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Mike Hosking: If they find belief, 2020 will be the Warriors year

Author
Mike Hosking,
Publish Date
Mon, 9 Sep 2019, 1:59PM
The Warriors ended their season on a win, even if the rest didn't go their way. (Photo / PS)

Mike Hosking: If they find belief, 2020 will be the Warriors year

Author
Mike Hosking,
Publish Date
Mon, 9 Sep 2019, 1:59PM

And that is why I love the Warriors.  We haven't been able to start the week this way, as often as we would have liked.

In the end, nine wins and a draw, not the worst season ever, but obviously far from the best.

But, and this is what the first text after the final whistle i got sent, "why can't they play that way every week?" Good question, and the question Stephen Kearney needs to answer in the off season.

The conundrum is this, we, on our day, are as good as any other side in the competition. A couple of weeks back the Raiders thrashed us. They looked like a top eight side, we didn’t. Why not? Because Saturday they both looked like top eight sides, both teams played well.

We won well, we won properly, we won like we should. If only we got our act together on a consistent basis.

The key I suspect is belief. All the skills are there, fitness is fine, talent is there, it's just whether they believe. Some weeks they do, some they don’t.

It must have been a phenomenal frustration for someone like Tuivasa-Sheck, who from this weekend's performance alone deserves the Dally M. But he is what you want in a leader. He's the same every week, brilliant.

The reason the mental side of all this needs to be sorted is the team, by in large, isn't changing. They have some doe left over from the Johnson mess, but they’ve had a crack at several this year and have been turned down every time, so recruitment at the top level is clearly as issue.

But having said that, even if they got Cameron Smith tomorrow, a single player doesn’t turn a mentally fragile side around. And this is the good news, the answers lie within the talent they already have. They have a good side, and that is why tragics like me line up every year.

On paper they're good to go, on paper they can beat the Raiders, Roosters, and the Storm. And periodically they do on the field. The puzzle is all there, the pieces are all there, it's just putting the final bits in place.

This isn't a demo job, they're not starting from scratch, they're not losing half a side, they're not broken down geriatrics, they're a quality football club with genuine prospects, with just an elusive factor to be fixed and cemented by March next year.

It was a good way to end the season, it was quality. There was nothing to play for but pride and belief, and the good news was they found it.

Bottle it over summer, unscrew it next year, and we're off.

2020, that will be our year.    

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