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| Copyright Photos: Getty Images |
The Warriors gave their fans hope after a close first half, but it wasn't to be as the Rabbitohs were too strong handing the Warriors a 31-10 defeat.
To be honest, this result was what I expected when I arrived at the Stadium.
Stephen Kearney was vocal during the week, demanding more effort from his side after back to back thrashings and for the first 50 minutes of this match the Warriors did show effort, but they were not able to keep that going for the whole 80 minutes.
The Warriors showed the best and the worst they had to offer in this performance, at times manhandling the Rabbitohs massive pack but then letting themselves down with poor discipline and substandard defence.
Poor attacking options as the pressure mounted did the Warriors no favours and must be one of the top priorities to fix in the upcoming months as the club prepares for 2020.
It was by no means great performance, but after the past month, it was at least an improvement which shows how poor the Warriors have been in 2019 when a 21 point defeat is an improvement.
I think the team and fans alike will be looking at putting 2019 behind them after the last match against the Raiders, but it is only the beginning as there is plenty of work to do to get this broken club back in order.
There wasn't much, but I do have some positives from the match.
The Warriors showed intensity once again. Unfortunately, it was only in patches, but the Warriors were driving the Rabbitohs ball carriers backwards and really forcing them to work to get out of their own half.
If the Warriors could deliver that intensity for every tackle of every set for 80 minutes, then these heavy defeats would be a thing of the past.
The Warriors first half showed that they could compete with a top-four side, they were down 14-0 halfway through the first half but bounced back quickly with the only tries they scored in the match.
When the opposition piles on points the Warriors have been found guilty this season of dropping their heads, so it was good to see them attempt to keep in the match, admittedly only for 50minutes.
My biggest concern going into this match was that Damien Cook was going to have a field day against the Warriors.
All year the Warriors ruck defence has been exposed, but they were able to keep Cook relatively quiet if Cook was able to play his typical game then I'm confident that the score would have been significantly larger.
Unfortunately, there were several problems in this performance, which leads me to my negatives.
It was good to see the intensity return, but the Warriors only showed up for 50 minutes.
The NRL is a fierce competition where any team can win on their day, but to do so, they need to play for the entire 80 minutes.
Warriors need to also address this in the upcoming offseason if 2020 is going to be better.
The Warriors discipline was a crucial component in why they were unable to get the win against the Rabbitohs.
Whenever the Warriors gave away silly penalties, the Rabbitohs twisted the knife by taking easy penalty kicks, increasing their lead and dominating possession.
You can try to blame the Referee decisions all you like, but the Warriors need to play to the whistle.
Despite the Warriors starting defensive strong in the first half, they appeared to get lazy in the second half.
They were dropping off tackles and not wrapping the ball carriers up which allowed the Rabbitohs to utilise second phase football which just torn the Warriors defensive line to shreds.
The Warriors fifth tackle options still need plenty of work.
There was really only a handful of good kicks on the last tackle, but the majority of the last play options were woeful kicks or running and dying with the ball.
I still think the only way to improve this facet of the Warriors game is two have Kodi and Chanel Harris-Tavita in the halves together.
The off-field circus continued this week with news that the joint owners are fighting amongst themselves.
As I said last week something at the club is broken. Everything starts at the top so if the owners cannot get on the same page, it is no surprise that Cameron George, Stephen Kearney and the players appear to not be singing off the same songsheet.
There is plenty of work to be done, and I'm sure the club will be bombarded with plenty of questions relating to this at the upcoming member's forum.
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| Copyright Photo: Getty Images |
2019 has been poor, but RTS is one of a select few that can hold his head up high.
This wasn't his best outing, but he was still head and shoulders above the rest of his team. Always dangerous with the ball in hand and he saved his side with several desperate defensive displays.
Hopefully, for his sake, the rest of the team will help him in 2020 as he cannot continue to carry this side for another season.
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| Copyright Photo: Photosport |
Kodi showed some glimpses of promise in the first half, mainly his nice run and kick for Ken Maumalo's try but he disappeared in the second half.
The pack didn't help matters, but the Warriors really needed Kodi to give the backline some attacking options, and he just didn't deliver.
After the match Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett endorsed Nikorima as a valuable player that has not shown his best yet due to the mid-year switch and that with a full preseason under his belt we will see an improved Kodi for 2020.
I genuinely hope the super coach is right.
Im sure the players and fans alike will be looking forward to this season-ending, but there is still one game to go.
Round 24 sees the Warriors head to the Australian capital to face the Canberra Raiders.
The Raiders have been on a tear in 2019 and have already humbled the Warriors and will look at doing it again to cement their top-four spot.
I am hopeful that the Warriors will show up to play and make a statement in their last match of the year, but I can't see them defeating the Raiders, so I'm picking the Raiders to win by 30.
So that was slightly improved but ultimately disappointing Round 24 and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Who was your player of the match?
With the issues on and off the field, how would you attempt to fix the club?
Now Koroisau off the table now, which off-contract player would you be targetting (if any)?
What is your score prediction for the final match of the season?
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