
Short answer? Not if we keep seeing the stupefyingly poor standards of officiating consistently provided for Warriors games.
Long answer? Every NRL team experiences poor reffing, but the Warriors are on the wrong end of poor calls, more consistently than any other side in the NRL and the stats back that up.
Why though?
Well, for two reasons.
1. Unconscious bias. Graeme Annesley denies unconscious bias exists within his refereeing ranks. Which pretty much equates to him publicly acknowledging that he’s a fucking moron. But whether it’s because the Warriors have been a bottom 8 side more often than not, or maybe because they are an NZ based team, unconscious bias is playing a role in the decision making. God help a PNG side when they became one of the new franchises. But if Annesley is actually right, and unconscious bias doesn’t exist…. Then I’m sorry to say, they need to audit their bank accounts. I’m NOT joking. Because how else can you explain it? How can you explain the blatantly dreadful calls consistently dished out in Warriors games? You just can’t – so it begs the question – what else is going on?
2. The premier referees are not usually appointed to Warriors games, because the referees association don’t view the Warriors games as important enough (arguably because they’ve been on the lower end of the ladder most seasons), and the refs prefer not to travel over to Penrose. Can’t blame them, it’s a bit of a shithole, but still… Also, because the Warriors have the least amount of games free to air on Aussie TV. Meaning they would prefer their premiere refs (if there is such a thing anymore) officiating those games rather than games with less eyeballs on them.
“But we have James Fisher-Harris coming”, I hear some of you saying. It’s a fair point. A three time NRL winner and Kiwis captain. Probably the biggest signing since RTS left the Roosters. And yet… none of that matters if the refs destroy your momentum with dubious calls. Did you see the last game of the season against the Sharks?
The Warriors have to be so good, they can’t let the refs judgement interfere. But in a game that is often decided by inches, how is that possible? For context, the Warriors lost 7 games this season by 6 points or less, and drew one game. If they win 4 of those they would have played finals footy.
The biggest hurdle for the Warriors will be getting the balance of the side right. The centres, halves, fullback and bench are stacked with too many options and while that is usually a great problem to have, it appears to have been causing more problems than opportunities. And while we all love Andrew Webster, he probably had one of the worst bench selections and rotations in the NRL during 2024.
In an aging side that lacks pace, DWZ will likely maintain his wing spot. It’s unclear how fast DWZ really is, because he runs like he has a carrot up his arse and generally makes 300 metres a game, running sideways. But the position of centre, fullback and five eighth, will no doubt dominate the off-season conversations among fan pages. And the make up of those positions will ultimately have a huge influence on the teams dynamics and results next year.
Will the Warriors make the finals next year? Probably not. Will Fisher Harris’ arrival spawn new high standards and lift the Warriors to greater success? Based on history, maybe. Barnett and Fisher Harris equals Price and Wiki. So who the hell knows? The Cronulla Sharks experienced second season syndrome after Fitzgibbon took them to the finals for the first time since the drug scandal. Maybe this was just a bad year, too much experimenting with RTS and culture crisis with AFB.
But one thing is for certain- I’ll be watching and I know you will too. Because like Webster, we’re loyal. And when the end of days comes and one team rises from the ashes of destruction, a new prince of Penrose will emerge to play the game of games, and … sorry, getting carried away. Up the Wahs!