Warriors players weren't sure where to look after their poor showing in Hamilton.

OPINION: People think you're kidding when you suggest it's time to ignore a team.

Last week I said it was time to do that with the New Zealand Warriors.

If they make the NRL playoffs feel free to form an orderly line behind me, as I rush to congratulate them on surpassing my expectations for 2017. In the meantime, though, they don't deserve people's attention.

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I meant it. Why should we listen to them when all they say is that the squad's united and it's just a matter of time until things click. All the actions suggest otherwise.

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ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT. If only milling in the in-goal were a positive thing.

Kieran Foran could have stayed in Auckland. Terrific. It's just that he's not going to, is he? There's that small matter of the multi-million dollar deal he's done with Canterbury-Bankstown.

It's inconvenient to the narrative that being at the Warriors is one of the greatest things to happen to Foran. But it speaks volumes, just the same.

I watched them lose 30-14 to the Dragons on Friday. I'll probably watch them every week, life and work schedules permitting. But I will look to avoid writing about them, until the team prove they're worthy.

I certainly won't be reading anything into comments about how hard they're working and how much faith they have in each other.

ANOTHER GOOD ROUND

The consensus was it would be one and done for Cronulla. Yes, they'd won a maiden premiership and well done to them, but it would be years until they contended again.

MATT KING/GETTY IMAGES. Melbourne's win over Souths on Sunday night was the kind of ugly, difficult game the Warriors could learn from.

That was before star fullback Ben Barba was sacked for a positive cocaine test and centre Jack Bird signed with the Broncos. Situations such as that can quickly cruel a club's season, but not the Sharks.

Their 18-14 win over the Cowboys - from 14-0 down - was full of the qualities that won Cronulla last year's comp. They remain an immensely tough, combative team and don't sit third on the table by accident.

The table-topping Storm were another side to win ugly in this round. Their 14-6 victory over Souths looked hard work, but it's the ability to grind out wins such as those that separates the top teams from the would-be outfits such as the Warriors.

CAMERON SPENCER/GETTY IMAGES. Get the sinking feeling we haven't seen the last of Paul Gallen at State of Origin level?

Elsewhere, there was a lot to like about Manly's 30-10 win over the Titans, while the Panthers' second-half rally against the Knights was ominous. They made a dreadful start to the season but are beginning to show the ability so many pundits credited them with.

WHAT PRICE A COMEBACK?

Anyone else suspect we haven't seen the last of Paul Gallen at State of Origin level? The selfless - but heavily reported - acts of kindness, the appearance in City-Country and his own quotes about being in great form, all point to the former New South Wales captain coming out of his extremely shortlived retirement from rep footy.

The City-Country thing was meant to be a one-off thank you to Gallen/kind act to add clout to an ailing fixture, but you feel similar awaits at state level. He obviously won't be picked for game one but, given an injury or two, it's not hard to see "Gal" gallantly answering the Blues' call.