I predicted the Warriors to lose their first match at Central Coast Stadium this round, and while I was correct with that prediction I was way off on the margin as the Warriors were soundly defeated 46-10.
My Warrior of the match goes to Jack Hetherington.
My Warrior to improve goes to Peta Hiku.
Well, Todd Payten called this match the Warriors worst performance of the year and I think it would be hard to disagree.
Watching this match was deflating, It never really felt like the Warriors had what it took to get across the line and it was frustrating.
It only took the Sharks 3 minutes to score their first of 8 tries and simply put it was down to some poor defence from the Warriors.
Despite not playing well, the Warriors had a chance to level it up after some great work by David Fusitu'a but a Patrick Herbert knock-on over the line broke fans hearts and after that, it was pretty much all one-way traffic and the Warriors offer very little to give the fans watching at home any glimmer of hope that they would get themselves into the contest.
Tohu Harris said the Warriors were soft in this performance and with the exception of a select few, you could see that.
I don't like questioning the heart of the players but it looked like they were watching the clock and just waiting for the night to be over, I really hope this isn't the case as they are only at the halfway point of the season and there is still plenty of football to be played.
I know it can't be easy being stuck across the ditch but if they start delivering performances like this regularly them it is only going to get worst for them.
Now there wasn't much to praise, but there was one, which leads me to my positive from the match.
I thought the young forwards performed well in a pack that was outmuscled for the majority of the game. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown, Jack Hetherington, Karl Lawton and Eliesa Katoa all stood up and played good but not great. I'm confident that these younger players will only get better as the year goes on and in 2021 the Warriors should have a decent forward pack.
There was plenty to be concerned with, however, which leads me to some of my my negatives from the game.
The Warriors had very little trouble getting down the field but the closer they got to the Sharks line, the worst they got. Their last tackle options left plenty to be desired and it still appears that they are getting lost when trying to score points.
It should not be that hard especially when you have try-scoring machines on both your wings, Todd Payten either needs to update his offensive gameplan or make changes to his team.
The Warriors error rate was too high once again with 14 errors by the time the final whistle blew. I did like that the Warriors were trying to create some second phase football and some of the errors came from them trying things but there were also plenty of times when they just dropped the ball or forced a pass when nothing was on.
Confidence is a big part of playing an expansive style and that is something the Warriors seriously lack but their try in the final minutes showed exactly what they should be doing more of, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is the Warriors most potent attacking weapon and he should be running that inside channel ready for an offload, if he hits a ball from that line the Warriors will be able to open up the opposition defence.
The Warriors did themselves no favours on defence missing 37 tackles, at times they made some great defensive plays with my highlight being Agnatius Paasi's hit on Toby Rudolf but unfortunately those great plays are few and far between. Defence comes down to technique, confidence and trust that the men besides you are going to do their job and I feel like the Warriors are failing on all three right now. The technique can be improved quickly but that confidence and trust takes time and I unsure if the Warriors will get that right before the end of the season.
I talked about it last week but the Warriors continue to struggle with defending the ball in their in-goal area.
Shaun Johnson should never have scored his try, I know it's a split decision when that ball is bouncing around behind the try line but the Warriors opposition consistently ensure that ball is out of play, if it looks certain to be going dead they leave it alone but if it's a 50/50 ball they ground it or force it out electing to defend for another set.
This may be down to the Warriors lack of confidence in their own goalline defence but regardless this ploy of their is not working and makes them look laughably inept and they need to stop it immediately.
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In his short spell as a Warrior, I have grown a soft spot for the Penrith forward. In a match where the players appeared to not want to be there or just going with the motions, Hetherington was giving it his all and played with aggression and genuinely looked upset with himself when he made an error.
Yes, he made a few errors and was put on report (an early guilty plea will see him escape suspension) but his heart and effort made up for it.
My biggest concern right now is that two of the Warriors better-performing players have been the loan players which speaks volumes in how the Warriors have not prepared correctly, or to put it more bluntly have not got the talent required to be competitive in the NRL.
I keep harping on about it and I'm not going stop today, the Warriors need to do everything they can to keep Hetherington on their books long term. Fan's always say the Warriors need a tough Aussie forward in their pack and Jack fits the bill.
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This was a toss-up between Hiku and Patrick Herbert, but since Herbert went off for an HIA and didn't play the whole match, I have ruled him out.
With talks of a Warrior's cleanout, Hiku really picked the wrong night to have an off night.
You come to expect some defensive issues with Hiku but his poor defensive reads in this match made him a liability and while he normally offsets that with his attack, he offered very little on attack.
Instead of trying to put Ken Maumalo into scoring opportunities, Hiku continually drifted towards the edges and took away all the space Maumalo would normally have to do what he does best.
With Maumalo and David Fusitu'a leaving after round 11's match, the Warriors need Hiku to step up and help this backline score points and if he doesn't turn it around soon, he most likely will be on his way to the Super League.
Round 11 sees the Warriors host a Sydney Roosters team hurting from their defeat to the Canberra Raiders.
This match worries me and is the start of a brutal run of games for the Warriors that could be a very rough month for the fans to sit through.
This is the last match for Maumalo, Fustitu'a and Agnatius Paasi and I hope that they give it everything they have in their last match for the year (unless something happens to bring them back into the fold).
The Raiders showed that if you want to defeat the reigning premiers, you need to be physical and play for 80 minutes. If you take your foot off the gas against the Roosters then you will be in trouble.
As much as I would like to see a Warriors win here, I just can't see it happening so I'm predicting the Roosters to win by 30.
So that was a deflating Round 10, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
What changes you would make to the game day 17?
Do you see the Warriors getting any more wins in 2020?
Who was your player of the day?
What is your score prediction for the Roosters clash?
Look, it's all been said so many times before, year after year, it just keeps happening. We all know about the difficulties of this season, but forget that because what are our excuses for so many other bad seasons?
ReplyDeleteFor so long we've been dealing with poor owners who have employed poor management, who chose poor coaches, who pick a lot of poor players and we get poor results.
That Sharks game was a lame watch and a complete disappointment. But those performances are not uncommon for the Warriors, like I said we've seen it all before.
Not to pick on one or two players, but remember how excited some people got about Green's game against the Broncos and tut-tut, it could be a big mistake letting him go? Haven't heard much of that talk in the last couple of weeks. That result was more about the Broncos than us.
I've tried to defend Hiku for a long time now but really, a team like ours just can't accommodate a player like that. A good team could probably absorb his shortcomings.
It's going to be an unpleasant second half of the season. Is it finally time to show some faith in some younger players or those waiting in the wings and get them on the field? I really feel for Todd Payten and I'm glad I'm not him.
I continue to be a fan and supporter but who can honestly see anything other than a decisive win to the Roosters?
Warriors by 2.
100% it has been hard seeing the Warriors reapeat the same mistakes over and over again on the field and in the office.
ReplyDeleteYes it was a shocking game against the Shark but not something that is new for fans which is a concern but I want to be postive and hope that the new coach and player cleanout will help change this mindest that the club currently has.
Now if that happens is another thing but once we have a coach announcement we will have a better idea of the future of the club.
Green and Hiku were poor but then so were so many of the team. I just expected to more effort out of all the players that have not get deals for next year.
None of them appear to be putting a hand up to be signed anywhere.
Looking at the remaining 2020 matches for the Warriors I dont see much joy in our future, I'm predicting a win against the Bulldogs and losses in every other game, I hop I'm wrong but the Warriors havent show much as of late and without Maumalo and Fusitu'a I just cant see where the Warriors points will come from.
Warriors by 2 would be a great result and I truly hope you're right.