 |
| Copyright Photo: Photosport |
A win here would give the Warriors a potential shot at a top-four spot, but it wasn't to be as the Bulldogs got the win in a tighter than expected encounter 27-26.
What can you say about this performance from the Warriors?
Most people had the Warriors winning this game comfortably but much like the game on the Gold Coast the Warriors were out-enthused and let the opportunity pass them by.
The Warriors just seemed off the pace for the majority of the match, and while the Bulldogs were playing a simple gameplan, the Warriors could not contain them.
With the Warriors needing to play catch-up football, they needed to start playing a more expansive style, but all they brought to the party was one out runs that were reminiscent of 2017.
If you want a positive spin on the Warriors after this game, it is that the Warriors will still play in the finals unless the wheels fall off and they lose their last two games, and the Tigers manage to beat the Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs.
After this game a lot of pundits in Australia have written the Warriors off now which could work in the Warriors favour, this is a dangerous side, and when given the underdog tag this season they have responded successfully.
However, if they continue to play like they did against the Bulldogs they are not going to last so a return to form is urgently required.
There wasn't too much to praise, but I do have a few highlights which bring me to my positives from the match.
Congratulations to David Fusitu'a for becoming the fastest Warrior to score 50 tries after getting back to his try-scoring ways with a double.
David has had a season to remember when it comes to scoring tries, he had hit a bit of a dry spell, but hopefully this double opens the floodgates, and we see plenty more tries from him before the season is over.
My last positive is that the Warriors are finishing the regular season with two games at Mount Smart, utterly selfish positive, I just love going to live games on a Friday night.
Well, there wasn't a lot there that I could praise which leads me to my negatives.
The lack of forward momentum was a huge concern for me.
The props lacked serious punch and were bullied very easily by the Bulldogs pack, this, in turn, reduced the impact that Issac Luke had in the game with him having one of his quietest games of the season as he couldn't rush out of dummy half with his forwards continually being on the backfoot.
The forwards have shown that they can be a lot better than this so it's down to the attitude, improve that and the Warriors will back in front again.
There was very little pressure on the Bulldogs kickers, Lachlan Lewis is a great young talent, but he does not like kicking on the run so if more pressure was put on him he could have buckled.
Not to forget that there was no one was even close to him when he slotted the match-winning field goal which is inexcusable.
The Warriors last tackle options were poor with the most significant mistake coming on the Warriors the last set of the match, with the game locked up at 26 all Shaun Johnson kicked on the last direct to Will Hopoate, this lead to the Bulldogs starting there set in better field position which ultimately lead to that match-winning goal.
A kick into space or even a kick to the sideline to waste some time and go into Golden Point would have been the ideal play.
Lastly is the injuries.
The Warriors lost Blake Green in the 70th, and Gerard Beale and Shaun Johnson also had some issues.
The Warriors need all three players back for this Friday's match against the Panthers, so fingers crossed they get through this week unscathed.
 |
| Copyright Photo: Getty Images |
Despite the team's performance Roger continues to go from strength to strength with another high metre count (273metres this match).
When many of his teammates were struggling to dent the Bulldogs defensive line, Roger was always threating to break the line.
I firmly believe he has the potential to be the Warriors first Dally M medalist this season but a strong finish to the season by Roger and the Warriors is required.
 |
| Copyright Photo: W3Live News |
Paasi has been one of best Warriors this season, but this was his worst performance of the year with his runs barely making an impact.
I feel like he is going to bounce back (like the rest of the pack) this week and will be back to his best on Friday night.
He is head and shoulders above the rest of the props currently and will not have a poor performance two weeks in a row.
Round 24 sees the Warriors return to Mount Smart to face the Penrith Panthers.
The Panthers have lost James Maloney to injury and could possibly lose a few players to suspension due to the fight in the Panthers Round 23 match.
This does not make the Panthers match an easy win as the Panthers beat the Warriors in Round 17 without some of their stars.
If the Warriors can return to the attitude that they brought to the game against the Dragons they have a great chance to defeat the Panthers, if they show up like the did against the Bulldogs it will not be a good night for the home crowd.
I believe that Round 23 was a wake-up call for this side and they will bounce back against Penrith so im picking the Warriors to win by 10 here.
It has been an exciting run to the playoffs with the ladder being so close and with the recent run of upsets the Ladder continues to be hard to predict but I feel like my preseason prediction of 7th place is going to run true for the Warriors, but we will find out in two weeks time.
So that was my take on a disappointing Round 23, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Do you think this is the beginning of a Warriors slide?
Who was your Warrior to improve?
Where will the Warriors finish on the Ladder?
What is your score prediction
Ken needs to use his power n speed was caught sleeping on defence and some warriors running out giving ball possession away allowing bulldogs into there game they should win 28-18 warriors only 2 points behind other contenders safety marking there top 8 spot they need keep penalty count down at that test level then they roll over the panthers Shaun does his magic kata being kata
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is the beginning of a Warriors slide. They have shown how well they can bounce back from a loss. Unfortunately they have shown how they can easily fall backwards again too. They have been a baffling team to watch, but at least we are seeing more positives than what we experienced last year. We need to be realistic and can't expect grand finalists from a team that was 13th last year (although that would be great). Hopefully they see the urgency ahead of them and start to find a bit more consistency. The VFTES guys summed it up well in their last podcast that we always seem to be on the cusp of unleashing a horde of tries, but it never quite happens. Sunday was another example of this. We dominated possession, completion rate was 87%, we had less handling errors, and less penalties than the Poodles, our play the ball speed was faster, our average meters per set was higher, we ran for 400m more than them, yet we still only scored 1 more try. As much as Beale is more reliable than Hiku, Hiku is an attacking weapon and there has been a noticeable difference since he was dropped. I would love to see him come back in place of Kata or maybe put Beale at left centre and Hiku back on the right.
ReplyDeleteThis brings me to my player to improve. Kata is still the weak link in the back 5 for me. Compare his stats to Beale and their is a stark difference. They made a similar number of runs, run metres and tackles yet tackle efficiancy was 91% - 75%, linebreaks 1 - 0, linebreak assists 1 - 0, and try assists 1 - 0 all in favour of Beale. The only stat that Kata had higher was post contact metres and that's only because he hasn't learnt how to bloody pass.
Warriors could still finish as high as 5th but I think 6th or 7th is more realistic. Broncos have the Roosters this week and if we beat the Panthers this week, they have to face the Storm in round 25. Dragons have the easiest run, but both of their opponents have shown they can play with the big boys if they turn up. I see the Sharks taking 4th.
I'm crossing my fingers for Warriors +10 too. Hopefully Blake Green is OK to play. I'm surprised noone got suspended for the punch up during the Panthers game with the hard stance the NRL is taking with fighting. Kikau being grounded would certainly helps us though.
MoM for me was definitely RTS again. He is actually reminding me a lot of Thurston lately with the way he plays. Always looking for work, always looking for an opportunity and regardless of how the rest of the team performs, his effort and performance very rarely wavers. I think he has a very strong case for the All Stars team but has some stiff competition with players like Slater and Ponga (and the NRL's bias against Warriors players).
Yeah I agree its not the beginning of a slide but an attitude adjustment is needed moving forward.
DeleteThe are always on the verge of scoring tries left right and centre but they seem to just be lacking the killer instinct, missing Hiku is a component to that as he is great on attack but Beale's defence is needed too, Hiku in Kata out seems the logical move but I don't see Kearney making the change.
I would go further and say Kata is the weak link in the 17, my remote almost went through my tv when he try to burrow over from dummy half yet again (I still think it has only worked once in his career), he can be a good player at times but the fact is he is a selfish player, you know that when push comes to shove he will try to go himself instead of feeding a player in a better position.
I think 7th is where they will wind up, 6th would be an easier run I believe.
If they can get back to how they were against the Dragons i feel that they can go deep in the playoffs, they just need to bring the level week in and week out and that's where I think they will struggle.
I think a lot of our troubles still lay with having such a small forward pack would have to be one of the smallest in the league, our bench never really offers much it doesn’t change momentum or keep momentum, Jazz for how small he is, is probably the stand out we rely way to much on our back 3 which we have done all season, they let Albert go to the storm to keep a couple of up and coming forwards yet we haven’t seen them again since.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Our rotation is still very questionable. Pulu only played 11 minutes and Hiku on the bench is just a wasted spot (although it came in handy with Blake Green going off injured. Tevaga and Afoa played well though. We will hopefully have Tohu back this week. If it were me, I would put Papalii on the bench in place of Hiku. Tevaga, Pulu, Afoa and Papalii should all be able to create adequate impact if used right.
DeleteI am very confident we will be playing FINALS footy. From where is anyone's guess. I'd love the boys to win both well and open an opportunity to finish 5th or 6th and reward the fans with a home semi...on the other hand being based here in Sydney, a home away from home semi against Penrith would be nice - Sharks worry me! The Warrior Nation Supporters will absolutely pack out the stadium.
ReplyDeleteMy Warrior to improve was Fusitua who grabbed a double to get him back where he deserves to be at the top of the try scorers list - man i hope he can get a few more doubles and be number one!
Warriors to win...comfortably this week, again lifting our expectations and all the fence sitters getting back on board hahaha
Go the Warriors!