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This was not to be as the Warriors welcomed back club hero Simon Mannering with a 22-12 victory to go 5-0 for the season.
It's hard for me to describe what it was like to be sitting in a sold-out crowd at Mount Smart once again and I really hope it continues. Having a doubleheader did help boost the crowd, but I hope the game day crowd continues to flock to the stadium for the next two weeks as the Warriors enjoy their current vein of form.
Teams across the Tasman are starting to take notice of the Warriors now and they should, the Warriors still have a lot of improvement in them but took the fight to the Cowboys and got the job done which leads me into my positives from the game.
The Warriors fitness still continues to shine, from start to finish the Warriors kept on top of the Cowboys, on last tackle kicks the Warriors were up in the kick returners face and had already set the defensive line before most of the Cowboys were even back onside.
The forwards have continued to look sharp with Bunty Afoa impressing me again with strong runs, Leivaha Pulu and Tohu Harris have added so much to this sides attacking potential and this created opportunities for Solomone Kata, Ken Maumalo, Peta Hiku and David Fusitu'a to wreck havoc on the Cowboy's edges.
Simon Mannering returned on the bench, and once he was out there it was like he never left, the Warriors defence is still at times patchy, but with Simon back I believe this will improve impressively.
The goal-line defence is still a stand out for me, the Warriors ability to hold out repeat sets is going to help them go a long way this season, there is still issues (more on that in my negatives) but nothing that is a significant concern.
The Warriors spine continues to impress me, Shaun and Blake are working so well together.
Issac Luke is taking advantage of the great work being done by the forwards and punishing lazy defenders with some sniping dummy half runs.
Roger is growing into his captaincy and improves each and every week, he had a quiet night but still had an excellent performance, and his enthusiasm is clearly infectious and rubbing off on the rest of the squad.
This side is genuinely playing for one another, no one seems to be just playing for themselves anymore.
A good example of this was when Solomone Kata made a break and set Ken Maumalo up for his try, I can honestly say that if that happened last year, Kata would have tried to beat the fullback and go alone.
If this attitude sticks for the rest of the season, then it is going to be a fruitful 2018.
The bench impressed once again, Jazz Tevaga, Simon Mannering and Sam Lisone all contributed immensely with the minutes they were given.
Anthony Gelling only got a few minutes at the end of the game, so I can't really judge his performance, but he was really just on the bench as cover for Roger in case his arm wasn't up to scratch.
Many Pundits across the ditch keep trying to predict when the wheels will fall off the Warriors 2018 season but I believe that this side is a legitimate threat in 2018, and right now as fans all we can do is enjoy the ride.
As I said above, there is still improvement to be had which leads me to my negatives.
Once again I don't have too many negatives to point out, but I did notice a couple of slight concerns.
The Warriors let two soft tries through with a couple of poor decisions made, but the edge isn't as much as a liability as it has been in the past so im confident they will fix this.
At times it seemed that the Warriors were rushing which lead to errors, perhaps they were a little excited performing in front of a large hometime crowd, but it felt like they just needed to slow down and get back into the gameplan they had.
If the large crowds continue to flock to Mount Smart im sure the team will be able to keep their nerves in check.
This team has points in them they just need to keep moving forward, and the points will come, no game is won in the first ten minutes but the platform set early on will make the trip to victory a lot smoother.
My last negative is the errors, there were too many errors this week, with tough games coming up the Warriors need to cut back on unforced errors to give themselves the best chance to keep their unbeaten streak going.
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What a season David is having, scoring a double in this match takes him to seven so far for the season and leading the comp in tries scored and is already over halfway to his try tally last season.
David has been a constant threat, whether going through the air or running down the edge, it really doesn't matter he knows how to get over the line.
I may be counting my chickens before they hatch, but I think he is well on his way to scoring 20+ tries this year and staying the leading try scorer in the NRL this season.
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Bunty has been a wrecking ball this year, running big metres every match regardless of if he is starting or playing from the bench.
With James Gavet missing the last two matches due to injury Bunty has really stepped up and added much-needed punch up the middle.
I am hopeful that he can continue to perform at this level and if he does I find it hard for any of the forwards waiting in the wings to take his spot in the game day 17.
Round 6 has the Warrior again at home, this time facing the Brisbane Broncos.
The Broncos have had a rocky start in 2018, and I don't see them improving this round either.
Their halves are lacking cohesion, and the team does not appear to be working well together, so I feel that they are in a rough night hopefully in front of another sellout crowd.
Last week I can proudly say I got the correct margin in my prediction for the first time this season, so fingers crossed I can do it again this week.
Im picking the Warriors to go 6-0 and win this match by 12 points.
So that was my take on a great Round 5 performance, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Would you start Simon Mannering this week?
Was there any player that you think needs to improve after their Round 5 performance?
What is your score prediction for Round 6?
No sellouts until the finals unfortunately. Double header really brought the numbers in. That is until we hit the finals. I will be stoked if we top 10k each home game. The numbers were close to half that towards the end of last season.
ReplyDeleteMannering should absolutely start. He is mister consistent and really leads by example with his defensive efforts.
Couldn't think of a player that needs to improve. Hiku is still right up there for missed tackles, but he doesn't stand out as a weak link when you watch the games. Glad to see all the hate go away from Kata and Maumalo. They are looking as much a part of the team as anyone. Would love to see Gelling get a good crack to see what he is made of.
I reckon we are due for a blowout score. Warriors by 30.
I think 10k + each game would be good, obviously the more the better so hopefully they can get around 20k there.
DeleteYeah I think he strengthens up the defensive line and needs to be out there.
Hiku is still patchy on defence but Tohu and David are good at covering for him, plus his combination with David on attack is working too well to change.
Kata and Maumalo have improved a lot from last year, there is no one I could pick to remove from the back-line to give Gelling a shot, I support Wigan in the super league and I know what he can offer so I hope we get to see it soon.
Warriors by 30 a big prediction but if there is any time to have a blowout against the Broncos it is now as they are a mess.
Great review. As a warrior fan just really enjoying the ride. Warriors by 20 ��
ReplyDeleteThank you, yes I think with how the past few seasons have gone we as fans just need to enjoy what the Warriors are doing.
DeleteAll I want to say is why not put Mason Lino back in the Warrior's NRL permanently Mason is a good player This is my 2018 Dream Team xxx
ReplyDeleteMason played well against the Rooster no question about that but Shaun Johnson offers and X-Factor that is hard to ignore.
DeleteCrowd will be good but not sellout
ReplyDeleteStart mannering too good to leave put
Jazz Tevanga gives away soft penalties gets caught on ground in tackle area but not a criticism just an improvement needed
My fingers are crossed for good crowd.
DeleteI agree Simon too good to not start and he appeared to have no ring rust so throw him out there.
Jazz will improve with the soft penalties I'm sure.
Great start to the year, to be honest I think mannering should stay on the bench and let him warm his way into it, ligi Sao needs more time because he is dangerous strong and always gets an offload off, jazz tevagas defence in the middle is beautiful to watch and he's hard to handle in offense too. Would love to see Mason lino get more time Aswell.. I would like to see mannering have a strong game this week I'm sure he will find his feet! Yes we can enjoy this amazing win streak and the way the boys are going but it's also good not to stay blind on the outside looking in. We can't overlook the broncos Aswell, we could lose by 2 points and then beat at St George 30+. Our focus must remain intact and it will. The boys won't just turn up and not play footy? They have the best fitness in the comp atm Aswell, the only thing is injuries from there style of footy, they put there body's on the line everytime. If they don't one game they get punished by the team.. The other worry is if some players through the season start getting comfortable and not putting there body's on the line as much, then a few others will might follow the trend.. Then where back to square! I just can't see that happening though.
ReplyDelete