Podcasts Other The Mike Hosking Breakfast Mike Hosking: The Warriors look better than they have in a long time

Mike Hosking: The Warriors look better than they have in a long time

Published: March 26, 2023, 9:47 p.m.

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Dare I suggest that of all the wins we have seen this season, and there have been no shortage of them, that yesterday at Mt Smart, the first home game of the season, was the best of the lot.

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Here\'s a fun stat: when the Warriors won three out of four in the early 2000\'s and then in 2018 we went to the final.

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It\'s way too early to say that this time. Or is it? \\xa0

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But you would have to be a miserable old sod not to be encouraged and uplifted by what we have seen so far this season.

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By the way, in a note on sport in Auckland, as the Warriors played the Bulldogs and the Blues were playing the Force, the crowd size could not have been starker.

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The Warriors had thousands of spectators and the Blues had a handful.

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I know the Force aren\'t the Crusaders. But it is more than fair to suggest that the Warriors against anyone get a good crowd, while rugby has real issues of engagement.

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Anyway, back to the Warriors.

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We were behind for most of the game but even in saying that, we were there or thereabouts.

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If you haven\'t followed the season closely, at all stages we have looked markedly better than we have in years.

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The recruiting and Coach Webster\'s influence has made a material difference and what a joy it is to watch.

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I mentioned Shaun Johnson last week and I mention him again because he is the player of old.

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He is clearly the bloke who thrives in the right environment because what he did yesterday, and so far this season, is what we once saw on a regular basis before it all went a bit pear-shaped.

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Another positive - some of the mistakes we made earlier in the season, the simple stuff like dropping the ball, seemed to have been fixed. We were solid, reliable, consistent, good in defence and good when we had the ball.

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Ultimately, when you look at things like momentum we, at all times, looked like the side that was more likely to make some sort of breakthrough.

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Check the table because we are right up there. So far this season we are the real deal and there is very little to not be thrilled about.

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How about we call it?

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This is our year. \\xa0

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