Mick Watson backs his coach

New Zealand Warriors chief executive Mick Watson has again expressed his support for embattled coach Daniel Anderson as the coaches of under-performing teams in the National Rugby League feel the heat.

Despite the Warriors wallowing in second-last place in the 15 team competition, Watson yesterday rejected suggestions Anderson would walk or be sacked despite being contracted to 2006.

"Daniel's strategy makes sense."

Watson said the players would be sat down one by one this week to discuss why they aren't performing.

"It's got to stop," he said.

Bottom-placed Souths' coach Paul Langmack and Parramatta's Brian Smith are also under immense pressure with Langmack expected to be sacked this week.

The extra pressure to stem their teams losing streaks coincides with the player market opening at the end of June, and Watson said the Warriors would be active in the market when the anti-tampering deadline expired.

He said the club had identified areas that needed attention and they had the money to facilitate that.

Watson also acknowledged that a question mark hung over his leadership and the distractions he had faced from boxing and rugby through Cullen Sports, and said he would take a stronger hand in management of the league side.

The club wanted leadership and maturity from players it bought in, Watson said.

The CEO and the coach believe players who were in the 2002 grand final and had played more than 50 NRL games would step into those leadership roles.

"We have to find out why that hasn't happened," Watson said.

There are remarkable similarities between the lack of performance from the Warriors and the third-last placed Eels, with whom Anderson learned his trade.

His mentor, Smith, has three years to go on a 10-year contract but faces a rally of Parramatta fans demanding his head at the team's next home game against Manly on June 13.

Smith has 21 years' experience to call on in trying to turn around a fall from 2001 grand finalists to 13th this year.

Anderson, who had success only in junior grades with the Eels then in his first three years with the Warriors, has not felt this amount of pressure before.

Both teams have long injury lists and few options for personnel change and in both camps the policy of going for big players is being questioned.

Critics say the increase in size is not helping player co- ordination, leading to clumsy handling errors.

Meanwhile Anderson yesterday returned Francis Meli to the Warriors for the game against the Raiders on Sunday after his suspension.

Louis Anderson and Tony Martin are back from injury, and Richard Villasanti goes to the second row to counter the power of Ruben Wiki.

Out after the hiding from the Roosters are Justin Murphy, Thomas Leuluai and Karl Temata