In the wash up of Canberra's win over our Warriors, the headlines read that the Warriors suffered yet another golden point loss. And of course they did, although this loss was a bit different as they didn't have Sam Lisone taking an air-swing; Canberra just marched down the field and scored a try. However, worrying about another clutch-less performance is a bit of a fraud as it overlooks another game in which the Warriors struggled to make the most of their opportunities despite looking pretty damn good. 

If it weren't for a late run - in which you got the feeling that the Warriors threw caution to the breeze, letting their hair down so to speak in pursuit of points and Canberra fell off - the overall taste would have been of another stumbling performance. That late run made it all a bit better and we should definitely be pleased that our lads somehow found a way to level the scores ... it's just that right now, I don't feel like the Warriors had almost 100 touches of the footy more than Canberra because there's not a whole lot to show for it ya know?

The Warriors had 52 percent of the footy, hence they had more touches but somehow the Raiders had 33 tackle busts to our 20. This is why I'm not so concerned about the fact that this was a golden point loss, I'm much more concerned in the second loss in a row (both of which happen to be golden pointers). Usually I offer some specific player analysis and what not, but these back to back losses after that strong Origin period have me pondering the bigger picture.

I could tell you that David Fusitua is a gun at fullback who offers strong carries while slowly developing as a passer of the footy. 

I could tell you again that Ken Maumalo and Manu Vatuvei give the Warriors a unique dose of go-forward.

I could tell again that Shaun Johnson and Issac Luke are exceptional runners of the footy and that Thomas Leuluai's form has been simmering away before reaching boiling point on Saturday night.

Maybe that Ryan Hoffman has emerged as our best forward besides Ben Matulino, that he took the most carries of any forward in this game and made the most metres of any forward; 16 carries/133m.

And shout out to Sam Lisone as he's establishing himself as a mediocre James Graham. Mediocre in that he doesn't play as many minutes as Graham, nor does he execute the right passes as often as Graham. Lisone does run hard though and he's above-averaging with his passing ability as a forward. 

Or I could tell you that Ben Matulino ran for less than 100m, breaking a six-game streak of running for at least 100m. That's the fourth game of the season that Benny Muts has run for less than 100m.

The Warriors weren't all that shabby in Canberra and looked like a solid NRL team, but they are simply a few levels below most of the current top-8. I'll save you the rant, I will remind everyone to be patient with this Warriors side as they will be a much better team next season and beyond, which includes Andrew McFadden. This is a Warriors team without Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, that will benefit greatly from more time together and they should stay together without losing too many players ... and they are 9th (ok ok, mini rant). 

Let's be honest folks; the reality is that our Warriors won't be winning anything this season.

And it's all good. That's what I've thought for much of the season but it really hit home against Canberra that A) if they make the Finals, the Warriors won't compete deep in the Finals and B) I'm content ... I'm happy for the Warriors to be a mid-table team in 2016, brewing for a legit Premiership run or two in the next five years.

The Warriors had plenty of ball against the Raiders but they once again didn't look as clinical as other teams do, perhaps you could say that they lack a killer instinct. In Canberra, they made a few too many mistakes to get to a point of flexing that killer instinct and their set-moves just don't look as perfectly executed as others. 

I'm the preacher of the shoot-out Warriors and it's clear that the Warriors can't stop top-8 teams from scoring points. Their defence has impressed me as it's improved, but that's come against weaker opposition and most top-8 teams will score at least 12 points against our team more often than not. 

The Warriors aren't the best defensive team, never have been and probably won't ever be. I can cop that because there's so much attacking talent there that at their best (next season and beyond) they will likely score as many points as they want. Being a mediocre defensive team and lacking a polish on attack, or being unable to throw the footy around without dropping ... that just makes you a mediocre, mid-table footy team. Canberra are decent in attack, alright in defence and it took 70 minutes for the Warriors to light that spark, saving a fairly poor loss. 

This isn't an obituary and there's no need to be dramatic about Andrew McFadden. Just be patient, your Warriors, my Warriors, our Warriors won't win anything this season (maybe the will!?) #Reality. 

Just know that this season is a launching pad for a Premiership run in the future.