Same old, same old ... not good enough

Warriors player David Fusitu'a looks dejected after their loss during round 25 of the NRL Rugby League match between the Warriors and the West Tigers played at Mt Smart Stadium.

I'm a sports fan which means there isn't much sport that I don't either watch on TV, read about or talk to others about.

Except synchronised swimming ... I draw the line there.

So rugby league falls among that broad range of sporting activities and, at this time of the year, it means watching the desperate Auckland-based Warriors trying to make the playoffs in the National Rugby League competition.

League is a sport that comes with heaps of hype, with lots of "smashed him, bro" moments sprinkled with its share of sublime play. The Warriors have no shortage of players who can deliver on both counts, but when push comes to shove, they fall short at the final hurdle.

For a fifth straight season they failed, knocked out of the playoff race last Sunday when they capitulated to the West Tigers at Mt Smart Stadium.

So this post-season will be like last year and the four previous years. And so starts the debate about why the Warriors yet again failed to deliver.

Questions have been asked of the coach Andrew McFadden, though after Sunday's loss the players were apparently standing by their man. But that stance surely has to be closely examined by the Warriors board - the players might want to keep the coach for much more self-serving reasons than they're admitting.

Everyone says the team has talent. But the same has been said of the Wallaby rugby team and we know what happened to them over the last couple of weekends.

It's the coach who melds the talent and gets the best out of it - and clearly McFadden and his charges aren't on the same page. Whether the shortcomings are with the players or the coach, something desperately needs fixing in the Warriors camp.

Hype and hoopla will only keep the fans steadfast for so long. After last weekend even the most ardent supporter must be struggling to keep the faith.