After round 16's Golden Point defeat to the Dragons, the Warriors travelled to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium for what could be the last game played in Sydney for quite some time to face the Sharks. It was another must-win for the Warriors, but a 20-minute mental lapse in the first half saw the Sharks run up a lead that the Warriors could not claw back, losing their fifth match in a row 20-12.
Another week, another loss and personally, this game was hard to watch and even harder to review. It was the cliche "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed". The Warriors were in this match for 60 of the 80 minutes and were the first to score in the 16th minute when Reece Walsh dived on a Dallin Watene-Zelezniak grubber. Then for the rest of the first half, the Warriors fell apart, allowing the Sharks into the contest and boy, Cronulla took it with both hands, scoring three tries in quick succession before kicking a penalty goal in the final stages of the half to go into the sheds with a 20-6 lead. The Warriors managed to prevent the Sharks from scoring any points in the second half and managed another try themselves through skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and had a few chances to score a few more but lacked the polish needed for them to get a comeback victory. Shaun Johnson came to haunt his former (and future) club, keeping the Warriors on their goalline for massive periods of the half with some pinpoint grubbers that earnt his side repeat sets. While they did not score of these, the Warriors were stuck trying to run the length of the field as time was running out. It made for a frustrating watch, and the Warriors playoff aspirations have taken a massive hit, and for me, I believe their chance of making the top eight is now gone.
Despite the result, some things left a smile on my face, which leads to my positives from the match.
I had plenty of concerns, however, which leads to my negatives from the match.
Match Positives
I thought Matt Lodge and Addin Fonua-Blake had a solid outing; both were head and shoulders above the rest of the forward pack and continually got the Warriors on the front foot. Both ran for over 100 metres (AFB ran for 166 metres, and Lodge ran 116). If the Warriors had a more competent halves pairing, then they should have run away with this match. This new props pairing should give the Warriors a boost; they just need to take advantage of this edge instead of wasting it.
Eliesa Katoa appears to be heading back to his 2020 form, which is a welcome sight for sore eyes. He ran with intent and defended well. The Warriors just need the rest of the pack to come to the party and help these three guys out.
The back three are dangerous and combine well, with Reece Walsh, RTS and DWZ all having moments where they threatened the Sharks defensive line. There was that mistime pass between Walsh and DWZ towards the end of the match, but I think we will see these two partnered up for many tries in the next few years. I thought the whole backline played reasonably well, with the exception of the halves.
Lastly, it was nice to see the offloads back in a big way; the Warriors ended the match with 18 and best of all, there weren't as many in poor situations like we saw last week. With the back three, they currently have, these offloads will inevitably lead to points.
I had plenty of concerns, however, which leads to my negatives from the match.
Match Negatives
The Warriors let themselves with poor discipline, conceding 11 penalties. I think many of these calls were a bit rough, but if you know the Referee is giving you the short end of the stick, you need to adjust your play style to eliminate those penalties. It's a fine line; you don't want to just allow your opposition and the officials to walk all over you; you need to find a middle ground where you can be physical and bend the rules without going over the line.
The Warriors made too many errors again. They ended the match with 10, with many of them being coach-killing simple errors. Dropping the ball on a hit up or bumbling around trying to pick up a loose ball. It would have been comical if I wasn't a Warriors fan, but they now have 21 errors in two matches, and with a match against the Panthers this week, they need to get their errors back down to single digits.
That lapse in the final 20 minutes of the first half ended all hopes of the Warriors walking away with the win here. Every week the Warriors have a 15-20 minute window where they switch off and let their opposition walk over them. I'm not sure why it keeps happening. Is it an issue with their fitness, their mental toughness, or is it something else? Whatever the reason, they need to find a solution and fixed it quickly.
Lastly, the Warriors halves. Simply put, they just don't cut it. This team looks good on paper, except for their 9, 6 and 7. Egan has improved in recent times, but Sean O'Sullivan and Kodi Nikorima are not the halves that can lead this side to victories. The sooner Chad Towsend and Chanel Harris-Tavita return to the pitch, the better, as I just don't have any faith in O'Sullivan and Nikorima getting the job done.
Warrior of the game
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My Warrior of the match goes to Matt Lodge. It was almost a flip of the coin between him and AFB, but I have gone for the new recruit. He had solid stats, running for 116 metres of 13 runs and making 38 tackles in his 59 minutes on the field. He had the quickest play the ball in the pack (2.89 seconds). You could just see he was out there with a point to prove, and I'm sure that he will only get better, and I just hope that the rest of the pack follow his lead.
Warrior who needs to improve
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My Warrior to improve once again goes to Kodi Nikorima. The only thing he has managed to do consistently this year is appearing in this section of my reviews. When the Warriors are looking for someone to direct the attack, he is never there. He continues to look lost on attack, and his kicking game has been subpar. Rumours are still circling that he is looking to move to another club next season, and judging by his current form, I just don't see him getting picked up by anyone. If he wishes to continue his career, he needs to get out of the halves and back to the Hooker / No 14 role that he excels in.
Next round thoughts and prediction
Round 18 sees the Warriors travel to Queensland (like every team) to face the Panthers. Penrith will be without their halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai and potentially a few other players due to State of Origin, so there may be no better time to face them. I am looking forward to the forward battle as I think the Warriors may have the edge here; however, if the Warriors have the same halves pairing again, I just don't see them being able to string enough together to get the win. So I am picking the Panthers to win by 14.
Before I sign off, I just to mention the recent news of the Warriors homecoming in August being cancelled due to the recent Covid outbreak in Sydney. It is a massive loss for the club and fans alike. I am not going to lie; not going to live matches for the past two seasons has been hard for me. I miss watching the boys live and catching up with all the fans and was really looking forward to returning to Mount Smart. I understand the decision, but it does not make it any easier to take. All my fingers and toes are crossed for Australia to get COVID under control again, as I don't want to see the Warriors forced to spend another season in Australia in 2022.
So that was a soul-crushing Round 17, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Do you think the Warriors still have a shot at making the top eight?
Who was your player of the day?
How do the Warriors fix their issues in the halves?
What is your score prediction against the Panthers?
So that was a soul-crushing Round 17, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Do you think the Warriors still have a shot at making the top eight?
Who was your player of the day?
How do the Warriors fix their issues in the halves?
What is your score prediction against the Panthers?
This post first appeared on Nz Warriors 2017 Season Preview : Above The Line - The Kearney Era Begins, please read the originial post: here
