NRL: Change in attitude needed at Warriors - Kearney

Warrior in waiting Kieran Foran shares a joke with new coach Stephen Kearney. Photo / NZ Herald Doug Sherring.

Warriors coach Stephen Kearney says the player's attitudes and mental application needs to improve for the NRL club to begin consistently performing at a high level after years of underachieving.

Just weeks into the role as new head coach and a fortnight into preseason training, Kearney says it is clear that changes are needed in the wake of them missing the NRL playoffs for a fifth straight year.

The former Kiwis World Cup winning coach is looking to instill and grow a club culture that enables players and the team to perform at their peak each week with a focus on improving their mindset and mental strength.

"It's pretty obvious that there needs to be change and sometimes that change is pretty challenging for some," Kearney told Newstalk ZB"s Tony Veitch.

"But what I do know is there needs to be change and that change for the most part is from an attitude perspective.

"Part of that is building a culture which encourages the team to perform the best every time we take the field.

"The strong teams in the competition have cultures which certainly have that and it's my goal, it's my vision, to have a football club that does that."

Despite the mental side of the game being closely related to team performance, Kearney says greater emphasis is often placed on preparing players physically and improving their fitness and playing skills.

He intends on further promoting mental growth among his players through intense training that requires them to work together and respond under pressure and fatigue.

"I'm a firm believer that it is a big part of the game," he said.

"In terms of how much time we spend on the running part of it, the fitness, then we make them lift weights, and then we do tackle technique and wrestle, and very little time is spent on the mental side of the game.

"A lot of that mental development also comes from the challenging aspects of the training.

"We try and put them in a position where they don't feel real comfortable and it's a matter of them working through that process so they do respond correctly. That's a big part of mental training.

"I certainly do value that part of the game and we're working closely to hopefully give the guys some awareness and skills to work through so we do exercise that part of the program."

Meanwhile, the Warriors anticipate it could take another five or six weeks for the NRL to approve and register Kieran Foran's one-year playing contract for next season.

Kearney is hopeful that Foran's signing will be formalised before Christmas while the 26-year-old continues to work on his recovery from season-ending shoulder surgery.

However, Kearney admits it could become a concern if the former Kiwis five-eighth's playing future is not resolved before the holiday season.

"I haven't given it that thought at the moment," he said. "Once it gets around to that sort of stage I might be a little bit more anxious but at this particular moment he's working on getting his shoulder right and also pending the registration.

"I'm sure a bit later down the track I'll have a better idea of how it (Foran's contract registration) is looking."

Kearney said Foran's physical and mental state was much improved from August but believes he faces daily challenges as he continues to address and work through numerous personal issues.

"I remember catching up with Kieran three or so months ago and he was pretty beaten up then to be fair.

"He had come out of the really tough part but he was pretty beaten up.

"He still has challenges, there's no doubt about it. When he's been through the situation he's been through it's not going to fix itself straight away and I'm sure there's challenges for him every day.

"But he looks a lot different to what he did three and a half months ago. So in that sense I'm very, very pleased for him."