After an embarrassing performance in round 7, the Warriors made their way back to their makeshift home ground of Central Coast Stadium to face the Brisbane Broncos.
Both sides came into this match desperate for a much-needed win, and that desperation was evident with the game being a bit messy and not of the same calibre as the top of table clashes we have seen in recent weeks.
Despite being 10-0 down in the dying stages of the first half, the Warriors dominated the second half and came away with a 26-16 victory, handing an emotional Broncos outfit their sixth loss in a row.
Well, it wasn't pretty, but the Warriors are once again in the winner's circle.
The Broncos have been horrible since the return of the season so I was always confident the Warriors would do enough for the win, but with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck suspended and Kodi Nikorima being flattened by Tevita Pangai Junior, resulting in the five-eight being ruled out of the match left me worried that the New Zealand side would be in for a rough night.
Being 10-0 down just before halftime did not help matters either, but unlike last week the Warriors did not drop their heads and kept themselves in the game and took advantage as the Broncos start to implode.
Now don't go buying tickets to the Grand Final, If the Warriors were playing any side in the top 10 in this match, I think that the result would have been more like the last two rounds, but hopefully, it will give the side some much-needed confidence. They can hopefully build on this performance and try to add some more wins to their tally.
There is still a lot of improvement needed in this side, but it's a step in the right direction, which leads me to my positives from the game.
With Nikorima out and Chanel Harris-Tavita rusty from limited game time, the Warriors needed Blake Green to step up, and in my opinion, he delivered.
Owner of the Warriors Mark Robinson came out during the week and announced that Green and Gerard Beale would not be re-signed for 2021 and it appears to have woken Green up.
He directed the side well, and his kicks were pinpoint, and he constantly had the Broncos under pressure which they could not overcome.
We may see a better, more consistent performance out of the aging half, who is eager to continue his career and hopefully, it means more Warriors wins this year off the back of his boot.
The forwards played well yet again, lead from the front by veterans Tohu Harris and Adam Blair.
Harris has had an outstanding 2020 despite the Warriors poor form, and I hope he is top of the Warriors list of players they need to re-sign with his contract coming to an end at the end of 2021.
Blair was moved to the front row and as he has done every time he has played prop this year he had a great game, running for over 100 metres once again.
Going forward, Todd Payten needs to name Blair in the front row where he is at his best.
In what seems to be an ongoing positive, the Warriors loan players continue to impress, after losing Poasa Faamausili back to the Roosters, the Panthers and Warriors came to an agreement for the borrowing of Jack Hetherington, and he had a great debut for the club.
He ran for 107 metres and lead the team in offloads completing 4 by the end of the match, Hetherington played with aggression. If he can keep this level of performance at a consistent level, then the Warriors should be looking at how they can keep him fulltime as he is off-contract at the end of next season.
Lastly, the Warriors showed heart. Like I mentioned above being 10-0 down 38 minutes into the match would have the end of the night for the Warriors a week ago, but they showed spirit and back themselves to get back into the game, they had scoring opportunities and knew that points would come if they kept pushing.
And once they got ahead it was great to see the side continue to push for more points, Warriors teams in the past have let their foot off once they get a lead which you just can't do in the NRL.
It was good to see the team show some toughness and hopefully, it is a new facet of their game that we will see for the rest of the year.
There are still issues; however, which leads me to my negatives from the game.
The Warriors still lack execution, in the first half they had almost had three tries down the left edge, but two were intercepted (one of those resulting in a 95 metre try in the other direction) and one was knocked on.
The Warriors need to ensure that they get the basics right week in and week out, they did improve in the second half, but against tougher opposition, it may have been too little too late.
Another concern was the Warriors giving away far too many of the 6 again calls, their penalty count was low (only being penalized once). They gave the Broncos far too much possession, and they were lucky that the Brisbane side could not do anything with it. It's not the end of the world, but if the Warriors can clean up their defensive plays around the ruck area, they should be able to cut those repeat sets for the oppositions down.
My last negative is once again missed tackles, the Warriors missed 33 tackles, and that is far too many if they want to be a top-eight side. I'm not sure if it is due to poor technique, a lack of confidence or the players not trusting the man beside them but whatever it is, the Warriors need to fix it ASAP.
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Big Ken's first try just before halftime kept the Warriors in this match and he dominated the game in the second half.
He was running hard and ensured the Warriors started their sets with intent. 291 Running metres, 2 line breaks, 10 tackle breaks and 2 tries is a great night at the office for the Winger and fingers crossed it's a sign that the 2019 Dally M winger of the year is back in form.
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Beale just isn't the player he used to be and is really struggling in the centres. He was guilty of several handling errors and misreads on defence.
He was only brought into the match when Tuivasa-Sheck was ruled out of the match, and you would expect to see him dropped out of the side this week when the skipper returns.
I still think he is a handy player to have in your squad when injuries happen, but I would have him play on the wing instead, perhaps moving Fusitu'a into the centres if injuries force Beale to be required.
Round 9 sees the Warriors travel to Cbus Super Stadium to face the Gold Coast Stadium. The Titans may only have two wins so far in 2020, but they have impressed me with their improved performances. They are no longer easy beats and deserve some respect.
If the Warriors show up with the same intent that they displayed against the Broncos, then they should walk away with a win, but I feel that they are going to be working for it.
The Warriors will welcome the return of Tuivasa-Sheck in what I assume will be the only change to the 17, Beale will drop out, and Peta Hiku will move back to the centres.
I feel that the Warriors have the edge in the pack and in the backline so I'm picking the Warriors to win by 14.
So that was a better Round 8, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.
Do you think the Warriors can build on this win, or is it a one-off?
Do you think the Warriors can build on this win, or is it a one-off?
What are your first impressions of Jack Hetherington?
Who was your player of the day?
What is your score prediction for the Titans clash?
Personally I still think we are playing far better than we did last year. There is a lot more toughness in our attack. They can definitely build off than win and if they can get another over the titans it will be our first back to back wins since 2018. Although we have a way to go if we are to become top 8 contenders we really need to tighten our defense. That is what will put us in the running. Some of the tries we let in against the storm and the bunnies were just appalling.
ReplyDeleteJack Hetherington played well. I still wish we were able to utilise our own fringe/reserve grade players but it is what it is. We are enabling other teams to test out some of their fringe players and keep them match fit while we have gotten some pretty decent performances that have helped us through the middle. Still can't fathom what Pulu did wrong but it is what it is.
Player of the match hands down goes to Ken. Not sure what went on in Kens mind but something clicked and he really ramped up the aggression in his runs.
I'm backing the boys for their first back to back wins in a long time. Warriors by 12.
Also, i thought Eliesa Katoa is due back this week. Could mean that Lawton is back on the bench. I see no reason why we still can't have CHT can't be there too as Lawton has shown that he can play in the middle.
I agree, I think the pack is alot better than the 2019 pack was and that platform is helping the Warriors attack, it's just that execution thats letting them down. Yes defense needs to be sorted asap if the Warriors have any hope of becoming a top eight side.
DeleteHetherington was great, yes ideally using the Warriors fringe players would be the preferred option but they currently have 4 props out with injury so the depth up front is an issue. Other teams are using us to keep their guys fit but at least those players are workign hard and not just giving it 50%. And these fringe players may appreaciate the Warriors a bit more and wind up coming here in the long run? Pulu has been hard done by, I know there are rumours of a personality clash with coaching staff but I cannot confirm that, he is a talented footballer that deserved a better shot.
Was grerat seeing Ken return to the form we saw last week, fingers crossed for more of the same this week.
Warriors by 12 not a bad prediction.
Katoa is scheduled to be back for Round 10, but yes i think Lawton and Chanel on the bench can work, Lawton seems to be handling the second row fine now, but they also have Jazz close to being back (this week if the NRL site is correct)
Is jazz back this week? Any updates on pulu's replacement?
ReplyDeleteKodi, Jazz and Burr shoudl all be available this week with Katoa back next week. No word on Pulu's replacement but if Katoa close to being ready, I wouldn't bother.
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