The Warriors are feeling a lot of love, from fans and each other no doubt. This is great news, and also something to worry about.
The team is going great guns, and without wanting to take the credit away from coaches and players, a good deal of what we areseeing can be traced to the influence of new chief executive Jim Doyle. He is decisive, and has the courage to make the big calls. (He was also the only person in league capable of bringing Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to the club - because of his personal connection with those players.)
The Warriors are in excellent hands with Doyle in charge, and I'm sure he knows clubs can't rest on the laurels even when things are going so well. Which is what I mean about the dangers of feeling the love. A juggernaut is taking shape but the search must still go on for the best recruits and ways of getting better. The pressure stays on, to raise the standards again and again.
Andrew McFadden and Tony Iro have got the Warriors playing a wonderful balance of football, and league in general is turning a corner back to an encouraging future. Players are being encouraged to pass more, which is a very positive change. Next year's interchange reduction indicates how league is determined to move in a more entertaining direction and encourage the skill and ball movement which thrills crowds.
The obsession with hit ups is being diluted. Back in the day, a hit up without considering a pass was called barging, and barging was not regarded as the wonderful thing it turned into.
Here's a report card on five of the Warriors' current headline acts - things to feel the love and worry about.
Ben Matulino I know he has garnered plenty of acclaim this season but I believe the prop has only hit his straps again in recent weeks. He's back close to career-best form which is a pivotal reason why the Warriors are firing.
Shaun Johnson Still got a long way to go but what a player. He is on track to one day rival Stacey Jones, the gold standard for our halves. What I'd like to see, and think will happen, is more tries from Johnson and from further out. Teams will become more and more obsessed with isolating Johnson, so he needs to be on the lookout from everywhere and anywhere.
Manu Vatuvei He's renowned for starting off the Warriors sets with those big charges but I think he could be used even more on the inside, as an attacking strike force. I've got a feeling this might be one of the tactical tweaks McFadden makes.
Nathan Friend His acrobatics against Melbourne will never be forgotten. So this will sound like a party spoiler, but I have to be honest and say that his lack of running from dummy half is a major issue and I think McFadden needs to address this situation somehow, immediately. This item fits into what I've said above, about never resting on the laurels, and always trying to improve no matter how well the club might be going.
Konrad Hurrell Sorry Hurrell fans, but Konrad is not the bloke who is going to win you a title as many once believed would be the case. The problem: he doesn't have the long range speed a centre needs. While coaches try their best to alter players' instincts, defence is always tougher near the goal line. That's why it is so important to be able to strike from a long way out. Hurrell might be better used as an impact player off the bench. Or how about this? He could be shifted to dummy half where his powerful charges would turn into a huge weapon. His mistake rate is a worry, but all he has to do is pick the ball up.
