Ah, the joys of writing about the Warriors, last week was a joy to review, and then I come crashing down this week after such a frustrating game. The Warriors started the match up-tempo, asking the Roosters defence plenty of questions and scored via Adam Pompey in the sixth minute. An injury to Addin Fonua-Blake in the 14th minute saw the Warriors lose some punch upfront. A few errors allowed the Roosters back into the contest when James Tedesco scored a nice solo try, but the Warriors responded with Tohu Harris diving on a Roger Tuivasa-Sheck grubber; the Roosters finished the first half with back to back tries by Nat Butcher and Brett Morris to take a narrow 16-12 lead into the break. The Roosters dominated the second half, scoring three tries, another one for Brett Morris, an intercept try to Drew Hutchison before ending the night with Josh Morris crashing over in the corner. The Warriors looked to have put Ken Maumalo away in the corner, but unfortunately, his hand touched the line before he grounded the ball.
So yeah, not a great night out for the Warriors. There was plenty of talk about the Roosters rookie halves pairing, but the Warriors just didn't pressure them enough to rattle them. It was a concerning match for me in the Warriors first test against genuine top 4 contenders as they did not front up and showed that they are not at the same level. However, they did show me enough that if they had Euan Aitken, Peta Hiku and Fonua-Blake there and worked on a few issues that I will discuss in my negatives section, they could be competitive. Call me an optimist, but I want to believe that the Warriors will learn from this loss and become a better team because of it.
There wasn't much I liked about this match, but there were a couple which leads me to my positives from the game.
After my issues with the Warriors starting matches too slow, the Warriors were in this match for the first 40. Some better defence, and they could have even been leading at the break. So they have shown that they can end games well and can now start well, so the next trick is to combine the two and give an 80-minute performance.
There wasn't much I liked about this match, but there were a couple which leads me to my positives from the game.
Match Positives
Fonua-Blake's early exit hurt the Warriors, but I thought Bunty Afoa and Leeson Ah Mau stood up in his absence and were two of the very few forwards that threatened to bed the line. With both running for over 100 metres. With AFB most likely set to miss the round 5 clash against his former club this Friday, Afoa and Ah Mau will need to deliver again, this time with the rest of the pack chipping in.
My Warrior of the game goes to Bunty Afoa.
My Warrior to improve goes to Wayde Egan.
I did have plenty of concerns, however, which bring some to my negatives from the match.
Match Negatives
The Warriors made 13 errors in this match, and it was a huge momentum killer; they just seemed to not be clicking. They were dropping easy offloads, making errors in the play the ball area and just gifting the Rooster's too much ball inside their own half. You just cannot afford to play with such a lack of respect for the ball against any team in the NRL because they will make you pay, as we saw here.
The Warriors turned back the clock to 2019 with the return of their one-dimensional attack; they started the match threatening the Roosters line but reverted into the one out running that plagued the Warriors campaigns for the past few seasons. Wayde Egan was slow getting the ball out of the ruck. Kodi Nikorima and Sean O'Sullivan failed to insert themselves or the backline into scoring opportunities; the wingers are not being used right now, other than battering rams within their own 20 metres. The Warriors need something different in their backline as I feel like they are all just built out of the same mould, so they need a point of difference in the form of a quicker mobile player; I think Marcelo Montoya is a good start. It was frustrating watching the Warriors spend repeat sets on the Roosters goal line and just handing the ball out to a forward in the hope that they would crash over for a try, it was predictable, and the Roosters barely looked threatened. This week's matchup gives them the perfect opportunity to play some expansive football against a struggling side, so I want to see the Warriors give their backline some scoring chances this week.
Their defence was a massive concern; the Warriors ended the match with 33 missed tackles, their worst effort this season. The defensive line looked slow, and the normally decent goal-line defence was disorganised and left plenty of holes for the Roosters to target. Defence is all about attitude and having trust in your teammates, so hopefully, on a positive note, this side with the recent changes can work on the defensive structure during the week and show improvement this week.
Lastly, the Warriors handed the Roosters too many repeat sets on the back of 5 penalties and 5 ruck infringements. Just like the errors, you cannot afford to give your opposition a leg up. With the new six again rule, if you are not up to scratch with your discipline, you are looking at energy-sapping defence, which leaves you with not much left in the tank when you finally get your hands on the ball. The new rules are still something all sides are getting used to, but the Warriors just need to ensure that they keep themselves extra squeaky clean.
Warrior of the Game
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Bunty showed plenty of energy in this match, running 13 times for 132 metres, 1 tackle break and 41 tackles with no misses. I love his running style and have been impressed at his return from injury so far. After being told he was free to look elsewhere at the end of last year, Afoa has stepped up and shows every week why he deserves to be re-signed. He works hard on attack and defence and always appears to be giving his all; if his drive can rub off on the rest of the squad, then the Warriors will be a tough team to beat. He brings much-needed intensity to the Warriors, but he also balances it with good discipline;. However, he has been charged with a grade shoulder tackle this week (his first offence in over two years) and could miss two weeks if he fights it; he will only miss one week if he pleads guilty.
Warrior to Improve
| Copyright Photo: Warriors.Kiwi |
Egan offered so little in this match that he may as well have not been on the field. He made one run for 2 metres, and his passes were so slow out of dummy-half that the Roosters defence was already in the face of the Warriors when they got the ball. His failed to offer any spark on attack, and his one-off passing at the Roosters try line was head-scratching at best. Nathan Brown has faith in Egan being the hooker to lead the Warriors, and with few options to replace him currently, he appears to not be at risk of losing his spot, but patience is thinning, and he needs to show the fans a sliver of what Brown sees in him. The Warriors have a pack that can charge up the field now, so Egan needs to be taking advantage of that with snipes out of dummy-half or, at the very least, quicker delivery to his halves.
Round 5 sees the Warriors return to the Central Coast Stadium to face the bottom of the ladder Manly Sea Eagles. Manly have been woefully poor this season and show no signs of improvement anytime soon. All signs lead to a comprehensive win here for the Warriors, but I would not take the Sea Eagles lightly, especially since Tommy Turbo should make his return this Friday. Despite his probable inclusion, I am picking the Warriors to walk away with a victory, so I'm picking the Warriors to win by 22.
Round 5 thoughts and prediction
With AFB potentially out injured and Jamayne Taunoa-Brown still suspended, another prop will need to be brought in, and I think it's time to give Kane Evans a shot from the bench with Ah Mau moving into the starting line-up. I also would potentially look at making changes to the backline; it is not working right now, so some changes could be welcome, maybe giving Paul Turner, Hayze Perham or Rocco Bery a chance to add some spark in a backline sorely needing it.
So that was a disappointing Round 4, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
What changes would you make to improve the side's attack?
Who was your player of the day?
Who was your player to improve?
What is your score prediction for the Sea Eagles clash?
This post first appeared on Nz Warriors 2017 Season Preview : Above The Line - The Kearney Era Begins, please read the originial post: here
