Don’t you say it! Could it be the Warriors year?

Don't you say it! Don't you bloody say it!

Let's be honest: Warriors fans are very well-known for their unwavering optimism. I should know, I am one of those fans!

And we've certainly never been a group to hold back when it comes to a good chant. As most of you will know, “Up the Wahs” is just the latest in a long line of rallying cries.

Year after year, they've also boldly declared, “It's our year!” – a mantra that echoes through stadiums and social media, regardless of the team's form or fortune.

For me, though, it cuts a little bit different.

While I've bled blue, green and red since 1995, living and breathing every high and low, I can confirm that I've never embraced that catchphrase.

Not because I'm superstitious or believe in jinxes, but because, despite all the hope, history has never truly been on our side. We've been close, sure, but never quite crossed that line.

The phrase actually reminds me of English football fans chanting “It's coming home,” only to watch heartbreak unfold time and again.

I simply don't like saying it.

However, after watching this Warriors side go about their business over the first two rounds, my eyes are wide open and my lips are starting to twitch. And while I continue to bite my tongue and keep telling myself, “Don't you say it”, I have to admit, the temptation is real, because this Warriors side genuinely look like the real deal!

Now, it's early days as we're only two rounds in, but I can tell you, you'd have to be living under a rock not to notice the wave of excitement sweeping through not just the Warriors faithful, but the entire rugby league community right now, on the back of the Warriors superb form.

This isn't your typical early season hype or wishful thinking. You can actually feel the collective belief simmering in the air that something feels genuinely special about this group, and you can sense it in every conversation, every chant, and every try scored and defended so far.

If you watched those last two games, you'd know exactly what I mean. The level of energy, precision, and determination on attack and defence from the Warriors hasn't been just impressive – it's been electrifying.

The stats and scoreboard don't lie with the Warriors piling on 82 points over those two matches while only conceding 24.

Did I mention they did it against quality opposition as well?

I don't even remember the last time I saw the Warriors kick off a campaign in such emphatic fashion. In fact, it turns out the last time the Warriors pulled off back-to-back wins to kickstart a campaign was back in 2018. That's how long we as fans have waited for such a beginning.

What's made the Warriors' start even more remarkable is the fact they pulled it off without two of their biggest guns, Luke Metcalf and Mitchell Barnett.

Everyone knows the team took a huge blow last season when both suffered season-ending injuries.

The impact was immediate and painful. Suddenly, the campaign felt like it had hit a wall. Sure, the Warriors still managed to scrape into the Top 8, largely on the back of their early-season form and a few nail-biting wins against, dare I say, weaker opposition.

But let's not kid ourselves; from the moment those injuries happened, you could sense it was never going to be the fairytale finish fans had hoped for. The momentum, the spark – it just never came back.

But let me make it clear, it's not the fact the Warriors won their opening matches that has me and others fizzing right now, it's how they've gone about it.

Before the season started, I was asked many times what I wanted to see from this 2026 Warriors side. My answer was plain and simple; I just want to see them play a full 80-minute game. No more, no less.

Because if you've followed this team as closely as I have, you'll know the heartbreak of watching the Warriors of old show up for 60 minutes, play some brilliant patches, and then, like clockwork, let it slip.

All it took was a momentum swing, and suddenly the opposition would claw their way back in. Sometimes just giving us a fright, sometimes snatching the game altogether. It's a story told too many times. I'm sure many Warriors fans can reminisce with this.

So why was that my number one response? Because if the Warriors can play with that same intent, just like they have for the first two rounds, for a full 80mins, I have no doubt they'll be right up there come finals time.

Honestly, these Warriors look hungry and determined. They look like a side who have got something to prove. You can see it in their body language.

The young guns – Leka Halasima, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Demitric Vaimauga, for instance, are playing like seasoned pros.

After getting valuable first-grade experience last year, they've returned this season with an even stronger understanding of what is required of them at this level, and it shows.

Tanah Boyd is playing like a Dally M Halfback of the Year. What's impressed me most is the way he's charging at the line with ball in hand. The look on Boyd's face when he scored his try against the Roosters and the 40/20 he slotted against the Raiders shows the mindset he is in right now. In fact, if he continues this run of form, it'll be hard to drop him when Metcalf comes back.

And don't get me started on Jackson Ford 4x4. There's a good reason why he's currently topping the Dally M's. The long minutes he plays showing the same intent on attack and defence without running out of gas is incredible. I'm just going to say it, give the man a sky blues jumper already.

The team's confidence on and off the field is not just apparent; it's inspiring. This isn't a team hoping to make up the numbers – they're here to make a statement.

Only time will tell if this piece I've written is a complete flop and the Warriors don't surge up to its maiden title.

But if they continue to play in such a way, then maybe, just maybe … it may be our year.