KEY POINTS:
The Warriors produced a stunning game of league last Saturday night, a game that had everything.
Against Newcastle in Newcastle, no one picked the Warriors to win because as we all know their away record up to that game had been appalling.
But they produced everything in this
game, great attack and great defence and the see-sawing scoreline kept interest high. And finally when the scores closed up you had a feeling the Warriors would come out on top and that's just what they did. Good teams win the close games.
Let's hope that good football continues tonight against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Without Steve Price and Brent Tate who are away with the Queensland team the Warriors lose significant leadership and that's going to hurt. But I believe that after spending a week with the Auckland Vulcans, Ruben Wiki's return will just about compensate for the loss of Price. For a legend like Wiki to be dropped to the Vulcans was surely a slap in the face that he will not allow to be repeated. So expect a big one from the living legend of New Zealand rugby league tonight.
Added to that, all reports are that the team trained well and with confidence this week so I expect the Warriors to bury Souths by a good 20 to 30 points.
The drama surrounding the contract of Sonny Bill Williams drags on. On Wednesday, SBW's crew - including manager Khoder Nasser, ex-league players turned boxers Anthony Mundine and Solomon Haumono and SBW's father and brother - turned up to a meeting with Dogs bosses George Peponis and Todd Greenberg.
It turns out that money is not necessarily his biggest gripe. It turns out that SBW wants to feel more love from the club and thinks the club should do more to enhance the growing legend that is SBW. At least that's what I understand of it from reports about the meeting.
If that's the case I have only one piece of advice for SBW - harden up, young fella.
There are many working class people who do 50 or 60 hours a week on anywhere from $12 to $20 an hour. They would love to have your pay packet for one week, let alone every week.
There is no doubt that SBW is a tough and uncompromising player, a fantastic player and a legend in the making. For Christ's sake do not go and spoil your public profile around matters that are really quite petty.
If you are not feeling the love brother, you are in the wrong sport because there have been plenty of tough and great players who came before you, the likes of Mark Graham, the Sorenson brothers Dane and Kurt, Kevin Tamati, who didn't really have any great need to feel the love.
They just went out and consistently displayed what great and tough football players they were week-in and week-out, for far less money than you are on and without any need to feel loved. Empathy was not high on their list of things they needed.
Without doubt Sonny Bill Williams is a brilliant talent. I'd hate to see his image tarnished by coming across as a whinger when in all reality life is pretty good if you are Sonny Bill Williams.
Take a look in the mirror son.