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In an ugly contest, the Cowboy broke that streak as they defeated a weak Warriors side 17-10.
Man oh man what a night to forget, this season feels like it's one step forward, two steps back.
The Warriors made more line breaks and offloads and missed fewer tackles but lacked the game I.Q. needed to get the win.
The Warriors had plenty of opportunities in the Cowboys red zone but were like deers in headlights resorting to one out football with little to no attacking plays offering any scoring chances.
The Warriors didn't even try to force repeat sets, they lacked creativity and were punished as a result.
The Cowboys did not play well, but they played smart and took the chances they were given, and their hunger was apparent as they clawed and scratched their way to the win.
Losing Blake Green didn't help the Warriors, but Kearney needs to give up on Peta Hiku as a half.
I know that Adam Keighran also picked up an injury during the week which saw him dropped from both the first and reserve grade line-ups and this may have been a critical factor in Hiku's return to the halves, but this experiment needs to stop if the Warriors have any chance of turning their season around.
It wasn't all doom and gloom however which leads me to my positives.
The Warriors reduced their missed tackles considerably in this match, and if that trend continues with much-needed improvement on their attack, it should lead to more wins in the future.
The Warriors attack did improve until they got close to the Cowboys line, with room to move the Warriors looked dangerous at times but I feel like they have resorted to relying on Tuivasa-Sheck to do everything, RTS is head and shoulders above the rest of the squad right now, but he cannot do it alone.
Issac Luke and Nathaniel Roache both played well out of dummy half with Luke added some much-needed assistance in the kicking department and Roache displaying his pace when running out of the ruck but using three hookers in your gameday 17 is a headscratcher (more on that below).
That is all I have for positives which leads me to my negatives.
Errors, the Warriors lack of respect for the ball is profoundly concerning.
They made 9 errors in the first half alone you cannot expect to come away with a win if you gift that opposition so much ball.
After stepping up last week, the Warriors pack took a significant step backwards in round 6.
Except for Tohu, Lachlan and Bunty, the pack offered very little for the back line to take advantage of.
With a short turnaround before they face the clinical Melbourne Storm the Warriors pack may require another honesty session as if they don't turn up it will be a long night for Warriors fans and the team alike.
My last negative goes once again to Stephen Kearney and his bench.
At first, when I saw the rejigged line up with Jazz and Roache both on the bench, I tried to stay positive believing that Jazz would be used as a forward instead of hooker, but when he entered the game replacing Luke, I saw that my positivity was misplaced.
Kearney needs to sort out his bench selection, but even last year when the Warriors were going well, I was highlighting the unorthodox bench lineup, so it's fair to say that Kearney has not learnt and possibly won't anytime soon.
I don't get his selections or rotation policy and would love to be able to ask him the reasoning behind his choices and why he refuses to budge.
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RTS had another strong showing, but I could not ignore Burr this week.
The story writes itself with Burr, going back to his apprenticeship after almost giving up on the sport he loves and then getting a chance across the ditch and taken it with both hands.
Burr has been a standout even in defeat all season to date, he is always near the top when it comes to both running metres and tackles and never seems to tire, with Alex Corvo highlighting him as one of the fittest in the squad.
Kearney continues to only give Burr 50-60minutes per game, and I do not think it is a coincidence that the Warriors performance takes a hit when he is off the field, if I were in charge Burr would be playing 80 minutes, and the player below would be given less time on the field.
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A lot of the team had a night to forget on Saturday, but Blair continues to disappoint, he offers little to nothing on attack and his leadership and defence has been lacking this season.
To put it simply, Blair just doesn't play smart football, there were two scoring opportunities in this match that were ruled out due to errors at Blair's hand.
As I said above, I would give Blair reduced minutes and then perhaps he can start contributing in a positive way for 2019 season.
The Warriors have a short turnaround for round 7 as they make the trip to Melbourne to face the Storm on Anzac day in what is always a daunting task.
Even when the Warriors are performing well, they seem to have a lapse when the Anzac clash comes around, so I am genuinely worried this week especially with the Storm coming into this match fresh off their first defeat in 2019.
Blake Green should return to the halves this week which should add some much-needed direction to the side, but it looks like they will be without David Fusitu'a after his injury against the Cowboys.
This injury will no doubt see Gerard Beale replacing David on the wing in what will be Kearney's only change.
I think the Warriors are in for a tough night on Thursday and im predicted the Storm to come out on top by 18 points.
So that was a disappointing Round 6, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Can the Warriors get back on track or is a top-eight position out of play?
What changes would you make if you could?
Who would you bring in to replace Fusitu'a
What are your score predictions for the Anzac clash on Thursday?
Agree.It was so bad even kata looked sort of okay-meaning the rest except for those you mentioned dropping to his low standard. And you are not alone in wondering Kearneys reasoning for his Bench and Rotations-head scratching.Tavta Harris needs to do more than just pass ball on also.Is Pulu injured???
ReplyDeleteYes Kata wasn't as poor as others during the match but still has a long way to go. Kearney's selections have always been and issue going as far back as when he was the Eels coach, not sure why it hasn't improved but I think if he hasn't improved in that department by now, he never will. Yes I think being the lead half has neutered Chanel so hopefully when Blake returns Chanel starts to take the line on again. Pulu's not injured just another decent player not being given a shot in first grade by SK.
ReplyDeleteBench & when to use it...
ReplyDeleteA child could pick a better bench & pick when to make a change ...no F--king point making a change when behind with 7 mins to go.
literally choked on my sub-par Carlsberg when I saw Nate and Jazz on the bench. Does Kearney think he is playing fantasy and trying to rack up the point with 3 hookers - *massive face palm*
ReplyDeleteProbably the most frustrating game of the year after the round 3 match against Manly. Both for different reasons. Against Manly our defense was nothing short of abysmal. On Saturday was all about our ball control. I thought the Warriors were absolutely dominating them in the first 15-20 minutes. So many tackle bust and second phase play but as soon as we had the cowboys going backwards, someone would throw a terrible pass or drop it cold which enabled the Cowboys to get back in the game and the Warriors couldn't tidy up their play long enough to gain any momentum back. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteI have always been a bit hesitant to criticise Adam Blair, seeing his value in his leadership role, his offloads, his defence and the 1%ers he brings. I have always been able to look past his lack of running metres because of what he creates in other areas. This week he had a shocker. Definite top of the list for players needing to improve. Poor ball control, poor discipline, no impact.
Can the Warriors get back on track??? Of course they can. It's round 6. If we had won the game we would be sitting on a 50% win ratio and you wouldn't have even needed to ask the question. Teams manage to turn their form around mid-season all the time. We still have a ton of talent in the team. CHT will only get better. Luke and Green could be pivotal to how we go though. Our attack really suffered when Luke went off the field and we lacked a lot of direction without Green.
I think Kearney has made the smart choice putting Hiku on the wing. Beale is better suited to centre for his defence while Hiku can add more in attack running the ball back. Hiku has played wing plenty of times before so far better suited to him than in the halves. Other changes I would make would be to bring Ashford, Herbert or Milne (or anyone) in instead of Kata plus drop Blair for a game or 2 so he can pull his finger out of his ass. Harris and Papalii in second row, Iggy and Ah Mau as starting props. Bunty has to be on the bench. I'm still undecided about Tevaga and Roache on the bench. They are both too valuable to not have in the team but Jazz needs to be used solely as a middle forward. Sao and Satae both had good games again in ISP and one of them should be given another shot in first grade. My man Burr should be locked in at 13 for the rest of the season.
I don't think anyone should be too surprised by a loss next week. We are playing the top team in the comp who are incredibly dominant on the field. If we can stay within 10 points of them by full time, then I will be happy and know that they at least put in the effort (just like we did against Souths). This is not a matter of not having faith in the team, this is being realistic with how they have played recently. They need to rebuild momentum and confidence before they can compete with top 4 teams.
Nice comments, I agree with a lot of what you say.
DeleteThe most frustrating game to date for sure Jason, was a somber walk back to my car when the final whistle blew and with a match report to write for nothingbutleague.com when I got home I wasn't even tempted to visit the members tent for my usual beer and chat.
DeleteChanges a plenty to the side since I posted this with RTS, Green and Kata all ruled out.
I'm looking forward to seeing Herbert out there but Tohu in the halves and the lack of RTS has me expecting the worst tonight, although I have thrown a bet down on the Warriors to get the win ($5 odds were too tempting for an upset).
I have no issues having both Jazz and Roache on the bench, just don't bring Jazz on for Luke again like they did last round.
Burr should not only be 13 for the remainder of the season but he should be playing 80 minutes too.
A win tonight is highly unlikely, Storm are just too good this season and after their first loss last week they will not drop two in a row.
Improved effort in defeat is what I want to see (Will gladly take a win any day of the week though), and losing by 10 would be great compared to what usually happens on Anzac day.
Well, here we are again, a place we have been so many times before since 1995. We are becoming that version of the Warriors that teams do not fear and look forward to playing as a great chance of a win, making us vulnerable even to lesser teams looking to rebuild their season.
ReplyDeleteAfter game one, it was like wow, who can beat us if we keep playing like this! Now, I bet plenty are wondering who we could possibly beat? As I said last week, I don't like playing teams on a losing streak and the Cowboys were desperate. We had nothing on attack, it was that simple. Apart from he-who-must never-get-injured, we just didn't look dangerous.
The Cowboys weren't much better but their forwards were dominant and my doubts about our own forwards continue. Ah Mau, Paasi, Sao, Satae, Lisone all seem cut from the the same mediocre, inconsistent cloth and lack any real punch or ability to make a tangible impact.
It remains early in the season however, but we need to get better quickly or confidence will suffer, and confidence is everything for the Warriors. At the moment, top eight would be a miracle!
As far as changes go, I really don't know but I still want to see more of Keighran, I think he needs some more opportunities. I never approved of Adam Blair being signed, I thought his style of play was a bad fit for this team and my opinion remains the same. Some bold changes would be timely, as we have not a lot to lose against the Storm who nobody will back us to beat but Kearney just won't do it. Not yet.
I'm okay with Hiku on the wing, despite some defensive shortcomings as he is capable of some clever attack and unpredictability which no one else on the team really offers, remember how handy he was last season?
Just on the Storm though, who have they actually beaten? Their only win against a team that's actually playing well is the Raiders and they almost lost to the Bulldogs. Obviously the Storm are a good team but perhaps not as good as they are automatically assumed to be.
I imagine a Storm win by 34-10, but as always I will back the Warriors to win by 2!
Unfortunately he who must never get injured is now out with injury and that is my biggest concern going into tonight's match, RTS has been the key strike weapon every match this year, hopefully someone if not everyone steps up in his absence.
DeleteKeighran is starting for reserve grade this week so it truly shows how far down the pecking order he has fallen with Tohu running in the halves tonight.
He is a talent and should be playing in first grade with Blake out, rumors are that some people were happen with what he said in the honesty session held by the club and it that is the case that is a huge concern as what message does that show to the younger talent, keeping your mouth shut to keep you place is no way for the team to be run.
Storm haven't had a hard run so far but that game against the Roosters they clawed their way back from being 20-0 down to take the game into Golden Point which worries me more than the amount of games they have won, if the Roosters allowed them back into the game what we the Warriors do?
I have $ on the game so I hope you prediction of a Warriors win comes through.