Dale Budge: Don't panic Warriors fans

Don't panic Warriors fans. That loss to Melbourne on Wednesday night was a blip on the radar, a one-off, an anomaly.

It wasn't a case of the Warriors reverting to type but more the perfect storm (sorry about the pun) culminating in a lop-sided score-line.

There were a number of contributing factors that led to the Storm whacking 50 points on the Warriors in their Anzac Day clash.

Both sides were playing on short turn-around. The Warriors had a day of international travel included in their recovery but more telling was the amount of juice they used in beating the Dragons last Friday night. They had just 37 per cent possession in that game, which meant they did an awful lot of tackling. That carries into the following week.

Add to that a few key players missing and hooker Issac Luke going down 15 minutes into last night's fixture and you have some hurdles to overcome.

But the biggest factor in last night's performance was the display by the Storm. They were incredible. Melbourne hasn't been anywhere near their best so far this season – well until last night – when they jumped from second gear to fifth without missing a beat. They clearly had a point to prove and that is so often the difference in this competition.

The Warriors were 12-0 down having done absolutely nothing wrong. They gave away a penalty at the Melbourne end and the Storm took full advantage. From there the Warriors just didn't have the petrol in the tank to handle what the Storm fired at them. Missed tackles and handling errors crept into the Warriors' performance, which happens under fatigue and against good sides.

I actually think the Warriors showed a fair bit of character in really putting in during the second half. I hate to think what the score might have been had this been the 2017 version of the Warriors in the second spell – it could have been a case of getting out the abacus and the record books.

Coach Stephen Kearney is a measured kind of guy – he doesn't get carried away with the terrific wins and he also doesn't over-analyse the bad losses. In the immortal words of Steve Hansen – the Warriors need to simply flush the dunny and move on from this game.
They'll be back against the Tigers in 10 days and I would be concerned if I was a Tigers fan – a rested and motivated Warriors side lies in wait.

Something that should be a major talking point is the ridiculous draw the NRL have employed. I know Anzac Day falling on a Wednesday is the hardest possible scenario for the NRL to deal with but they could have and should have done better when putting together the schedule.

Consider all of this. The Roosters have had one game out of Sydney in the first eight weeks – they had to drive an hour up to the Central Coast. Players would have slept in their own beds EVERY night this season.

In that same time – the Warriors have been to Perth, Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.
The Roosters played last Thursday against the Bulldogs in Sydney and backed up six days later in – you guessed it – Sydney.

Meanwhile, the Warriors and Dragons played a day later last week in Auckland and both teams had to back up five days later after an international flight. Why on earth did the Warriors not host the Dragons last Thursday while moving the Bulldogs v Roosters game to Friday?

Totally in excusable from the NRL at a time where player welfare is such a talking point.