After their frustrating Round 12 defeat to the Knights, the Warriors travelled to 4 Pines Park to face the Manly Sea Eagles minus their Origin stars. The Warriors were never in the contest as the Sea Eagles dominated them all over the park as they cruised to a 44-12 victory, handing them their fifth loss in a row in what is arguably their worst season to date.
For a breakdown of how the match went, check out my match report at the link below.
Ingers League Wrap-Up Round 13 Match Report
The worst season to date may sound overly dramatic, but I haven't felt this low as a Warriors fan in some time, if not ever. It's clear that something is broken within this organisation, and I don't even know where they start to get things fixed, but as the saying goes, it all starts at the top.I think fans can take a loss if they see some effort from the side, but it looks like the team has given up, and if they don't look at themselves in the mirror and hold each other accountable, then one-sided defeats will be their future for some time.
This match was just frustrating to watch, you can see that some players are giving it their all, but so many of them looked checked out. Besides a few brief patches, this game was a training run for Manly. Their big boys were devastating up the middle, and the Warrior's defence left plenty to be desired. Throw in all the errors and ill-discipline, and it's fortunate that Manly didn't score more points; this team is no longer a team, they are a bunch of individuals out there doing their own thing, and significant changes need to be made. Either drop some of the underperformers and give some fringe players a shot or have an honesty session and clear the air before they sink even further.
There wasnt much to smile about this week, but I managed to find some glimmers of hope, which leads me to my positives from the match.
Match Positives
I have to give credit to the few players that looked to be giving it a 100%, Jazz Tevaga, Reece Walsh, Tohu Harris, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Marcelo Montoya, Wayde Egan and Euan Aitken. While they may not have had the best game, they were making an effort. If the rest of the 17 followed in their footsteps, they might have been at least a little competitive.
Josh Curran is set to return this week, and the team needs him now more than ever. He was one of the best on the pitch week in and week out before his injury, and while he may be a bit rusty in his return, you can expect a lift in the side with him being out there.
However, I had plenty of concerns, which brings me to my negatives from the game.
Match Negatives
The Warrior's attack continued to be atrocious, the lack of impact from the forwards did not make things easy, but there was no communication at all. They struggled to complete sets, and when they did, they weren't getting anywhere near the Sea Eagles' try line. Talking and working together is the key; troops are down right now, but there is enough talent out there to at least ask questions of the opposition defence. The experienced heads in the backline need to start stepping up; otherwise, they may as well go down to reserve grade.
If the lack of attack wasn't bad enough, the Warrior's errors and penalties ensured they would never get in the fight. They made ten errors and gave away ten penalties, and each one was just a massive let off for the Sea Eagles. I know some of the penalties were a bit harsh, so I will only say that as poor as the officiating may be, the Warriors have to adjust their style to the referee that is calling the shots, but how Grant Aitken just gave Martin Taupau his try as I still think it wasnt a try.
The errors were more of the same schoolboy mistakes that we are used to the Warrior's delivering in 2022. Have more respect for the ball and, probably, more importantly, some respect for themselves, their teammates and the fans.
Lastly, my pet peeve, the Warriors missed 43 tackles in this match. Manly was having a field day out there, casually running 60-70 metres a set with the Warriors resorting to jersey grabbing tackles on the big forwards. It looked like children against men out there, and it is all down to attitude and trust; the communication I want to see on attack also moves across to defence. Keep vocal, talk to the men on either side of you and hit your assignments.
Warrior of the Match
My Warrior of the match goes to Reece Walsh.
It was difficult to highlight a player this week, and I kept going back to the young fullback. His game was by no means excellent; he made some poor defences reads and that horrible intercept pass that saw Jason Saab run the length of the field to score. However, he did set up the first Warriors try and was one of the only players to ask questions of Manly's defensive line, running for a team high 137 metres. He just needs to get his hands on the ball more and stop rushing; his mistakes will come down if he stops running around like a headless chicken.
Warrior to Improve
My Warrior to improve goes to Shaun Johnson.
Johnson is playing like a shadow of his former self right now; I'm not sure what is happening with him as he is better than what he is delivering right now. He was out of sync with the rest of the side, and his kicking wasnt as accurate as the side needed.
The most significant sign of how much he is struggling was that the only times the Warriors looked dangerous on attack was when he was left out of the plays and CHT and Walsh took over.
He can do better, and the team and fans need him to bounce back.
Next round thoughts and prediction
Round 14 sees the Warriors travel back to Moreton Daily Stadium to face the Sharks, who had a bye in Round 13.Regarding the side that I would pick, I would be making some changes.
In the backs, I would give SJ a week to think and bring Daejarn Asi into partner with CHT; I would also move Euan Aitken to the centres to replace Rocco Berry.
I would bring Curran into Aitken's spot and promote Bunty Afoa to the starting front row in the forwards. I still want to see Pride Petterson-Robati get his shot as he is ready for first grade, so I would bring him in for Jack Murchie.
Predicting this match isn't that hard for me anymore as I have lost plenty of confidence in this Warriors outfit in the past month. The Sharks may have a few players missing after origin, but they will still be a tough challenge. The Warrior's defence is a huge concern, and I think that will cost them here, so I am picking the Sharks to win by 18.
So that was an embarrassing Round 13, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Have the Warriors hit rock bottom, or will it get worse?
What changes would you make to the game day 17?
How would you start trying to fix the Warriors?
What is your score prediction against the Sharks?
This post first appeared on Nz Warriors 2017 Season Preview : Above The Line - The Kearney Era Begins, please read the originial post: here
