This past season was a jolt, with echoes of the bad old days. Off the back of the remarkable 2023 campaign, which captured the imagination of the entire country, the regression this year was tough to take. It was always going to be difficult to replicate last season – given the ultra-competitive nature of the NRL – but most expected a season of consolidation.
Instead, things unravelled badly. Their playoff hopes were basically gone in mid-July before their fate was confirmed in early August.
The slump has continued an unfortunate historical pattern. In 2008 the Warriors reached the preliminary final, before finishing 14th the following season. After making the 2011 grand final, the club regressed the next year, finishing four points off the wooden spoon. And in 2018, when Stephen Kearney’s team ended a long playoff drought, the good times didn’t last as the Warriors fell to 13th in the subsequent campaign.
This time was meant to be different. The foundations were in place, with a strong squad, young talent, established patterns of play and a stable coaching staff.
So what went wrong?
A chronic and lengthy injury toll – one of the worst in club history – was a significant factor, with key men missing large chunks of the season and constant change, especially in the spine and forward pack.
But there were deeper issues. From the opening two matches of the season there was an uncomfortable feeling, as the team contrived to lose matches they should have won, and that pattern never really abated, with a staggering number of defeats by tight margins.
Somehow, the Warriors lost their mojo, their ruthless edge, which was replaced by an underlying fragility, especially defensively. They also failed to evolve, with opposition clubs successfully blunting their attacking threats. And the culture wasn’t quite the same, not nearly as unified as last season.
The inability of Shaun Johnson to rediscover his best form, not helped by constant injury issues, was also costly, after the halfback had been so omnipresent in 2023, undoubtedly the season of his life.
The veteran was so excited ahead of this year – telling me in pre-season he could feel the club was “close to something special” – which makes it doubly painful.
It was a sad way for Johnson to end his career, with the feeling that he was never fully fit or comfortable on the field, which affected his confidence, timing and belief.
But that shouldn’t detract from his legacy, as Johnson will be remembered as an all time great, the local boy who become a hometown hero.
He was the face of the team for most of his career – a massive burden – and at times struggled for consistency. But there will always be a sense of ‘what if’ about his career, a feeling that the club failed to make the most of a once in a generation talent.
His time at the Warriors coincided with constant chaos; coaches coming and going, ownership changes and a regular turnover of players. He rarely played behind a dominant pack and when he did – in 2011, 2018 and 2023 – the results spoke for themselves.
The post-Johnson era will be fascinating, one of the many challenges for coach Andrew Webster to re-establish the Warriors as contenders. The roster will look different in 2025, part of a shake up, on and off the field. Turning the ship around will require a lot of work but more success might not be so far away and fans should be optimistic about the prospect of a rebound.
Michael Burgess – Sports Writer