Copyright Photo: Canberra Times

After last weeks disappointing outing against the Cowboys, the Warriors made their annual Anzac trip to Melbourne to face a Storm reeling from their first loss of the season against the in-form Roosters.
With a heavily depleted squad, many (myself included) wrote the Warriors off before they were even flying over the Tasman Sea but the Warriors showed grit and determination and almost came away with the upset of the season but with some controversial calls and some poor play options in the final ten minutes, the Warriors were defeated 13-12.

I was thoroughly impressed by the Warriors in this clash, losing RTS and Blake Green in the days leading up to the match was concerning but seeing  Patrick Herbert get his first match for the Warriors due to Kata's removal was what I was most looking forward too.
The Warriors played well for the majority of this game, showing heart on a night that they are renowned for performing poorly on, but there were still issues which I will talk about further below.

The Warriors started the match strongly, and when the Storm starting to score points and looked to be taking over the game, the Warriors kept themselves in the contest with resounding defence.
Fans and media alike have been critical of the penalty given to the Storm in the dying stages of the game that lead to them tying the game up.
I thought it was an incorrect play the ball but unfortunately, bad calls happen, and if the Warriors had made some better last tackle options they could have shut the Storm out of the match.

There were elements of this game that fans can be proud off; however which leads me to my positives from the match.

That defence was great for the most part.
The Warriors were committed and the pressure that they forced onto the Storm lead to the Storm making many uncharacteristic errors, this is the mindset that the Warriors need to bring into every game for the remainder of the season, it's no coincidence that the edge defence improved dramatically with Blake Ayshford and Patrick Herbert coming into the centres.

The offloads were the only positive from last week, and it was good to see the Warriors continue to throw the ball around, the Warriors are at their most lethal when they play that razzle-dazzle football and I like that they have managed to increase the offloads but decrease the errors, but the errors still need work.

With all the changes the Warriors had this week, the heart they displayed needs to be commended, without many of their stars; I was expecting them to collapse, but the veterans stepped up, and the new additions made the most of their chance, and the team played as a unit.
This year I've felt that the team has just learnt of RTS and expected him to do everything so it was great to see that without Roger there the Warriors were able to come together and perform and if they can continue that when RTS returns then the Warriors will string together some victories.

It wasn't a masterclass by any stretch though which leads me to my negatives from the match.

The Warriors still lack the ability to close out games in the dying stages, Chanel made a poor play kicking the ball into touch just in front of him when Cameron Smith rushed him.
It may have been different if Issac Luke was on the field at the time bit at that point it was all on Chanel, and he made the wrong call, but he will learn from it and can only get better when Green returns.

Penalties and errors are still too high for my liking, the Warriors were able to defend themselves out of most of the holes they put themselves in with unforced mistakes, but if they tighten that up, they will cause many teams headaches.

Although their defence was great in this match, they still missed 39 tackles which is far too much, if the Storm had not been dropping the ball as often they might have run away with a significant lead due to the missed tackles.
The positive to takes from the negatives though is that they can all be worked on with training and personnel returning.

Copyright Photo: Radiosport

My Warrior of the game goes to Patrick Herbert.
After begging and pleading for Patrick to be brought into the side over Kata, it finally happened, and he did not disappoint.
He had a fantastic debut running for over 100 metres, but it was his defensive effort that impressed me the most, the Storm like most teams game plan was to target that edge, but Herbert made Will Chambers look like a rookie and staked his claim for the centre spot for the remainder of the season.
It will be interesting to see what happens on team naming Tuesday next week to see if Kearney sends him back to reserve grade and brings Kata back, surely common sense will prevail, and Herbert will be there against the Knights in round 8.

Copyright Photo: Photosport

I don't have a player that needs to improve this week, I think Blake Ayshford didn't have the best game but it was his first game since 2017, and he made up for his dropped passes with solid defence.
The same goes for Adam Blair.
He only ran the ball once in this match, and he scored off that run but his defensive effort was fantastic, he has been rightfully highlighted for his poor performances, and I think he stepped up.
Blair has a long way to go but it looks like he cares enough to try so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

So the Warriors get an extra long break before they host the Newcastle Knights at Mount Smart next Sunday.
The Knights have been poor this season, and this is game the Warriors can target to get themselves back in the winners' circle.
If RTS, Green and Fusitu'a return and Herbert stays, I think the Warriors will be too strong for the Knights and will run away with a 16 point win.

So that was a heartbreaking Round 7, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What are your thoughts on this performance?
Who was your player that needs to improve?
How confident are you in Kearney keeping Herbert in the centres?
What is your score prediction for Round 8