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The Warriors never looked like losing against the hapless Titans and walked away with the victory 26-10.
After last week I can admit I was worried about the Warriors and it was good to see them get the win here, but the Titan offered very little resistance, so my concerns from last week are still very relevant.
But as I said in my round one review you can only play who is across the park from you and the Warriors did make improvement in areas of their game; the key will be doing the same against stronger opponents.
Stephen Kearney made minimal changes to the team although I felt like Adam Keighran was made the scapegoat; I was looking forward to seeing how Chanel Harris-Tavita would fare in his debut, and he did not disappoint.
He didn't overplay his hand and showed no hesitation in taking the line on himself when the opportunity arose.
There is no denying the Chanel is a talent, but if he (and the Warriors for that matter) are to succeed the Warriors forward, the pack are going to need to consistently provide a strong platform.
As mentioned above the Warriors showed improvement in areas which leads me to my positives from the match.
The Warriors showed more respect for the ball this week, reducing their handling errors and ending the match with a 91% completion rate.
If you are to have any chance walking away with a win in the NRL, you need a completion rate of 80%, or more so the Warriors need to keep this up.
It was encouraging to see the Warriors keep the completion rate high without stunting their attack although the offloads did take a hit.
If I could point one thing out to them, it would be to use the inside ball more because with players like Roger being able to hit the inside at pace it is a lethal tool and could be just what they need to break a close game wide open.
The forwards played a lot better this week, and you could see a change in attitude, Tohu Harris showed sparks of his 2018 form and Lachlan Burr had another strong showing providing some steady hit-ups and a significant defensive effort.
I really like having Bunty starting the game from the bench.
The Warriors had dipped in the first 3 games of 2019 when Bunty and Agnatius left the field so to have Bunty come on at the 20-minute mark.
The Warriors were able to keep a hard running prop on at all times, the interchange rotation still needs work (more on that below), but I think Bunty on the bench would be a good move for the rest of the season.
So that was my positives which means it's time for my negatives from the game.
Missed tackles are still a concern, they reduced in this match, but the Warriors still missed 37 tackles including several in one play that lead to one of the easiest tries the Titans will ever get.
Apart from that play, the Warriors goal line defence was a lot better it just that edge defence that continues to let the Warriors down.
The Warriors discipline let them down again, 9 penalties is a huge issue, and if the Warriors were playing any other team other than the Titans, those penalties might result in the Warriors walking away in defeat.
Now I thought they were a bit hard done by with some of the penalties, but you need to adjust to how the referees are calling the match so if they are blowing the whistle very quickly when you are holding the opposition down in a tackle you need to start getting up quicker.
It is an easy part of the game to work on and improve, so I'm sure the Warriors will be working on that this week.
My last negative is the interchange once again, Kearney finally had a decent looking bench but only gave Ligi Sao seven minutes at the end of the game.
I don't understand why Kearney struggles with his rotation but he needs to sort it out now, bringing on fresh legs when the opposition is getting tired is a crucial component to gaining the upper hand in any contest, but much like dropping poor performing players perhaps it is something Kearney will never learn or do?
Since Kearney only likes using a 3 man bench, perhaps the Warriors can just look doing a competition and give the fourth spot to a Warriors member?
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Tohu hasn't had the greatest fortnight, and as one of the veteran players in the squad, he needed to up his game and provide a better example for the younger players, and I think he had a strong showing in this match ending the game with the most running metres by any Warriors forward.
The try he scored towards the end of the match showed the strength he possesses, and if the Warriors can get the ball to him close to the line im positive, he can become a dangerous weapon in the Warriors arsenal.
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Kata's nine lives must be close to running out, except for his Round 1 performance; Kata has been one of worst each week, and with the depth, the Warriors have at centre I can not fathom how he is keeping his spot.
It is no coincidence that the only time David Fusitu'a looked like scoring was when Roger skipped Kata and put David away in the corner.
If you need to skip a player out to get you biggest attacking weapon into the game, then that is a big red flag.
The Warriors need to give one of the other centres a chance in his spot but to be honest we are more likely to get the news that he has signed a new deal with the club than seeing him play reserve grade.
Round 5 has the Warriors heading back across the ditch to face the South Sydney Rabbitohs in what will be a tough encounter.
The Rabbitohs are fresh of their first defeat of the season against the Manly Sea Eagles and will be looking at the Warriors as a team they can steamroll on their way back to the winner's circle.
The Warriors are yet to win away from Mount Smart this year, and the Rabbitohs will be a tough matchup.
The Rabbitohs forward pack is formidable and the Warriors will need to perform at their best if they are to get the win.
Unfortunately, I think the Rabbitohs will be too strong for the Warriors and im picking South Sydney to win by 8
So that was an improved Round 4, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
How do you think Chanel Harris-Tavita went?
What concerns do you have leading into Round 5?
Who was your best and worst player from this performance?
What is your score prediction for Round 5?
How do you think Chanel Harris-Tavita went?
ReplyDeletehe had a great game, looking forward to see how he performs against stronger opposition.
What concerns do you have leading into Round 5?
Drop Kata already!! We have Beale & Ayshford who are both pretty good centers.
Who was your best and worst player from this performance?
Worst= Kata, Best= RTS
What is your score prediction for Round 5?
Positive thinking here - Warriors By 1
Chanel's test will come against the tougher opposition for sure, I'm Hopeful he will do well but time will tell.
DeleteYes Kata needs to go, I don't know why they keep persisting with him, not only do they have Beale & Ayshford they also have Milne and Herbet available.
RTS had another solid game, the Warriors would be in trouble if they didn't have RTS in their ranks.
Fingers crossed your prediction comes off.
Harris-Tavita was good for his debut, showed some patience and made his way slowly into the game. More games will decide his future, I thought the same of Adam Keighran after the 1st game then he went a little quiet.
ReplyDeleteGetting ball to fusitua is shocking top try scorer last year, both wings look really good returning the kicks but need more opportunities on attack. I'll go with the majority and say swap Kata with any of our bag of centres, I was hoping to see Tane Milne but I'm not sure whats happening there, beale or Ashford would be fine to change that edge but it needs to happen soon.
Worst=Kata Best=Rts/Green Rts because he's on fire at the moment and Green because he was in everything, defense and attack
Warriors by 6 just because ��✊
Yes I would say the next 3-4 games will show us a lot about Chanel's future.
DeleteI would like Milne just due to the fact that the Warriors have given him a chance after his sacking from the Tigers and he will be hungry to prove himself, the just need to make the change.
RTS has been the stand out so far this year and I would be concerned if either RTS or Green went down injured, I was worried when Green got hit late.
Fingers crossed the Warriors get the win.
Hard to measure this performance against the Titans who were pretty poor really. The win was important though, but it could have been a bit more emphatic. It looked as though we were sort of 'playing it straight', being mostly safe and conservative, not taking too many risks, almost like we were afraid to risk losing. I thought Hiku had a good first half and Harris was better, but still not his best. Like most have said, Harris-Tavita showed good signs and will get more chances, though I still want to see more of Keighran. But at this stage, are either of these two premiership winning players? My best player, hmmm, Hiku first half otherwise Roger I suppose though I like Afoa and Burr continues to improve. Worst? Blair, he continues to be infuriating. Still plenty to be concerned about: defence, attacking metres, threats on attack, use of the bench. An interesting three weeks ahead where most will only expect us to get one win but we will see. I was very close last week but I am a bit afraid to pick a score against Souths who unfortunately (for us probably) lost to Manly, but let's be positive and say Warriors by 4. Love your work Brad.
ReplyDeleteThey needed the win for sure, if they lost to the Titans I would have written the season off.
DeleteThe were conservative but I think that was down to them knowing they needed to come away with the win.
Hiku and Harris played well, Chanel was good but we need to see how he goes against tougher teams in the upcoming week, neither Chanel or Keighran are premiership winners yet but both have potential to be stars if given the time and support required.
Burr is a beast and seems to have a big tank on him, he currently is my bargain buy of the year.
Blair I thought was ok, he had less minutes due to coming off the bench but for the salary he is getting there he needs to be contributing more than just penalties.
Still lots of improvement needed as the season continues but the fan in me is hopeful that they can sort it out.
Fingers crossed the Warriors get the W and a 4 point win my be on the money, the Rabbits will be hurting after their loss so will be looking at making a statement against the Warriors I'm sure. Thank you hopefully it will be a positive article next week.
Was good to see the win. Given that the Titans were bottom of the ladder, I would have liked to see the Warriors put them away like they did to the dogs in round 1 but it was a convincing win none the less.
ReplyDeleteI thought CHT did well. Much like Keighran in round 1. My initial reaction for AK getting dropped was pretty gutted. However, I can see some sense to what Kearney did. It's a big ask to expect Blake Green to play the full season without injury. CHT would wind up coming in to the side at some point so it made far more sense to bring him in now after 2 heavy losses where we have nothing to lose. Both our new halves will have some experience, making it easier to slot either or both in to the side depending on who is fit to play.
My only concern for round 5 is that we might fall back to playing how we did in rounds 2 and 3. This week should be our toughest game so far. In saying that, the Warriors are renowned for turning up when nobody thinks they stand a chance.
Best - RTS again. What a try saver and what a try. Team high for running metres yet again. My respect for him keeps growing with every game. Harris, Burr and Bunty all player well too.
Worst - Kata yet again. Maybe he has an amazing work ethic at training that we don't see. I just can't figure out how he holds his spot each week.
I'm on the fence for this week. I'm hoping for a surprise upset. Warriors by 8. Hell, the Bulldogs almost (and probably should have) beat the Storm.
On a side note, Ligi Sao only played for 7 minutes. Did you see that he backed up to play Canterbury Cup the following day. Racked up 70 minutes, 223 metres (98 post contact), 35 tackles, 7 tackle busts and 2 offloads. That is huge from any player let along a forward. I hope Kearney took note and gives him more minutes this week.