After Round four's disappointing loss to the Roosters, the Warriors returned to Central Coast Stadium to face a Sea Eagles side, desperate to get themselves in the winner's circle for the first time in 2021.
The game was messy, with both sides making plenty of errors, but the class of Daly Cherry-Evans was the difference in the end, with the veteran halfback keeping composed after Josh Schuster had a field goal charged down to nail his own a few moments later to hand his side a 13-12 victory.
What a horrible game to watch, Manly have been woeful this season, and they were no different in this match. However, the Warriors came down to the Sea Eagles level and played the worst I have seen them since round 10 of last season (there 46-10 loss against the Sharks). The Warriors were missing plenty of talent this week but still had a side that should have beaten Manly, but they just failed to fire. After a poor first half where the sides went into the sheds level at 6 all, I was hoping to see some improvement from the Warriors second half like we had seen in previous weeks. After only 5 minutes, this looked to be the case when Sean O'Sullivan spied a hole in Manly's defence and darted away for the Warriors second try of the match. Instead of kicking into top gear, the Warriors stalled but looked likely to hold on for a narrow victory. An error scooping up a grubber kick by Kodi Nikorima saw the scores level again in the final 20 minutes of the match. The Warriors had chances to get themselves back in the lead. Still, the issues they have had this season with their red-zone attack continued as the spine constantly appeared to not be on the same page with some questionable fifth tackle options and a horrible field goal attempt by O'Sullivan. An error by Jack Murchie inside the Warriors half handed Manly the chance they needed, and after Schuster's attempt at a field goal was charged down, the Sea Eagles regathered the ball, and Cherry-Evans would not be denied.
So overall, it was a brutal game to watch as a Warriors fan. not much to praise, if I'm honest. I was concerned about the Warriors performance against a top tier side. Still, after seeing them fail to deliver against the potential wooden spooners, I am genuinely worried about the Warriors 2021 campaign. I expect to see the Warriors bounce back this week when some of their players return, but yeah, they need to show some improvement quickly or see their playoff aspirations crumble.
There wasn't much I like about this match, but there were a couple of things that I could pick out, which leads me to my positives from the game.
There weren't many players that stood out this week, but I liked what I saw out of Marcelo Montoya. He was looking for work, added some much-needed pace to the backline and pulled his weight defensively. It wasn't a fantastic performance by any means, but he offers something different, and I liked what I saw, and I think if he continues to get game time, he will build and be a decent fill-in until Euan Aitken returns.
Match Positives
I also like Sean O'Sullivan, I know he has been getting plenty of criticism from the fans, but he is out there trying. The Warriors halves are not at the level they need to be, but while he is trying things and they are not working, I like the fact that he is at least trying things. I will quote a fan of my page, John Sweetman, who said he saw a comparison between O'Sullivan and James Maloney, and I agree 100%, O'Sullivan just needs time to get his feet wet, and he could become a good little halfback for the Warriors. If it was up to me, I would be keeping him at halfback, moving Chanel Harris-Tavita into five-eighth when he returns from injury and moving Nikorima to hooker. It's just a thought, but I'm no coach and a retired front-rower, so my advice on how to improve the spine may well be way off the mark.
My last positive is the return of several players next week. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown and Bunty Afoa will return from suspension, Bayley Sironen will return from injury, and while he is still meant to be out for another week, we might see Peta Hiku back. Having these guys back should improve the Warriors chances of getting back in the winner's column.
However, I did have plenty of concerns, which brings me to some of my negatives from the match.
The Warriors attack continues to plenty to be desired. The Warriors have very little trouble getting to their oppositions red zone, but once they are there, they look lost at times and just can't capitalise on the scoring opportunities. Egan continues to be slow at getting the ball out of the ruck. Kodi Nikorima is not inserting himself into the attack. Adam Pompey had me pulling my hair out with his refusal to feed Ken Maumalo the ball, giving me flashbacks to Solomone Kata. The only time Maumalo was used properly in the Sea Eagles half was when Roger Tuivasa-Sheck put Jack Murchie into a hole, who then passed to Maumalo for a try. All I want to see is the Warriors used their wingers on attack; they can score tries, so give them a chance.
Match Negatives
The Warriors made 12 errors in this match, and it was a huge momentum killer. They were dropping easy offloads, making errors in the play the ball area and just gifting the Manly 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.
Nathan Brown praised the Warriors defence, but I can't; the Warriors missed 27 tackles. Despite some good defensive showings by a select few, The Warriors defensive line is still too slow, and if they continue to deliver at this level, I feel that heavy defeats will be on the horizon. Like I said last week, defence is all about attitude and having trust in your teammates, so fingers crossed we start to see some improvement soon.
Warrior of the Game
| Copyright Photo: Getty Images |
My Warrior of the match was Jazz Tevaga.
It was hard to highlight a player this week after being so disappointed with the performance, but in the end, I had to go with Tevaga. He lead the forwards with running metres, earning 145 metres from 16 runs; he also lead the side with 51 tackles. However, he did miss 7. He also lead the side with 3 offloads. Leading in so many stats made it easy to pick him out of the bunch, and you cannot fault Tevaga for the effort he puts in. He has heart in spades and never takes a backstep; he has worked on his fitness which has seen his error rate drop, which is great to see; if more of his teammates could bring the same level of effort as him, then this side would be a tough team to beat.
My Warrior to improve is Kodi Nikorima. Nikorima had a great chance to have a field day against a Sea Eagles side that has failed to deliver this season, but instead, he went into his shell. With the Warriors losing Chanel Harris-Tavita and having the inexperienced Sean O'Sullivan in the halves, it is up to Nikorima to get the Warriors attack in order, but he continues to struggle. He plays his best when running the ball, and behind his massive pack, he has had plenty of chances to run and gun, but he seems not to be capable of doing it consistently. The Warriors need to turn their season around, but if he doesn't step up sooner rather than later, they will continue to struggle.
Warrior to Improve
Copyright Photo: Photosport
My Warrior to improve is Kodi Nikorima. Nikorima had a great chance to have a field day against a Sea Eagles side that has failed to deliver this season, but instead, he went into his shell. With the Warriors losing Chanel Harris-Tavita and having the inexperienced Sean O'Sullivan in the halves, it is up to Nikorima to get the Warriors attack in order, but he continues to struggle. He plays his best when running the ball, and behind his massive pack, he has had plenty of chances to run and gun, but he seems not to be capable of doing it consistently. The Warriors need to turn their season around, but if he doesn't step up sooner rather than later, they will continue to struggle.
Round 6 sees the Warriors travel to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium to face a Dragons side on a four-game winning streak. I picked the Dragons to earn the Wooden Spoon this year, and they have been making me eat humble pie. They have no issues scoring points, and the way they defended against the Eels this round has me really worried about how the Warriors will fare. Brown has players returning this week, but I also think he needs to make some other changes in the backs to inject some attacking threats into this side. If Hiku returns, I would drop David Fusitu'a and move Montoya to the wing. I also would not mind seeing Hayze Perham replace Pompey in the centres. Other players could also come in, but Brown needs to try something because just waiting for the current players to play themselves into form is not working.
I am going into this match without much confidence, so I'm picking the Dragons to win here by 18.
We had the great news that Reece Walsh has joined the Warriors effective immediately, and the Warriors have not had to swap a player to get him early to try and leave on a positive note. It's a win-win, I think, as the Warriors keep the young players with potential while also getting Walsh in early to learn from Tuivasa-Sheck. I'm not sure if Walsh has been signed directly into the Warriors top 30 or if he is still on a development deal this year, but I wouldn't mind seeing the Warriors throw him on a wing at some stage this season to get some games under his belt.
What would you do with Reece Walsh?
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
