Konrad Hurrell needs to ignore the hype. Photo / Paul Estcourt.
Coaches always say they are happy as long as their team puts in the right amount of effort and produce a quality performance.
If that's the case then Brian McClennan and his coaching team should have been pleased with last week's match against the Broncos. To me, it was the Warriors' best display of the season. Yes, they'll be gutted about missing out on a crucial two points, but it was a hell of a game and the result just didn't go their way. If they keep playing like that they'll win more games than they lose for the rest of the season and should make it into the NRL top eight.
There have been a few tough losses this year - the Tigers and Sharks games spring to mind - but there are always a few that got away. Imagine how the Roosters are feeling about that Rabbitohs game on Monday night.
The close losses will hurt more if the Warriors don't make the eight but to me they look like a team that is coming together nicely. The core has been together for much of the season and the younger guys now have a good chunk of experience under their belts.
The imperative now is that the team focus on the week-to-week and don't get too far ahead of themselves. The only thing that matters is the next match. Qualifying for the finals will take care of itself.
It's great to see Konrad Hurrell back in the team but I'm really hoping he keeps his head screwed on. He's had a load of media attention this season - all of it deserved - but we've seen how that sort of thing can mess with a young player's head. Konrad needs to make sure he doesn't get ahead of himself. He still needs to do the tough stuff in matches and all the little things that add up to a good performance. If he does that he'll be fine.
The only concern I had about the Warriors last week was James Maloney's kicking game. His goal-kicking was clearly off but his long kicking game was also not quite at its usual standard. I don't know if it was the heavy weather conditions in Brisbane but he just didn't seem to be getting his usual distance on his kicks. I wonder if we might see Shaun Johnson take on a few more of the long kicks this week. We've seen plenty of Johnson's brilliant short kicking game this season but he also has a booming long punt on him that could be used more.
The Warriors will need to be on their game tomorrow. They're running into a Newcastle side that produced its best performance of the season last week in smashing Manly. There's no doubt the Knights have struggled to live up to the pre-season hype created by Wayne Bennett moving in. They've really struggled since losing Kurt Gidley but to me the main problem seems to be that some players simply aren't giving 100 per cent. Bennett has dumped some big name players into the NSW Cup and he finally seems to be getting the sort of performances he demands.
Darius Boyd has finally come to life and he will be a huge threat. He seems to be playing a different role than he did at St George. Last week he went into first receiver a lot, allowing Tyrone Roberts to play at second receiver where his big left foot step was much more effective. It will be interesting to see if the Knights continue to play that way.
With the likes of Dane Gagai, Akuila Uate and Jarrod Mullen in the side there is no shortage of talent in the Knights. Mullen is the key. If the Knights can dominate up front he can be deadly.