Graham Lowe: Diamonds in the rough

Stacey Jones has once more highlighted the importance of sheer talent and class.

After a pretty quiet first half by his standards, his solo rescue of the Warriors in the final 30 minutes of the match against the Roosters last Sunday was once again pure vintage Jones.

I see no reason why he couldn't keep playing a similar role for the Warriors in the next couple of years. His touches are not easily found anywhere and only come along once every few decades. The Broncos had it with Allan Langer and the Knights had it with Andrew Johns.

Finding this sort of player is like walking along the beach kicking over rocks looking for diamonds. They are extremely rare.

The interesting thing is they can play in a game, seemingly taking little part in it, then, in a few minutes of individual brilliance, totally change the outcome.

That was a sensational win for the Warriors and Roosters coach Brad Fittler must still be wondering what went wrong and how his team allowed it to happen.

But if Jones was not playing, the Warriors would not have beaten Fittler's team, it's as simple as that. His brilliance was the difference.

I know we're talking about a team game but a championship team still needs a player who has the talent to grab a game and win it on his own when necessary.

It will be interesting to see if Manly have a person like that now that Brett Stewart has been ruled out with injury for the next three months. If someone else doesn't step up they are in huge trouble.

Like Stacey Jones, another player who can capture any game on his own is NRL outcast Sonny Bill Williams.

I'd like to think he is on the Warriors radar when it comes to replacing players coming off-contract. Gee, I'd love to see him playing in a Warriors jersey.

Because in a game fixated with statistics, the sheer individual brilliance of some players is impossible to measure (or coach). All you can be assured of is that they have an instinct to put on a play that no one else can see, waiting to be taken and they have the skill to deliver it.

Fittler himself had it as a player and it must frustrate him to see chances most of his players can't see themselves.

But one man who shouldn't have a worry in the world at present is the NRL CEO David Gallop, who would be on cloud nine because the game is booming and drawing record television ratings and great crowds.

The unpredictable nature of the competition has all fans on the edge of their seats for each 80 minutes and as we saw on Sunday, sometimes more.

Sharks coach Ricky Stuart is the bloke under the most pressure at the moment because his team seem to be digging themselves into an even bigger hole at the bottom of the table. But I agree with his after-match comments last weekend when they were flogged by the Cowboys. He said they are not out of the running yet. He is right no team is.

The competition is still there to be taken by any club and even after six rounds it is impossible to predict the continuity of any club in the top four.

After early season publicity that tested the very heart of the game, the NRL is once again booming.

However, Manly's coach Des Hasler has recently questioned the merit of having two referees on the field and suggested the game is starting to look like touch football -I'm glad to see his angry pills are still working. He believes the two refs are not allowing enough time for the defence to clear the ruck area.

Des does have a point here and you have to wonder if the emphasis on clearing the ruck area is becoming overkill.

After the first few rounds of the NRL, I was very impressed, like most people, with the speed the game seemed be played at.

But I'm starting to have second thoughts and can see an avalanche of penalties developing once all coaches start focusing on game plans relying totally on their small players running out of dummy half into the backs of retiring defenders who simply can't get back in time.

But such an innovation by the NRL deserves a whole season to prove itself and it is too early to tell yet.

The Warriors should be in Melbourne with plenty of confidence when they take the paddock against the Storm this weekend.

Although both sides have won three games, the Storm look shaky. Watching them against the Tigers on Monday night, I couldn't help but think they are still sailing close to the wind with some of the wrestling techniques they persist on using in defence.

If the Warriors maintain their discipline they can put plenty of pressure on this Storm outfit.

The Storm like to bully their opposition around the play-the-ball area so it is critical the Warriors are very organised and aren't forced into any panic.

It seems to me there is something very wrong at the Storm because they do have a number of players who are not just good, they are world-class and they are well off their best. This could be for any number of reasons.

I'd suggest over-coaching could be part of the problem. They so often overplay the simplest of options.

If they do get their act together and click tomorrow, the Warriors will have a huge challenge on their hands but they should be ready.

And it wouldn't surprise me at all if Wade McKinnon made a surprise comeback. Having both McKinnon and Lance Hohaia available against Melbourne would be a great bonus for Warriors coach Ivan Cleary.

But it is the Bulldogs who are impressing me at the moment and they seem to be gathering a momentum that will have all clubs looking over their shoulders.

Their legendary former CEO, the late Peter "Bullfrog" Moore, was responsible for building a number of great Bulldog teams over the years. I see many of his qualities in his son Kevin "Tadpole" who is now coaching the Dogs.

LOWE'S CRYSTAL BALL
* Benji Marshall to be named captain of the Kiwis.
* Wade McKinnon to make a Hohaia-style return.
* Melbourne Storm to implode.