KEY POINTS:
Three wins out of the NRL's top-eight and with four teams in front of them, it will be nothing short of a miracle if the Warriors make the finals series in 2008.
Inconsistency has plagued the team this season, losing games they should win and winning games they should lose.
The frustrations of the old days are back. It's hard to see the likes of Penrith, the Broncos and Dragons, who are filling spots eight, six and five, succumbing to teams like the Warriors who no doubt fancy their chances of a late run but in reality are not going to get there.
While the Auckland club will no doubt have a sense of desperation about it - and, one would think, real purpose - the team will not have the drive and determination of the likes of Penrith, St George and Brisbane, who have a real chance of securing a playoff spot.
If the Warriors had the talent, the determination and the purpose we would have seen them win at least another three more games this season, which would have had them sitting comfortably in the middle of the eight and put them in with a real shot. With the exception of the return of Wade McKinnon, who potentially could have supplied those three wins due to his attacking brilliance, the Warriors have no one who will have people like me feeling inspired.
Without doubt the club will be screaming to the fans: "Patience, we need your patience while we develop a winning team." But given the topsy-turvy ride since the club's inception in 1995, goodwill and patience are in short supply among the fans.
While I don't think we'll get back to the days of gates of 5000 or fewer, if we don't see at least some signs of hope over the next four to five weeks it is guaranteed that this season's pretty good crowd numbers will dwindle. If the much-talked-about recession continues to eat away at the working class man's discretionary spending, the ever-loyal fans that the Warriors attract can't afford to be so loyal and it'll be an easy decision whether to take the family to watch a losing team or fill the tank with gas.
Looking at the other end of the table, I believe we will see a repeat of last year's grand final. Manly got off lightly during the representative season and contributed few players to State of Origin, whereas Melbourne's ranks were severely depleted, which explains their drop from first to fourth on the table.
With Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy now focused solely on winning the premiership and his ranks at full strength, I expect the Storm to win the minor premiership again, then go on to take out the title.
Manly is the one team that can possibly spoil the dream repeat for Bellamy and his team. If they do get to the final, last year's loss will give the Sea Eagles the much-needed experience to topple the champions. And maybe their calf blood injections will give them the stamina.
