solomona Kata did have a forward pass involved.
Even if both of those tries had been allowed, the Warriors would most likely have still fallen away in the final 10 minutes.
As a fan in the stands, it was incredibly frustrating to watch the players just jog towards the defensive line when returning kicks and the majority of the side appeared to have an apparent lack of urgency and desperation.
In what has been a consistent trend for the past month the Warriors continually dropped the ball and put themselves under extra pressure.

I feel like a broken record as I have been saying the same thing every week but I will say it again, the Warriors cannot win games if they continue to make schoolboy errors and have a lacklustre defense.
The visible lack of effort is a serious concern for the future of this club and I think the coaching staff will have to seriously look at their current squad and possible start to think about moving some of the dead weight.

My Warrior of the game goes to Simon Mannering, in a team full of men who appear to not care, Simon continues to give it 100% and tackle everyone that crosses his path.
Simon deserves a team that will try and match his dedication and for the past five years at minimum, he has not had that support from his teammates.
Hopefully (and in typical Warriors fan speak) the team will be better for not only Simon but for all the fans as well.

My Warrior who needs to improve is Ben Matulino, I don't know what has happened to Ben this season but after a player of the year season last year, he has simply failed to show up this year.
As a former prop, I've always have a soft spot for the front rowers and generally give them more leeway when reviewing games but Ben has been a disappointment to me and if I was in the Warriors management and coaching staff I would possibly be looking at moving Ben on.
Perhaps in the offseason, the Warriors staff can pinpoint where Ben has gone wrong this season and get him back into form.

With the season now over the Warriors face the Parramatta Eels in a match with nothing but pride on the line for both clubs.
The Warriors will need to come out strong and put on a good display for the ever suffering Warriors fans to end the season on a high.

What were your thoughts on this match?
With the end of the season near, what changes would you make to the Warriors?
Would you bring the young players up for the last game of the season now that the Warriors are our of the race?

Let me know below.