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SYDNEY - Coach-of-the-moment Brad Fittler faced the New Zealand Warriors at their peak and admits there are shades of 2002 in their current National Rugby League (NRL) form.
The only coach with a 100 per cent NRL record, three wins from three since taking over at the Sydney Roosters, sees the Warriors as the benchmark side ahead of their match at Aussie Stadium on Sunday.
"This is as dangerous a team you could face at this time of year," Fittler said.
"They're getting on a real roll. A side as big and dangerous as them, when they get momentum it's pretty hard to stop."
Fittler at least knows how to stop them.
He captained the Roosters to a 30-8 victory over the Warriors in the 2002 grand final, the New Zealand side's best performance to date in their 12-year history.
Aside from the absence of gun playmaker Stacey Jones, now starring for Challenge Cup finalists Catalans Dragons in France, Fittler sees familiar traits five years on.
"They're very spirited still. They send blokes into the line and they all react when a bloke hits the line and looks for offloads.
"They play that ad-lib footy better than anyone. There's definite similarities."
Fittler said the play-the-ball will be a key area to monitor on Sunday, with Warriors hookers George Gatis and Nathan Fien causing havoc in recent weeks.
After their golden 2002, the Warriors have only made the top-eight playoffs once, in 2003.
Even seasoned Warriors-bashers have taken notice in recent weeks as coach Ivan Cleary's side won six of their past seven matches.
New South Wales' TAB Sportsbet tightened the Warriors into A$9 fourth favourites to win the NRL this week, their shortest price of the year.
They opened at A$21 in March and drifted to A$41 amid their six-match losing streak in May and June.
Melbourne remain dominant A$2.25 favourites despite being upset by the Roosters, with Manly at A$5 and the Bulldogs at A$8.
The Roosters, wooden spoon favourites before coach Chris Anderson stepped aside last month, are suddenly on the fringe of the top-eight.
Under Fittler's brief reign they've beaten Cronulla, Newcastle, then halted Melbourne's seven-match winning streak with a 26-16 upset at Aussie Stadium on Friday.
Having beaten two sides in decline, the Sharks and the Knights, Fittler said he was surprised at their potential after rattling an in-form Melbourne side.
But after watching the Warriors and Wests Tigers run riot at the weekend, he was intent on not discussing playoff permutations.
"You beat Melbourne then you've got the Warriors then the Tigers. It doesn't get any easier. We don't need to worry about the semifinals yet. We've got enough to worry about."
Maintaining calm and backing up a big performance nine days later was the biggest challenge facing the new coach with the Midas touch.
He had the luxury of naming an unchanged 17 yesterday, with Kiwis centre Iosia Soliola named 18th man and rated an outside chance of returning from a cheekbone injury.
"It's a learning process for all of us. They haven't been in this situation for a while.
"We've tried to make it a normal week and give them time to get over that emotional high that they're on."
- NZPA
