NRL: How to heal those Warriors' wounds

Kevin Locke has made a stellar start to his short career. Photo / Getty Images

It isn't just the NRL table which shows the Warriors in a poor light. A team that is often lauded as one of the great entertaining sides - surely now based more on reputation than anything else - has been misfiring badly with the ball in hand in 2009 and it has been a significant factor in their poor record of five wins.

The statistics don't lie, certainly not this deep into a season. The Warriors have the worst attack in the NRL, yielding a measly 15.3 points a game. That figure drops below 14 a game from round three and only three times have they topped 20 points all season.

Here's what could be done to put matters right:

Get enthusiastic

The Warriors often look like they are going through the motions, which is difficult to comprehend for a side on the brink of being eliminated from top-eight contention.

It is telling that Kevin Locke and Lewis Brown have been the Warriors' best over recent weeks and a lot of that has to do with the fact they are desperate to be out there.

The Warriors have started their last two games well, especially against the Broncos when they led 8-0 early. However, rugby league is played over 80 minutes and they regularly go off the boil.

"You can have all the moves in the book but if you're not enthusiastic and want to break the line yourself, it's a waste of time," former Kiwis fullback Richie Barnett says. "It's amazing what enthusiasm does."

Slow motion

The best sides are masters at employing multiple players in motion. Just watch Manly and Melbourne. Four, five and even six players circulate around the ball carrier to put tremendous doubt into the minds of opposition defences.

Too often, the Warriors go to the line with only one or two runners. It's all too easy for defences to read and one of the principal reasons why they are struggling to score.

"They lack what other teams do and that's going to the line with numbers, and playing at the line," Barnett says. "That puts teams under pressure. The teams that are winning are playing at the line because it keeps defences guessing."

Interestingly, the Warriors lead the NRL in tackle breaks with 37.3 a game but this only gives weight to the argument they don't have teammates backing them up to take advantage.

Back the future With seven wins needed in their last nine games to have any chance of making the playoffs, it's not looking good, especially as five of those games are against top four sides the Bulldogs (twice), Dragons, Titans and Storm.

It's time, then, to blood a few players for the future and former Kiwis captain Hugh McGahan said halfback would be a good place to start.

"The biggest problem is in the halves," McGahan. "They are the fulcrum of the side along with hooker and fullback and if they struggle the whole side struggles. It's not working at the moment.

"How many times can Stacey go around? He will be 34 next year and playing in a vital role. I would be surprised if he put his hand up to go around one more year and even more surprised if the club offered it to him. If they offer him another year, there's something wrong.

"They have a number of young players with potential, like Isaac John and Shaun Johnson. Give them a chance. They might not be ready but sometimes you need to look longer term.

"It's hard to see them dropping Stacey for the rest of the year because they don't want to embarrass him but sometimes the hard decisions need to be made."

Cut out costly dropped balls

Ivan Cleary doesn't look like he's struggling with premature baldness but he might need a little hair dye with the number of grey hairs he has developed lately. Dropped balls are proving costly.

Jesse Royal was guilty of a couple against the Titans and Denan Kemp fumbled a golden chance against the Broncos. Simon Mannering didn't give his outsides a chance to bomb another try with a pass that was in more danger of hitting a ballboy than a teammate.

The Warriors commit an average of 12.8 errors a match, which is the second-worst in the league behind only the Sharks (13.6 errors a game).

Un-Locke the fullback

Wade McKinnon was a tremendous player in 2007, one of the best in the NRL. His anticipation was superb, popping up on the shoulder of forwards like Steve Price and Ruben Wiki at just the right moment, and his running was as elusive as finding the meaning of life.

He's not playing anywhere near that level at the moment.

Fullback is a crucial position in any side and where a lot of attacks often come from and it's Locke's usual position. In his short, five-game NRL career, Locke has already scored three tries, made 22 tackle breaks and run for an average of 120m a game. Imagine what he might be able to do if he played at fullback.

"Wade is way out of form and not playing well at all," McGahan says. "Locke is playing exceptionally well where he is at the moment but there's no reason he can't transfer it to fullback. McKinnon could go back to the Vulcans or play on the wing. Maybe a kick up the backside would do him the world of good."

It would also help to get Manu Vatuvei more involved. He has five tries this season, the most of anyone at the Warriors, but it's a long way behind NRL leaders Taniela Tuiaki (Wests Tigers) and Bryson Goodwin (Bulldogs) who both have 14.