The Warriors lost a game they could have definitely won against the Brisbane Broncos, it's pretty simple. Especially when you're making 365 tackles to 329, when you're completing 58% of your sets compared to 86% and when you're missing 27 tackles compared to 19, the fact that they were somehow in the contest shows that the Warriors are showing signs of a slightly different genetic make up.

@NZWarriors @BenMatulino is currently leading Dally M's after Rd 4 with 7 points with Tonights game to come
— Wackos Whispers (@WackosWhispers) March 29, 2015

Conceding all those first half points yet showing some ballbags and getting back in the game is always a good place to start when applying some optimism. The Broncos were well drilled, as you would expect from a Wayne Bennett side and I reckon they're building towards being a very solid NRL side and our lads, somehow, despite being rather shit, hung in there.

I'm still pretty happy with the way Chad Townsend is stepping up, especially the way he's getting into first receiver. That allows Shaun Johnson a bit more time and space to do his thing, which he's taking his time to do. It's clear that these two are still trying to work towards executing coach Andrew McFadden's game plan and it's definitely not perfect but it takes some time. Townsend's also having plenty of fun supporting the ball carrier and it's good to see at least someone is taking responsibility for this. He's also got a fantastic kicking game...

Right at this point in time, Townsend is running the team and looks the more dangerous which is awesome. Johnson will find some form and that'll come as a huge boost as the team is far less reliant on him, yeah I said that before but it needs to be repeated, we're dealing with a Warriors side who are capable of performing as a unit, not just some razzle dazzle.

There's still some way to go with guys just playing their part, not over doing it. Solomone Kata had a few instances where a simple early pass would have been a bit lovely, but he overplayed his hand and put Manu Vatuvei in a wee spot. These are young lad problems, lessons that come with more NRL footy.

Matt Allwood made his debut and was all good, it's going to be interesting to see what McFadden does with Allwood and Jonathan Wright, especially with Ngani Laumape making his return in NSW Cup.

The most worrying aspect of this game was the complete mess that came in the last few minutes as the Warriors chased the game. They'd done plenty of good work to get back in the game but there was nothing that resembled a clinical edge. There wasn't a whole lot of planning or executing, just a bit of 'here you go bro, do something'.

To go deep into the finals, the Warriors just have to win these games. These games which end up feeling like nothing games where you put a bit of a stinker of a performance up, the opposition aren't quite good enough to kill you off and the overall standard just isn't the best. You've got to find a way to win and when the game is on the line, you want some sort of game plan that can be relied on ... instead of general mayhem.

Would still love another big boy on the bench, which we should get if Ben Henry is out injured.

The right edge feels slightly misfit-ish. Johnson's not at his peak, which when combined with Bodene Thompson who's not much of a threat and a rotating outside back combination, it's not consistently troubling NRL defences. Troops will come back and hopefully we'll see that balance return.

Both hookers, Thomas Leuluai (2) and Nathan Friend (3) ran the ball five times combined. Isaac Luke ran 15 times against the Eels, Apisai Koroisau ran 10 times and while a few other hookers ran for similar numbers as Leuluai this weekend, the Warriors really need a whole lot more scooting out of dummy half. It's not as though they're making way more tackles, thus tiring them out, Andrew McCullough made 52 tackles while Leuluai and Friend combined for 46 tackles. Run the ball, get the middle men making repeat efforts and success will come out wider.

It's easy to forget that the Warriors were within a whisker of winning this one, keep ya heads up. Games like this provide plenty of lessons, it's clear that the major thing the lads need to take from this game is how to win. Hopefully we'll see a few shitty games latter in the season where we are in the mix and we stay calm and composed and win.