So everything you hear about the Warriors is negative. They are the joke of the town, which could possibly be a good thing as many of these young players haven't experienced being the joke of the town. A few older players have and many Warriors fans experience this far too often.

But the Warriors play the Cowboys this weekend. A game they will probably lose because well, the Cowboys are just stacked really: there's Jonathan Thurston, there's the two Kangaroo props, that Taumalolo guy, arguably the best hooker this season in Jake Granville and an outside back group that rarely play a stinker.

I would pay a fair whack of money just to watch Thurston, so would you.

It's not looking good for the Warriors is it? Here's why and what you should watch ... where, when and how are/is up to you really, I'm not the government so do as you wish.

Those who watch the Warriors every week will know that we have three gooduns' in Albert Vete, Sam Lisone and Charlie Gubb. Vete is starting which is deserved while Lisone and Gubb offer plenty of enthusiasm off the bench. I won't start looking at 2016 until this season is finished, but watch how these guys finish 2015 as I expect to see plenty of pride in their performances despite the team's predicament.

The three OG's of the forward pack are back. Bodene Thompson joins Ryan Hoffman who came back last week as they give Simon Mannering a pat on the back for his efforts in holding the fort while they were gone ... just. If we are to see the Warriors pull off a miracle, it will start with these blokes but more importantly we need to see that these three blokes are the hearbeat of the team and drive the work ethic. This slump has coincided with the absence of Thompson and Hoffman, so while it's not solely responsible, you can connect dots.

Sione Lousi is back ...! ....??

Sione Lousi is the Jono Wright of the forwards
— Random Footy Facts (@footyfacts37) July 25, 2015

Any chance you get to see Tuimoala Lolohea play, take it. It's like watching Luke Brooks in the sense that you know he's going to miss a few tackles, make a few mistakes here and there but you are watching a player grow and learn on the go. There is a reasonable chance that Lolohea will play in the halves next season and he's up against one of the best halves combos in the game.

That also means that we'll get to see how good Chad Townsend is ...! ....??

It's the last home game for Townsend, Dominique Peyroux, Sam Tomkins (maybe Lousi's?) but more importantly we saw goodbye to Nathan Friend. Friend and his work ethic etc is what the Warriors apparently want, which makes this odd.

Does Solomone Kata have another gear? He's battled through a long season where everything consistently changed around him and it looks to have taken its toll on the rookie.

The way the Warriors have been losing is the saddest thing about the late-season slump and they won't be expect to win this game. Fans know the Cowboys are good, but the Warriors desperately need to show effort or else...

Coen Hess is set to become @nthqldcowboys #256 when he makes his debut this weekend. Congrats Coen! #ridemcowboys pic.twitter.com/XuholdE2WL
— Cowboys Stampede (@NthQldStampede) August 18, 2015

At one stage during this season, I wrote about how it looked like the Warriors weren't having any fun. This was well before shit hit the fan, when they were winning and losing which was all good-ish but the Warriors still looked like they were playing with straight-jackets on. I compared this to the BLACKCAPS and I'll do so again as we were constantly told that Mike Hesson and Brendon McCullum encourage players to enjoy themselves and play with freedom and without fear of failure.

I see none of that with the Warriors. Players don't try things, they are the complete opposite of this off-loading/razzle dazzle team stereotype that Australians like you use and all the players just look miserable. There is absolutely nothing to lose against the Cowboys, which I hope means that the players play and represent the Mt Smart faithful as such.

In saying that, I am not optimistic. It's extremely hard to instill values/morals/work ethic etc in to your team when every week the team list has a new name or a player playing out of position. This is where Andrew McFadden is such an off little fellow because he is responsible for naming the team each week, which results in an ever-rotating cast.

There is also a small chance that Mathew Allwood might play as he is named as 18th man will play - he's the guy that McFadden brought across from the Raiders. I haven't really seen him play either.

If none of that tickles your fancy, just appreciate Jonathan Wright.