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With both sides sitting just outside of the top eight they were equally desperate to get the win, and it showed in the low scoring match where defence was the name of the game with the Broncos sneaking home with an 8-2 win.
Im in two minds with this match, on the one hand, the Warriors had plenty of chances to win this match and did only let one try in, but on the other, the Broncos didn't offer too much on attack and the Warriors barely made a dent in their defensive line.
Not having Agnatius Paasi for the match was a huge loss and against a large Broncos pack the Warriors needed another forward that could march them up the field and Adam Blair's attacking skill wasn't a suitable replacement.
The loss of Jazz Tevaga impacted the Warriors game substantially, he runs hard for a small forward, and his defence in the middle of the park saves the Warriors on many occasions if he wasn't injured he may very well have stopped Anthony Milford's match-winning try.
It was yet another game that the Warriors should have won this year and they need to start turning this near misses into wins if they are to get themselves into the top eight.
It was a frustrating game, but it wasn't all horrible, which leads me to my positives from the match.
Besides one slip up the Warriors goal line defence was strong again, holding out the Broncos when they were camped in the Warriors red zone.
With some tough encounters coming up in the next few rounds the Warriors will need to make sure that goal line defensive line stays solid.
I liked the commitment the majority of the Warriors showed in this match, with the game going down to the wire and with the errors they were making they didn't give up.
If they continue to play with that attitude while fine-tuning the basic fundamentals, they may still have a chance to turn this season around.
That was all I really had for my positives, which leads me to my negatives.
The lack of an attacking threat was a huge concern for me, the Warriors came into Round 11, leading the NRL in line breaks and did not get a single one in this match.
Yes, the Broncos defensive was massive, but it appeared to shellshock the Warriors as they resorted to one out running, followed by throwing the ball out to one edge and then kicking to the opposite corner on the last or pushing a grubber through.
The Warriors needed to earn the right to test the edges by dominating up the middle, and they failed to do that, Blake Green's last tackle options left a lot to be desired, and he needs to bring some variety into his performance if the Warriors are going to get back into the winners' circle.
The Warriors made a host of unforced errors that frustrated the home crowd when you make 15 unforced errors, you are going to struggle to defeat any side in the NRL, and that was the case here for the Warriors.
I'm not sure if they were just trying to force things after being rattled by the strong defence, but if the Warriors are to bounce back, they are going to need to show the ball more respect.
With the bye this week im confident that the Warriors can work out the kinks and come back strong in Round 13.
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Ken had another strong game, running for over 200 metres, starting the Warriors sets strong and also defusing a lot of kicks as the Broncos targeted him on their last tackle options.
Once a liability, Ken has become Mr consistent this season, and I'm expecting more of the same from him for the remainder of the season.
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I was torn between Ligi and Adam Blair in this match but went with Ligi as his slow defensive read allowed Milford to score the matchwinner.
Ligi has been strong since his return to first grade, but in this match, he needed to step it up to fill the void left by Passi and just didn't do enough.
The Broncos were also quick to wrap him up to eliminate his offloading ability, Im hopeful that he will be given a chance to deliver a strong performance in Round 13, but he may find himself back in reserve grade if Blair retains his spot when Paasi is back.
Round 12 is a bye week for the Warriors, so they have no match to preview.
This also means that there is no game for me to review so next week I will write my midseason review, once again highlighting the good the bad and the ugly.
A week later the Warriors will be back, hosting the Melbourne Storm in what will be a tough encounter.
The Storm may make the trip minus a view players due to the State of Origin, but that does not make them any less dangerous.
The Warriors should have defeated the Storm on Anzac day but I feel that the Storm have got better since then and I see them beating the Warriors by 12
So that was a disappointing Round 11, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Who was your player of the day?
Is the lack of attack and ongoing issue or was the Broncos defence too good?
Will the Warriors make the eight?
What is your score prediction for the Round 13 clash against the Storm?
Awesome review, on point with your facts, review & observations of the overall game.
ReplyDeleteOne point for the defence of the Warriors, I saw that we received so much penalties due to the fact that the Bronco's chose to infringe by holding soen purposefully when the Warriors were on attack, my critic is the lack of the Referee's to punish the Bronco's effectively.
Thank you, I think the refs were poor in this match, they allowed both sides to hold the opposition down for too long at times. I felt the Warriors were hard done by quite a few times but they just lacked that attacking threat needed to get across the line.
ReplyDeleteYou said it Brad; "lack of attacking threat". We talked about this earlier in the season and it haunts us now. I admire strong defence, but attack is where the points come from. Shaun Johnson had plenty of critics, but remember how horrific our winning percentage was when he didn't play? And who has replaced him as that dynamic and unpredictable attacking weapon? Roger is about it, though Nikorima could sort of get close given time. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see Green running the ball so often but he's starting to show his age now and he was covered easily.
Again, we start to wonder where the wins will come from. These losses will be denting the player's confidence and as we know, the Warriors are a team that needs to be confident.
Player of the day? Really it's hard to say anyone other than Ken, though Roger certainly gave it everything.
I don't think we will make the top eight this year. Last year we had a strong start and teams like Manly, the Knights the Raiders and Eels were all poor. This year those teams are better and we have gone backwards, it is that simple.
However, (sigh) I forecast a win (as I must) over Melbourne by 4 points.