After poor performances in round's 1 and 2 and an enforced 2-month break, the Warriors made their way to their makeshift home ground of Central Coast Stadium to face the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Many pundits (myself included) predicted another loss for the New Zealand side here, but the Warriors stepped up and made easy work of a struggling Dragons outfit getting their first win in 2020 with an 18-0 shut out.
The 2-month hiatus was perhaps a blessing in disguise.
After the nines, preseason and first two rounds, it was clear that the Warriors were either not ready or had the wrong gameplan for 2020 and a trip back to the drawing board was needed.
And judging from the one game we have had the Warriors did look like a different, much-improved outfit.
The most significant difference between rounds 2 and 3 was the improvement of the forward pack, on paper the Warriors pack was severely lacking compared to the Dragons monster pack, but they didn't back down and this coupled with a much faster game style allowed the Warriors halves to get the backline involved on the attack.
This was the first time this season where the Warriors attack looked threatening and hopefully is a sign of more to come.
Don't go overboard though, this was just a win over a Dragons side that is in trouble, but the Warriors don't select the draw, they just need to continue to build self-belief and momentum as they head into some tougher matchups.
There is still plenty of improvement needed in this side, but they can hold their heads high after this match, which leads me to my positives from the game.
First up, the completion rate. The Warriors broke the NRL record for most completed sets in a match with 45. They also broke the most completions in a row record with 44 (the previous record was 39). They ended the game with a 96% completion rate and impressively were sitting at 100% right up until the last 5 minutes of the match.
This type of accuracy is not generally associated with the Warriors, but it was good to see that they were able to keep the silly errors that plagued them at the start of the season out of this match. The Warriors will want to keep the completion rate up but also look to increasing their scoring opportunities as while it's great to keep hold of the ball, it's not much use if you cannot get points on the board.
I mentioned it above, but the forwards had a monster game, size of the Warriors pack ran for over 100metres, and I cannot recall the last time you could say that about a Warriors team especially one that is missing some many players through injury.
Adam Blair had a strong game and showed why he should move into the front row permanently for the Warriors, he gets more involved in the games when he is in the middle. It also means young stars on the rise like Eliesa Katoa can get more minutes and strengthen the Warriors edge attack without Blair blocking the way.
I was also impressed with the Warriors fitness and discipline. With the new 6 again rule increasing the pace of the matches I was worried that the Warriors would be in trouble, I had visions of the Warriors get punished for holding on too long in the tackle and the Dragons just holding onto the ball for continuous back to back sets. However, the Warriors kept up with the pace and showed minimal signs of fatigue, time will tell if this is something the Warriors can keep up for the next 17 weeks.
This was also the first time the Warriors have held a team scoreless since 2006. Yes again it was against a lacklustre team, but the Warriors need to improve their points differential, so they need some more defensive efforts like this in the upcoming weeks.
Attitude is an integral part of any sides defensive performance. I think Ken Maumalo's try saving attempt on Mikaele Ravalawa displayed the attitude adjustment the team has, the game was already won. Warriors teams of old may have just let the Dragons score instead, so fingers crossed that this is a sign of more mentality tough Warriors outfit.
No game is perfect; however, which leads me to my negatives from the game.
I don't really only have one which is that I was surprised that Wayde Egan didn't run out of dummy half much, in fact, he only had three.
The Dragons were unable to adjust to the quicker game style. There were plenty of chances to take advantage of the Dragons slow markers by darting out of the ruck, Kodi Nikorima showed him how it was down later in the game, but Egan needs to start doing this too, or he may find himself out of the side.
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| Copyright Photo: Warriors.kiwi |
My Warrior of the game goes to Tohu Harris.
Tohu Harris had a night to remember in his 150th NRL match, he lead the side in tackles with 48 and also ran for 212 metres. After an injury-plagued stint with the Warriors, Tohu is 100% healthy, and the Warriors are going to reap the benefits.
His experience will help develop the many exciting young forwards the Warriors currently have, and his playmaking skill adds another dimension that is sorely needed for the Warriors to thrive in 2020.
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| Copyright Photo: Stuff.co.nz |
I don't have a Warrior to improve this week, but I want to give Eliesa Katoa a special mention.
This was only his 16th game of league ever, but it sure didn't look like it. He scored the first try of his career, but I'm sure there will be many more.
He ran hard, was hard to stop near the try line and also did not shy away from the defensive side of the game.
He is a star in the making, and I look forward to watching him develop this year.
Round 4 has the Warriors travelling to Campbelltown Stadium to face the Penrith Panthers.
The Panthers played to a draw against the Newcastle Knights this week but did not look overly impressive.
They still do not have Nathan Cleary, so this may be the best time for the Warriors to strike, they will need another big showing from their forward's, and if that happens then I think the Warriors have a good shot at walking away with the victory.
Judging from what I have seen from both sides this week I am going to go with a Warriors win by 8 points.
So that was a great Round 3, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
How do you think the forward pack went?
Who was your player of the match?
How do you think the forward pack went?
Who was your player of the match?
Do you think the Warriors can deliver a similar performance against tougher opposition?
What is your score prediction for the Penrith clash?
What is your score prediction for the Penrith clash?
The whole team was awesome. Like you said, it was against a sub-par team but there were a lot of promising signs. There wasn't the usual to and fro of dropped balls and mistakes that you usually see when 2 poor teams are playing each other. The forwards, although they weren't monstering the opposition, kept a consistent level of pressure the whole game and having Katoa, Taunoa-Brown and Murchie added some much needed bulk to the pack. I hadn't previously been overly impressed with Taunoa-Brown but he looked like he is starting to gain a bit of confidence and carried the ball with a lot more intent. I am curious to see if we utilise this young bloke from the Roosters or if we just keep him there as injury cover. Also, who would you drop once Tevaga is fit to play. I'm guessing Vuniyayawa will be pushed out.
ReplyDeleteI would have to go Tohu for MoM as well. Loved seeing Kodi find some space and have a decent run though. Lawton really got stuck in once Hiku came off. Blair had a blinder by Blair standards and I love that he silenced some of the haters. Just hope he can perform at that level consistently. Such a good team effort.
I'm looking forward to seeing how we fair against a tougher team. There just appeared to be a lot more passion in the way they played. They have copped a bit of criticism for only scoring 18 points, but they were actually putting themselves in to far more try scoring opportunities which is what I enjoyed seeing. Katoa almost got a triple, Kodi got held up as did Egan. It was their intent to score which we haven't seen recently.
I think the Penrith game will be a lot closer and I think it will come down to which team is the most disciplined. The 6 again rule has wrecked several teams games in round 3 and I think it will be the deciding factor for us. I'm backing the boys with a 6 point win.
Side note, I'm still hoping for Lawton to become our starting #9 as you said, Egan lacks those dummy half runs which is what is needed in these faster paced games. I can just imagine how Bully would have been terrorising other teams (and gutted for him that he is being benched behind McInnes).
Yeah the whole team performed well, the lack of errors were what impressed me, against a poor team you could have expected to see the Warriors try to force their attack too much and make plenty of errors so I was happy to see the Warriors focus on accuracy, hopefully it is a sign of things to come.
DeleteTaunoa-Brown is improving, With all the players living together in camp I think these younger players are going to learn so much which will benefit not only them but the team aswel.
I've been demanding Blair to be a front rower for the Warriors for longer than I can remember so I was happy to see him step up, I hope that he stays there longterm, it strengthens the Warriors middle and allows the Warriors a more attacking edge, with Harris, Katoa and Papalil'i.
Yeah I think the media in Oz has been a bit tough, yes the Dragons are a poor team but a few months ago the same media pick the Warriors to be the Wooden Spoon, The points scored is one thing but the attitude of the team was what was important to me, they appear focused but yes matchups up's against tougher teams will show us what this team is made of.
Yes i think the 6 again rule has helped three teams mostly, the Eels, Raiders and the Warriors. Until coaches figure out how to beat this new rule then the Warriors will have a slight edge, as long as they stay disciplined as you say.
This new game style needs quick and nimble hookers, With Lawton now in the centres Egan will most likely play the entire 80 so hopefully he starts to run a bit more, he has the ability from what I have seen in his Panther days.