Heading in the right direction

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary believes this year's National Rugby League finals are wide open and gives his team as good a chance as any in the race for the title.

The Warriors clinched a rare berth in the playoffs with their 36-4 demolition of Brisbane last weekend. They get the chance to improve their seeding when they cross the Tasman to play Parramatta in their last round-robin match tomorrow night.

Relieved, delighted and excited to be in the finals, Cleary sees his team as a real chance in a season where the premiership race has been a rollercoaster for virtually every side.

"I think that's a pretty fair assessment," he replied when asked if the title race was more open than ever.

"I reckon any team would feel like if they play well on any given day they will give themselves a chance to win. The challenge is being able to do that. We are already seeing a few key injuries and suspensions lately. All that gets thrown into the mix as well but I think it is extremely open."

Cleary said his side would take heart from their effort against Brisbane, virtually a do-or-die match. It was a good indicator that the Warriors were ready for the pressure ahead.

"I think if we play like we did last week we would give ourselves a good chance to win any game. Again, the challenge there is to be able to do that each week.

"But to be able to do that in a high-stakes game shows that the players can handle the pressure. They certainly did last week."

Cleary now wants to see the Warriors follow that up with a win this weekend in Australia to ready themselves for their opening assignment of the finals.

Just who contests that playoffs match remains to be seen. There are still several scenarios to play out this weekend. It's a matter of doing the business against the Eels and waiting to see how the dice falls for them elsewhere.

But the Warriors camp was certainly buoyant yesterday as they faced a big media contingent before today's departure to Sydney.

"It was nice to get a weekend off for a change. Especially after the win and all that it meant – just being able to soak in that we are in the finals," Cleary said after wallowing in the glory of their convincing win over Brisbane at Mt Smart last Friday night.

"It was good to have a couple of days to let that absorb and then come in on Monday and start preparing for this game.

"It's very satisfying. We now have a better chance to fight for the ultimate prize. Once you have let that sink in, it's about making sure you realise it's a new competition and doing your best in that."

The New Zealand TAB has the Warriors as sixth favourite for the title, paying $9. Their odds are headed by minor premiers the Dragons at $3.

With the team having been widely written off by bookies and experts across the Tasman pre-season, even leading Australian agency Centrebet has had to make adjustments on the Warriors. It also has them rated sixth to claim the title now, but at much longer odds of $12.

HOW IT MIGHT UNFOLD: A win over the Eels could have the Warriors, fifth equal on the points table, finishing the regular season in the top four and give them home advantage in the first week of the playoffs. However, a loss could drop them as low as eighth and leave them facing a trip back across the Tasman and a sudden-death clash with competition frontrunners St George Illawara

- © Fairfax NZ News