After Round Two's heartbreaking last-minute defeat to the Knights, The Warriors had their first trip away from the Central Coast when they travelled to the Australia Capital to face the Canberra Raiders.
The day didn't start well, but the Warriors mounted a second-half comeback to overcome a fatigue Raiders side 34-31 in one of the most entertaining games this season.
What a game to watch; it was a true nailbiting, edge of your seat encounter that reminds me why I love the NRL. I picked the Raiders to get the victory here, and it certainly looked like a Raiders win was on the cards when they scored 4 tries in the first half to go into the break leading 25-6. Canberras did suffer game-ending injuries to Ryan James, Sebastian Kris and Joseph Tapine, which meant they would have to play the second half with a one-man bench. This was the deciding factor for me, as the Raiders could not keep up with the pace of the match and were in trouble for the final 30 minutes of the game as the Warriors continued to pile on the pressure at a pace that the Raiders couldn't handle, scoring 5 tries to score the upset victory as well as breaking the Warriors biggest comeback record.
There was plenty to like about this match, which leads me to my positives from the game.
My Warrior of the game goes to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
My Warrior to improve goes to Ken Maumalo.
What a game to watch; it was a true nailbiting, edge of your seat encounter that reminds me why I love the NRL. I picked the Raiders to get the victory here, and it certainly looked like a Raiders win was on the cards when they scored 4 tries in the first half to go into the break leading 25-6. Canberras did suffer game-ending injuries to Ryan James, Sebastian Kris and Joseph Tapine, which meant they would have to play the second half with a one-man bench. This was the deciding factor for me, as the Raiders could not keep up with the pace of the match and were in trouble for the final 30 minutes of the game as the Warriors continued to pile on the pressure at a pace that the Raiders couldn't handle, scoring 5 tries to score the upset victory as well as breaking the Warriors biggest comeback record.
If the Raiders had a full bench, they would most likely have won the game by a large margin but full credit to the Warriors for taking advantage of an unfortunate situation. Credit needs to go to the Raiders to put up such a valiant effort against the odds and almost getting the win in the dying seconds when Jordan Rapana went over in the corner, only to be stopped in an amazing effort by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
It was a great game to watch; however, the Warriors still had plenty of issues that I will cover in my negatives from the match. Unfortunately for Warriors fans, all the talk after the match will be about Henry Perenara. There were some calls that he missed, like the forward pass, but I thought the Warriors had some tough calls in the match too, like Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad putting his foot out of touch and the Bunker ruling the Bailey Simonsson was taken out in the air, so for me, it evened out.
So it was an entertaining match, and while it was great to see the Warriors win here, I'm sure they would have learnt plenty of lessons throughout the match which may be more valuable as the season progresses.
There was plenty to like about this match, which leads me to my positives from the game.
I like the way the Warriors changed their attack plan to target the fatigue Raiders. They also started to target Curtis Scott in the defensive line as he was hampered by a rib injury but couldn't leave the field. It's great to see the Warriors being able to change how they approach a game, and it gives me some confidence in their playoff potential. If something isn't working, NRL teams need to have the ability to switch gameplans on the fly, and the Warriors showed here that they can do it.
After another poor first half, the Warriors once again showed improvement with a strong second-half showing. Admittingly it was only against 14 men, but the Warriors showed an increase in energy and started to run with intent, constantly testing the Raiders defence. The Warriors just need to start games with that same effort, so they are not always chasing in matches.
The offloads returned in style, with the Warriors throwing 20 in total. Tuivasa-Sheck lead the side with 6. I have always said that the Warriors are at their most dangerous when playing an off the cuff style, and it showed in this match. They now have the forward pack that can push through the defensive line and pop the ball out to faster back running in the channel. Bring that into the gameplan more and watch the tries start to flow.
On the same note, Kodi Nikorima started to run again, ended the match with 124 metres off 10 runs; this may have been due to his partner in the halves contributing more to the kicking game and a tired defence. Still, Nikorima is at his best when he is on the move. When he probes the line, he causes plenty of headaches for the opposition, and if he doesn't create a scoring opportunity for himself, he at least sets up another Warrior to score. I have my fingers crossed this running display from Nikorima continues for the rest of the season as the Warriors can't afford him to only bring his running shoes to games sporadically.
My last positive was Sean O'Sullivan; I was worried when it was announced that Chanel Harris-Tavita would be out for 12 weeks, and I wasn't sure if O'Sullivan would be able to step up. Still, I wasn't going to write him off before he had a chance to show what he could bring to the table. I thought he had a pretty good debut; he also brought his running shoes as he ran 14 times for 111 metres, had 4 tackle breaks, made 8 kicks for 211 metres and only missed 1 tackle. Not a bad start to his Warriors career as he helped direct the Warriors attack, and they looked better with the ball in hand this week. It's a good starting point for O'Sullivan, and I'm confident that he will build on this performance as his partnership with Nikorima continues to develop.
I did have concerns, however, which bring some to my negatives from the match.
I think it's time to stop Adam Pompey kicking off; kicking the ball out on the full is a bonafide coach killer, and it's something the Warriors cannot continue doing. Gifting the opposition a penalty at halfway is just too dangerous in the NRL. So many sides in this competition can turn that chance into points. So please, no more Pompey kickoffs.
It was another poor first half from the Warriors. To concede 4 tries in the opening 40 minutes is normally more than enough to dampen your chances of a comeback, and while the Warriors managed to get it done this week, they will not be able to do that every week. Coming out of the gates hard and fast will make winning the match that much easier.
The Warriors defence took a massive step backwards this week; in the first half, the Warriors were falling off tackles, leaving huge holes for the Raiders to target. The goal-line defence, usually the Warriors saving grace, looked disorganised, and the Warriors let in some pretty soft tries. With some tough clashes on the horizon, they will need to get back into the defensive form I praised in round 1.
The Warriors also didn't help themselves with errors, ending the match with 10. With the game's pace now, you need to keep momentum on your side and showing a lack of respect for the ball is a surefire way to derail any game. At times it looked like the Warriors were starting to panic, trying to force passes that weren't on. That was understandable due to being so far behind on the scoreboard, but hopefully, a stronger start would alleviate this from happening again.
Lastly, that pass. I thought it was forward from what I could see, and I thought Perenara was in the prime position to call it. As a Warriors fan, I have seen many forward passes cost the Warriors a game before, so I'm happy to see the Warriors get the rub of the green this time around. I feel for Raiders fans, but again I have seen it happen to Warriors so often, and I still believe that if that try hadn't been scored, the Warriors would have still done enough to get the win; the Raiders were gassed by that point and were leaving massive holes open for the Warriors to attack. It just is unfortunate that Perenara will be the talking point from his match.
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RTS was on fire in this match, running for 253 metres, 2 line breaks, 10 tackle breaks, 6 offloads and that try-saving effort in the final minutes. It was just another masterclass from the Skipper; he got himself involved in the attack and just continues to give his all for the Warriors. It may be his final year, but he is determined to make his last season with the club a good one. Hopefully, the rest of the squad bring the same level of effort for the rest of the campaign.
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It was hard to pick a player this week after riding the high of a Warriors win, but I ended up selecting Big Ken. While he ran for 167 metres, I feel like he was a bit one-note in this match. He lacked the normal impact we expect from him. I want to see him get himself involved a bit more on attack when in the opposition half instead of just being a truck barging out of the Warriors own 20. I'm a fan of his; I just want to see the Warriors start to use him as an attacking weapon again.
Round 4 sees the Warriors head to the Sydney Cricket ground to face the Roosters on Easter Sunday.
This is the Warriors biggest test to date after the Roosters won convincingly in Rounds 1 and 2. Still, a tough round loss to the Rabbitohs saw the Roosters suffer some big injuries with Luke Keary gone for the season. Youngster Lachlan Lam may also be missing the game, not to mention they will also be without Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, and Lindsay Collins.
This gives the Warriors a fantastic opportunity to get the win here, and I'm picking them to get the job done, so I'm going with the Warriors by 8. The Warriors will be missing Peta Hiku, who injured his MCL this week, so that opens up a spot in the centres. The Warriors have Hayze Perham and Rocco Berry ready to go. Still, I feel that Bayley Sironen (who has some limited centre experience) may get the nod for the centre spot to help strengthen the edge defence. If that happens, I would have Murdoch-Masila moving into the starting second row after his best performance in a Warriors jersey.
So that was an exciting Round 3, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
With Hiku's injury, who would you bring in as cover?
Did you think the pass was forward?
Who was your player of the day?
What is your score prediction for the Roosters clash?
This post first appeared on Nz Warriors 2017 Season Preview : Above The Line - The Kearney Era Begins, please read the originial post: here
