NZ Warriors Round 23: Humiliation in the Shire

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Wishing to put their horrible Round 22 performance behind them. The Warriors were once again in Sydney to face a Cronulla Sharks team desperate to keep their playoff dreams alive and looking for revenge after their close defeat to the New Zealand Side.
Unlike the Round 18 clash in Wellington, however, this match was a onesided affair as the Sharks heavily defeated the Warriors 42-16.

Well, the joy of being a Warriors fan continues with the second massive defeat in a row, I feel like I could just cut and paste from last weeks review and call it a day as the Warriors offered the exact same poor performance.
Last week I pointed to Gerard Beale's injury and the teams position changes being a reason for the pitiful performance but this week the Warriors were as close to full strength as they have been in weeks and they still offered very little in the form of competition against a team that was was reduced to a two-man bench.

The forwards minus a select few could not compete upfront, and this flowed through to the rest of the team with the halves offering very little in regards to last tackle options.
Issac Luke and Kodi Nikorima were unable to rush out of dummy half, and this lead to the boring one out football the Warriors have delivered for the majority of 2020, completing a high percentage of sets is great but what's the point if you are unable to score points.

Fans know the season is done for and are just looking for pride and passion.
If the Warriors went down swinging against these top eight teams, you might be able to stomach the losses a little, but the Warriors have been bullied for the past three defeats. With games against the Rabbitohs and Raiders to end their season, I don't see that trend stopping.

This team or in fact the club appears to be broken and if changes are not made, be it roster or office changes then 2020 will undoubtedly deliver similar results.

Now there wasn't much to praise, so let's just get into my positives from the match.

The only time the Warriors looked good in this match was when they were able to offload, I have said it before, and I will say it now when the Warriors can play second-phase football they are a hard team to stop.
If the forwards can pop the ball out to Tuivasa-Sheck, Nikorima or Harris-Tavita running off the shoulder, you are almost guaranteed points.
With the season well and truly over I hope to see the players throw the ball around, bring back that exciting style of play to convince the fans to show up in 2020.

My last positive is that there are only two weeks left in the Warriors season.
You can call me facetious, but 2019 has been a tough watch, don't get me wrong I love writing about the Warriors, but I am looking forward to having a break in a few weeks after I complete my season review ( a review Im not looking forward too).
A lot of work needs to happen to improve this club by 2020, but the upcoming offseason should provide some interesting stories, I'm sure.

That was all that came to mind for my positives, so onto the negatives.

I praised the Warriors for their offloads, but their weak defence allowed the Sharks to offload almost at will and Cronulla punished them for it.
The Warriors have conceded 40+ points in their past three defeats, and that is down to their poor defence.
Defence is all about attitude and effort, and the Warriors are lacking in both, the need to ensure that the wrap up the ball carrier in the last two rounds if they want to stop the one-way traffic.

There were times in this match were the Warriors competed, they showed up in patches defensively, driving the Sharks runners backwards and showing some promise on attack but to compete in the NRL you need to play for 80minutes, part-timers don't win premierships.

Before the game, Cameron George spoke in the media about his views on the season and the fact that players are not pulling their weight.
He also said that they may be discussions with some of these players about their futures, Nikorima came out later in the week saying that George should say it to the players directly instead of the media and Kearney also came out and said the George should leave that talk to him instead.
Now I think what George said is actually what a lot of fans have been saying or at least thinking anyway but hearing the reactions from Nikorima and Kearney, it is clear to that tensions are building within the club, and we may well see some significant changes in a few weeks.

Speaking of Kearney, he delivered another pearl with his bench, dropping Bunty Afoa for Blake Ayshford.
Bunty has been great off the bench this season and not having him on the pine was a colossal mistake and giving Ayshford 9 minutes was just a waste of a spot.
If Kearney continues to prove that he cannot learn how to use a bench, then I struggle to see him being the man that gets the Warriors out of the hole they are in.

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My Warrior of the match goes to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
It was slim pickings, but I had to go with RTS, he didn't have the best game himself, but he was still head and shoulders above the rest of the squad.
You know that Roger is going to give 100% out there, but he really needs the rest of the team to at least meet him in the middle.
Fingers crossed the team gets on the same page as Roger sooner rather than later.

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My Warrior to improve actually goes to the rest of the team.
May sound harsh, but besides a handful of players (Roger, Burr, Ah Mau, Jazz, Ken and Hiku) the rest of the players left a lot to be desired.
It felt like they had given up and were just going through the motions and counting down to the seasons' end.
As mentioned above the Warriors only have pride to play for now, so how about showing the fans some of that pride.

Round 24 sees the Warriors return home for the last time in 2019 to face the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
As much as I would like to say the Warriors will come out and put on a great performance to thank the home crowd for what has been a brutal year at Mount Smart.
I just don't see it happening, the Warriors have shown that they struggle to defend the ruck area and they are facing Damien Cook who excels at taking advantage of slow markers, and I think he is going to have a field day.
I hope im wrong, but I just don't see the Warriors walking away victors on Friday night, so im picking the Rabbitohs to win by 22.

So that was my take on an awful Round 23, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What changes would you make to club, either onfield or off?
Do you have a player of the match?
Do you think these heavy defeats will continue for the last two weeks?
What is your score prediction for the last home game?

NZ Warriors Round 22: Roosters punish sloppy Warriors

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After last weeks much-needed win against the Sea Eagles, the Warriors made the trip across the ditch to take on the 2nd place Sydney Roosters.
The Roosters have been on a roll for the past month and were always going to be a tough matchup for the New Zealand side, and it showed with a resounding 42-6 defeat to the reigning premiers.

I predicted a Warriors loss in Sydney, but I was hopeful to see the Warriors stay in the fight and unfortunately that wasn't the case.
The Warriors came out of the gates quickly and were first to score, but once Gerard Beale went down with his unfortunate injury the Warriors appeared to fall apart.

Having to move Chanel Harris-Tavita into the centres had a significant impact on the match, the Warriors lost his creativity in the halves, and the Roosters targeted him on defence, and while he stepped up and did his best, the entire team's defence let them down.

The Roosters started the match slowly, but once they found their groove, they dismantled the Warriors with terrific second phase football and a gameplan that reduced the impact of Tuivasa-Sheck and Ken Maumalo.
This gameplan forced the Warriors to fight out of their own half, and most of the times they struggled to get past 50 meters on the set.
While some of the Warriors were trying to throw offloads, no one appeared to be interested in running off the shoulders, and this meant that the Warriors were on the back foot for the majority of the match.

This loss now ends any slim chances that the Warriors had of making the eight and with three tough matches left before the 2019 season is over the Warriors only have pride left to play for.

There wasn't a lot to praise in this match, but there was one thing to appreciate, which leads me to my positive.

Chanel was my only positive, with him in the halves the Warriors attack had structure, and they were able to threaten the Roosters line.
While it's great to see the youngest stepping up and leading this side showing poise well beyond his years, it is shocking that Blake Green and Kodi Nikorima are struggling to match his level.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few negatives to go over so I will just get into it.

The forwards did not front.
Leeson Ah Mau and Agnatius Paasi were the only members of the pack to run for over 100 metres.
The Roosters have a great pack, and the Warriors needed to match them up front and simply pit they just couldn't.
It's not going to get any easier for the Warriors, so the Forwards are going to need to stand up and lead the way to give the Warriors a chance to secure another win.

As mentioned above the Warriors attack was woeful, misguide kicks and passes, dummy runners not running the right lines or getting in the way.
In all honesty, it was comical at times as you watched the Warriors attack not even getting organised for the next play.
Unless they sort out their attack, 2020 will be more of the same.

The Warriors conceded 26 points in the second half, and while the Roosters were playing well, the Warriors weak defence did them no favours.
The Warriors showed urgency last week and were able to wrap up the ball carrier to prevent offloading, but that was all forgotten this week with the Roosters offloading at will.
With a backline stacked with talent, any second-phase football was almost guaranteed to be converted into points.
With the Sharks coming up this week, the Warriors will need to ensure that they stop that second phase football otherwise they will be staring down the barrel of another hefty defeat.

Lastly is the Warriors discipline, they may have only been penalised 8 times, but it was more the manner and timing of the penalties they were conceding.
When they are struggling on attack and defence, they are doing themselves no favours with silly penalties.
With three weeks left there is plenty to work on for the Warriors but I'm hopeful that the team shows some improvement in the above areas before the season winds to a close.

I don't have a Warrior of the week this round.
Tuivasa-Sheck and Harris-Tavita had decent showings in patches, but I don't feel that anyone stood out for 80 minutes.

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My Warrior to improve goes to Blake Green.
Green has struggled to direct this side around the park all year, and this match was no different, for the duration of his career he has played second fiddle to another playmaker, and when he is stuck being the dominant half, he tends to fold.
I like him out there partnered with Chanel, but the combination with Kodi does not appear to be working, and they need to go back to the drawing board.
Blake has a year left on his contract, but if he plays much in 2020 will be another thing.

Round 23 has the Warriors once again in Australia, facing the Sharks.
The Warriors have already defeated the Sharks this year when they travelled to Wellington but playing in the Shire is a different story.
The Sharks haven't been in the best form, but after finally getting back into the top eight again they will be desperate to stay there.
With Beale out for the rest of the season, I expect to see Patrick Herbert return to the centres and I hope that Kodi Nikorima starts at hooker this week as the Warriors could use his pace in the ruck area.
It will be a tall order, but I expect to see a more determined Warriors side show up, but ultimately the Sharks will get the victory, so Im picking the Sharks to win by 10 here.

So that was my take on a disappointing Round 22, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who was your player of the day?
What would you do with Blake Green?
How do the Warriors fix their attack going into 2020?
What is your score prediction for Round 22's clash against the Sharks?

NZ Warriors Round 21: Warriors hold off Manly in Mount Smart upset

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After last weeks embarrassing defeat against the Raiders, the Warriors found themselves at Mount Smart Stadium for the second Friday in a row, this time hosting the Manly Sea Eagles.
The Sea Eagles made the trip to New Zealand buoyed by a three matching winning streak and looked sure to add to the Warriors woes, but it wasn't to be as the Warriors broke their Mount Smart losing streak with a 24-16 victory.

Well, what the difference a week makes. After last weeks match, I was lost for words and bracing for another heavy defeat, but the Warriors turned up this week and made sitting in the rain worth it.
It wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch, but the heart that was missing in round 20 appeared to be beating again.

Many dominated the majority of the stats but were unable to convert their opportunities into points, and the Warriors turned almost every post a winner whenever they got themselves into Manly's half.
I think the Warriors were hard done by with Adam Blairs sin-binning. I was happy with the penalty being called as Blair did stop running, but I don't believe it was deserving of the Warriors being a man down for ten minutes.

I think Manly turned up already thinking the match had been won and the Warriors punished them for it. I think the fact that Manly couldn't score any points until the Warriors were a man down speaks volumes for the improvement of the Warriors defence which leads me into my positives from the match.

The attitude returned this week, I have no idea why the Warriors attitude was down last week, and I can't explain why it came back, Im just happy it did.
I still feel like finals football is not in the Warriors future this season, but with one of the hardest runs home, the Warriors need to ensure that their attitude stays at the level consistently for the final four games.
If they can do that, who knows what could happen.

The forwards showed some improvement this week and made more metres but still need to up their involvement so the Warriors backs can be used more for finishing sets off instead off being relied on to get all the Warriors metres. Leeson Ah Mau, Lachlan Burr and Ligi Sao were my standouts all running over 100 metres with Paasi and Afoa not far behind.
If they can get 6 or 7 of the pack running near 100 metres, the Warriors will find themselves in the contest regardless of who they are facing.

The Warriors showed some life on attack this week, there was less one out running, and they appeared willing to try things, my player of the day was a significant impact on that but more on him later.
Tuivasa-Shecks throw the legs pass to set up Sao's try was a great piece of the razzle-dazzle that Warriors fans love, but the Warriors showed class with Ken Maumalos tries, one via a nice chip kick early in the tackle count and the second through the hands highlighting the skill and accuracy that they can possess. More of that will keep the fans happy.

Lastly was the defensive improvement, as mentioned above the Sea Eagles could not crack the Warriors try line until the Warriors lost Adam Blair.
They still missed too many tackles for my liking but they wrapped the ball carrier up, and this was the difference compared to last week, Manly were unable to get those offloads out to unleash Tom Trbojevich, without this facet of their game the Sea Eagles started to panic and make uncharacteristic errors which ultimately lead to their downfall.
Defensive pressure is key, and the Warriors will need to ensure they keep it up.

I did have issues with the match; however, which leads me to my negatives from the game.

It didn't cost them in the end, but the Warriors gave away far too many penalties. With the Warriors defence holding Manly out, the impact these penalties had on the game wasn't too great, but if the match was closer in the first half then perhaps Manly would have elected to take the easy points and slowly starve the Warriors of possession, thankfully that didn't happen this week, but it could be an issue next week.

The ten minutes, while Adam Blair was off, was perhaps my most significant negative.
Once Blair was off it felt like the Warriors dropped their heads and allowed Manly to attack at will, scoring 16 points almost without breaking a sweat.
Despite being a man down the Warriors needed to keep trying to win the match instead of focusing on holding onto a lead. Every time the Warriors have tried that approach they have been found out, but thankfully Jazz got a try to lock in the win, but it was close to being another heart breaker at Mount Smart.

My last negative is Sam Lisone, or rather, why did Kearney not use him.
I have been critical of the use of the interchange for much of Kearneys time as coach of the Warriors, and this game was no different.
Perhaps Kearney was happy with the forward's performance and did not want to make any changes that could disrupt it.
Personally, I enjoy the energy Lisone provides, and when the large Sea Eagles pack started to tire, I would have thrown him out there to take advantage.

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My Warrior of the match once again goes to Chanel Harris-Tavita.
The young gun continues to go from strength to strength, and the sky appears to be the limit when it comes to the talent he possesses.
The vision he showed when he kicked early in the tackle count for Maumalos try was excellent and showed that despite his young age, he is not scared to try things.
I can't leave without mentioning his defence, Chanel shows no fear and puts his body on the line, and what he lacks in size he makes up with aggression.
He is a star and needs to start in the halves from now on.

I couldn't pick a player to improve this week.
The 16 players that actually played were all solid for the most part, and I'm hopeful that they will build on this performance for what will be a tough encounter in Sydney.

Round 22 has the Warriors travelling back across the ditch to face the second-placed Sydney Roosters.
This will be a tough match as the Roosters are one of the best teams in the competition right now.
The Warriors will need to play at their best here if they want to walk away with another win.
I would have Kodi playing hooker this week, and he could quickly turn the match in the Warriors favour with his speed out of the ruck.
Kodi linking with Chanel, Hiku and Maumalo just screams points.

Unfortunately, I don't see it happening. I think the Warriors will stay in the fight this week but will ultimately not have enough to overcome the odds, so I'm picking the Roosters to win by 12.

So that was my take on a improves Round 21 and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

The elephant in the room, Blair sin-bin fair call or off the mark?
Do you have any player to improve?
What would you do with Kodi on his probable return this week?
What is your score prediction for the Round 22 match against the Sydney Roosters?

NZ Warriors Round 20: Warriors embarrassed in Mount Smart return

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After the controversial game at Bankwest Stadium, the Warriors finally returned to Mount Smart to host the Canberra Raiders.
The Warriors have improved their performances since their last appearance in Auckland, and the 10,395 fans that showed up were expecting a spirited showing if not a victory.
It wasn't to be however as the Warriors delivered arguably their worst performance of the year losing 46-12.

Well, this was not the performance that I expected to see from the Warriors, they have shown improvement and heart for the past 6 weeks, so I thought they had a chance to take the Raiders to the limit, but boy I was wrong.
The Warriors have either won, drawn or lost by slim margins recently, but the reality is that they were against teams stuck in the middle of the ladder like them, but once against a genuine top-four side they were well and truly shown up.
Perhaps after so many close tough games, the Warriors were simply drained, but that just isn't good enough for NRL level.

Right from Adam Blair's dropped ball in the Warriors first set of the match the Warriors fate was sealed, they had no game plan, no heart and no desire and all the fans can hope for is that it was a rude awakening for the side as they embark on a gruelling last five rounds of the season.

There isn't a lot to praise in this performance, but it wasn't all doom and gloom, which leads me to my positives.

The Warriors were able to reduce the number of penalties they conceded, and this was an effort considering the fact that they spent more time on defence compared to the Raiders, making more than 100 tackles than the Green Machine.

The majority of the gameday 17 were well below the level expected in first grade, but it was the youngsters that shown fire.
Chanel Harris-Tavita continues to show the promise he has and needs to be in the Warriors starting side from now on.
Josh Curran had a strong showing in his first hit-out for the Warriors, he did miss the most tackles with 8, but a lot of those were in his first minutes, and I believe nerves were a factor as once he had a few runs, he started to outshine the rest of the second rowers.
I would be looking at Curran to be starting over Isaiah Papali'i this week if I was selecting the squad as Papali'i has been nothing short of ordinary for the majority of the season.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few negatives to go over so I will just get into it.

The forwards were woeful, with only Leeson Ah Mau hitting triple-digit running metres. When the forwards fail to make an impact on the game, the halves and backline really have no platform to build off and in turn, don't have the scoring Opportunites needed to win a game or in the Warriors case get back into the match.

When the Warriors did get into good field position, they delivered poor last tackle options.
Whoever the attack coach is for the Warriors they need to ship up or ship out as their gameplan is schoolboy level and clearly not working and if it down to the halves going off script, then the need to be reigned in or dropped.

The Warriors struggled to get much possession in that first half, but when they did get it, that just gave it away with careless errors.
I have said it so often this season, but if you don't show the ball respect, you will get punished this match was proof of that.

Lastly was the defence, the Warriors missed 58 tackles, 58!
Several of the Raiders tries came after they waltzed through Warriors players feeble attempts that were embarrassing to watch live.
They didn't wrap the ball carrier up allowing the Raiders to offload almost at will and this second phase football destroyed the Warriors chances.

The Warriors have struggled to defend around the ruck area, and the Raiders took advantage of it with Josh Hodgson having a field day running out of dummy half.
The Warriors need to shore up that marker area as they are facing some top tier hookers in the upcoming weeks and they will be targeting this weakness. If the Warriors don't improve, it is going to be a rough ride.

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My Warrior of the match goes to Chanel Harris-Tavita.
Kodi Nikorima's injury was unfortunate, but it allowed Chanel to inject himself into the game and show everyone why he should have been out there from the start.
While the rest of the playmakers have been one-note, Chanel shows creativity and desire. He is the only half that was able to give the Warriors legitimate scoring chances on the last tackle.
Even the tries he scored highlighted his desire with him always hovering around the ball carrier ready for an offload.
He needs to be starting for the rest of the season, and in my opinion, he should be taking the spot of my warrior that needs to improve.

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My Warrior to improve goes to Blake Green.
At the start of the season, I was worried about what would happen to the Warriors if Green was to get injured, but now with the advantage of hindsight. I think the Warriors attack looks better when he isn't there.
Green is an experienced half, but what he has been delivering with his game management has been nothing short of rookie level.
2019 season is over so it's time to get the 2020 halves combination of Kodi and Chanel some game time together so they can gel before next season starts.
If Kodi's ankle injury means that he is out this week, I would reunite Chanel and Adam Keighran in the halves again as Green is stunting the Warriors attack not improving it.

Round 21 has the Warriors at home once again, hosting the Manly Sea Eagles.
Manly looked great against the Knights last week and will be looking at repeating that performance in a bid to secure a top-four spot.
Injuries will not help the Warriors, and it looks like Karl Lawton and Kodi Nikorima may both be out of this match, this leaves a massive hole at hooker and Jazz Tevaga isn't a hooker so the Warriors will need to pull a rabbit out of the hat if they are to compete this week.
I don't see it happening though, and I feel like it is going to be a long five weeks for Warriors fans, so I'm picking Manly by 18.

So that was my take on an embarrassing round 20 performance, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions?

Do you have a Warrior of the match?
With games against Manly and the Rabbitohs left, will the Warriors win again at Mount Smart?
If Nikorima and Lawton are out, who would be your hooker and halves?
What is your score prediction for round 21?