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After their massive win in round 1 which saw the Warriors sitting atop the NRL ladder, the Warriors made their first trip across the ditch to face the Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Stadium.
My prediction of a 12 point victory was sorely mistaken as the Warriors were their own worse enemies going down 34-6.
My prediction of a 12 point victory was sorely mistaken as the Warriors were their own worse enemies going down 34-6.
Where do you begin with this performance?
It was a performance that was best left forgotten as the Warriors were polar opposites to the dominant team we watched last week as they offered very little against a Tigers team that wasn’t that impressive bar a mighty performance from Robbie Farrah.
Speaking at the press conference after the match; Stephen Kearney stated that he thought some of the squad might have been complacent after last weeks win and it showed in a lethetic effort.
Hopefully, this loss is the wake-up call the Warriors need as they look to get their season back on track in round 3.
There isn't much to praise, which leads me to my positives from the match.
Leeson Ah Mau and Jazz Tevaga were the only bright lights in what was a weak forward pack; this pack needs to return their performance level to what we saw in round 1 urgently if the New Zealand side wants to avoid a heavy defeat.
My last positive is that the issues with the performance can be fixed, a kick in the pants and attitude adjustment can bring this side back to the winner's circle.
That is all I can pick out as positives which bring me to my negatives.
Errors! The Warriors were never in this match but creating 14 unforced errors well and truly made sure of that.
It was an amateur display that was hard to watch; there is nothing worse than watching a team throw the ball away, the silver lining is that ball handling can improve; the Warriors just need to have more respect for the ball.
The Warriors defence took ten steps backwards this week, it didn’t take long for Tigers to expose the Warriors edge defence and once they did that targeting it consistently and were rewarded handsomely.
The edge defence was a concern last year, and it hasn’t improved, Im not sure what they need to do, replacing the centres is an option, but I don’t see Kearney making a change anytime soon as he appears to have a liking for Kata and Hiku.
My last negative goes hand in hand with the weak defence, and it’s the poor discipline with penalties.
With the Warriors throwing possession away flippantly; and the defence not being adequate; the last thing they needed to do was give away silly penalties.
They gave the Tigers all the opportunities in the world to run away with this match, and they took it with both hands.
My last negative was Stephen Kearney's interchange rotation, last week I felt like he found the right balance, but this week it felt like he was back to his old tricks.
With Issac Luke making his return this week it may have made things tougher for the rotation, but I feel like Lachlan Burr needed more minutes out there after having a strong showing last week.
With a game under his belt Luke should be able to offer more in round 3, and hopefully, this helps the rotation go back to normal.
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In such a poor performance there wasn’t many players that shone but my
Warrior of the game goes to Ken Maumalo.
Ken had another massive game running for over 160metres, and the only times the Warriors looked to off anything on attack was when they went down his wing.
Ken is integral in the Warriors marching out of their own half, and hopefully, his performances can be rewarded with some more scoring opportunities.
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My Warrior who needs to improve was hard to choose for all the wrong reasons with many putting their hands up, but I have gone with Agnatius Paasi.
In 40 minutes, Paasi only ran the ball 7 times for 52metres which is inexcusable.
The Warriors rely on Passi and Bunty Afoa to get their momentum rolling, and Paasi just didn’t deliver; if his performances stay at this level, he may find himself in reserve grade very shortly.
Round three sees the Warriors head down to Christchurch to face the Manly Sea Eagles.
It will be an emotional night for all involved, and the Warriors will be looking at making a statement after this weeks embarrassment.
The Sea Eagles have not been very impressive so far in 2019, and if the Warriors arrive with the right attitude, they should be able to come away with the victory.
I’m picking the Warriors to return to form and win by 10; sending the Christchurch crowd home happy.
So that was a disappointing Round 2, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
What went wrong in this match?
Are there any changes you would make for Round 3?
Who was your best and worse players from the match?
What is your score prediction for Round 3?
A hard watch sums up the game! Hopefully you read my comment on your Nothing But League report, but I will add that we have seemed to lack hard out, hard running, metre gaining forwards for so long! The forwards we do have can play pretty well, but not game after game. Imagine Sam Lisone with the attitude of Kevin Campion. That would be more like it. Again, I have doubts about Luke, will he ever consistently be the player he should be? It would be nice to see Roache given a real chance, by that I mean a series of starts with long minutes. Ken probably the best player, and pick just about any forward as the worst. (Sigh), this is the life of a Warriors supporter.
ReplyDeleteYes I read your comment on my Nothing but League Report, sorry been hard keeping track of comments with two being put up so close together. consistency is (and always is) the issue, the Warriors have a decent squad and players to do the job they just need to get that attitude sorted, I think Luke was set up to fail with as little prep time as he had, he isn't match fit and it showed, I'm hopeful Roaches injury is ok and he can return to the side soon as he has that youthful spark that Luke is missing. Unfortunately as you said this is the life of a Warriors supporter, still early days in the season and I'm sure they can turn it around, games against Manly and the Titans being played in NZ for the next two weeks should help.
ReplyDeleteThis was not the game I expected to be watching. The first 30 minutes was a real arm wrestle and had me waiting anxiously for our first try so the boys could start to unleash, but alas it just never happened. Tigers got on a bit of a roll and our poor ball control and giving away stupid penalties stopped us from being able to gain any sort of momentum to get us back in the game. Even though the tigers weren't overly creative on the field, they played a very controlled game given the slippery conditions. I do believe the Warriors are the kings of the comeback so I do think they can bounce back from this relatively quickly.
ReplyDeleteI think that pretty much sums up what went wrong with the game. I also commented last week about Kata and Fus drifting in and look what happened. 2 very easy tries on that edge. I'm putting blame on Kata for this. The same thing used to happen last year on the left edge when he was partnered with Maumalo. Ken adapted his defense to accommodate and would wrap around to stop the opposition from sending it wide.
Changes I would make? Ah Mau starting instead of Paasi, Beale on for Kata (Kata had an awesome game in round 1 but doesn't do well when we don't have momentum. We need someone with more rounded skills). Not sure who I would prefer to come in for Lisone (who I'm quietly pleased is forced out for a week). Either Pulu, Sao or Satae. Pulu is definitely the more skilled of the 3 but Satae adds some size to the pack.
Best was Ken for sure. Apart from an early error he had a really good game despite the rest of the team.
Worst is much tougher to pick. Keighran was really exposed on defence (gotta cut him some slack given his age and experience though), Lisone for discipline and lack of go forward. I thought Papalii showed very little when I expected him to come back trying to prove himself after being stood down. Even RTS had a shocker.
I'm confident the Warriors can bounce back in style. I'm saying Warriors by 16 in Christchurch.
yes it was two results in a row that i didnt expect; just at different ends of the scale.
DeleteI was still confident that the Warriors could get the job done after Ken scored but the mistakes just wouldnt stop.
The Tigers played the right gameplan for wet conditions and just kept at it.
Yes Kata and Fus rushing in needs to stop now, the opposition are going to target that edge every week and could make it a long season if it isn't fixed quickly.
Leeson to start and Beale for Kata both good options, I wouldnt mind Milne getting a shot either.
I would be going for Satae or Sao to replace Lisone, Pulu has the skill but the Warriors need a metre eater on the bench to replace Afoa when he comes off, we will find out soon enough when the team is named (odds are the only change will be Lisone's replacement).
I had to go with Ken, he had that error but everyone made errors and he seemed to be one of few that you could say had a good game.
Yeah I had a few that I debating selecting as my worst including Lison, Keighran and Kata but as a former prop I couldnt go past the low level of runs and metres from Paasi.
16 a bold call but the Warriors will be wanting to make a statement and with the everything that has happened in Christchurch; emotions will be high so you could be on the $.