Five Players that need to Improve in 2020

After last weeks list of players to breakout in 2020, I thought I would offer my opinion on the five Warriors that I feel have the most to prove this season. Once again the rankings are in no particular order.

1. Adam Blair

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Adam Blair is one of the most divisive players on the roster, some fans love him others want him out of the Warriors squad asap.
Whatever your opinion on Blair is, it is fair to say that 2019 was not a great year for the veteran backrower.
With the talented youngsters, the Warriors have in the second row, my first action would be to move Blair into the front row rotation if he is to be in the 17.
Too often in 2019, Blair appeared to avoid running with the ball, which was a mistake as he can be dangerous with the ball in hand.
With the proposed plans to play more expansive football in 2020, Blair really needs to utilise his offloading ability and lead the young forward pack in what could possibly be his final year in Warriors colours.

2. Isaiah Papali'i

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Second-year syndrome hit Isaiah a year late in 2019, and I think the biggest issue for him was being given the unenviable task of taking Simon Mannering's spot.
It looked like Isaiah was relegated to just being a tackling machine, so when it became time for him to run with the ball, he was fatigued, and this lead to far too many handling errors.
The future is bright for Isaiah, he is a talented footballer, and I'm confident that 2020 is going to be a lot better for him and the fact that he has been named the captain of the Nines team this weekend shows the faith that the club has in him.

3. Blake Green

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Blake Green had plenty of pressure on his shoulders last season with the exit of Shaun Johnson, and he failed to deliver.
Too often last season, Green would decide to the run the ball himself on the fourth tackle, leaving the Warriors scrambling on the last tackle option.
It looked like he was possibly doing it to avoid having to make the last tackle play, and if he is to improve in 2020 that is the first thing to fix, he cannot disappear in games and needs to lead the backline.
His kicking left plenty to be desired, and he needs to expand his arsenal, his grubbers are accurate, but if he can add some kicks directed towards the giant wingers he has at disposal, then the Warriors could find themselves in playoff contention.
He has plenty of experience, and I would ensure that he passes as much of it over to the young halves in the roster before he retires/leaves the club.

4. Nathaniel Roache

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I genuinely feel for Nathaniel, he has the potential to become a great hooker but has been plagued with injuries.

2020 very well could be his last chance to keep his NRL dream alive.

The first thing Roache has to do is stay injury-free this season, if he can do that, then it would be hard to keep him out of the game day 17.

Perhaps to help keep him healthy the Warriors could look at having him on the bench and bringing him on late in the first and second halves when the forward packs are tiring and utilising his pace running out of dummy half against lethargic markers.

I have my fingers crossed that Roache gets through this season healthy and I look forward to watching the battle for the hooker spot between himself, Wayde Egan and Karl Lawton.

5. David Fusitu'a

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The last man on my list is perhaps the most talented out of the five.
David Fusitu'a had a year to remember in 2018 scoring 23 tries but then had a season to forget in 2019 where he only managed to cross for 5.
This huge dropoff was primarily due to change of the centres with Peta Hiku leaving the right side and moving to the left (which dramatically increased Ken Maumalos try tally).
David's combination with Solomona Kata and then Patrick Herbert, Gerard Beale and a few others just didn't seem to mesh,
Hopefully, for David's sake, it's something that the Warriors have been working on this offseason, and we can see a more cohesive right edge in 2020.
With the new rule regarding contact to a player in mid-air, I expect to see the ball kicked David's way a lot more as when he goes after the ball in the air he is so hard to stop, so he has to be the main target when it comes to corner kicks.


So those were my picks for Warriors players that need a big 2020. Next up is my season preview, but that has to wait until the nines and preseason games are done.
Until then let me know what you think about my choices and who you think needs to improve the most in 2020.