Warriors - 2018

The 2018 Warriors came in under the radar but made the NRL sit up and take notice - on the back of vintage season from skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

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Fans and critics had apparently run out of patience with the Warriors. Regarded as the NRL’s perennial sleeping giant and a finals threat each pre-season, the sense of anticipation from the diehard supporter base was eerily muted. Memberships were also down by around 30 percent.

Meanwhile, pundits burned too often by the Warriors’ penchant for flattering to deceive deserted the team. Just one of the 12 experts polled by Big League had the Warriors making the 2018 finals, while five picked the club to collect a maiden wooden spoon. The sole analyst willing to back the Warriors to make the Top 8? Sir Peter Leitch. As well as a welter of last-place predictions from various media outlets, Stephen Kearney was the trendy tip to be the first NRL coach sacked in 2018.