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.