NZ Warriors 2020 Round 9 Review: Warriors blow great start in defeat to Titans

After their much-needed win against the Broncos in round 8, the Warriors made the trip to Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast to face the Titans.

Confidence was high that the Warriors would stroll to a victory here despite the Titans valiant efforts in 2020, but it wasn't to be as the New Zealand side squandered a 12-0 lead to lose the match 16-12.

Well, the Warriors rollercoaster continues. The Warriors haven't had back to back wins since round 10 in 2019, so I don't know why the result surprised me. I was about 90% certain that the Titans did not have a chance in this match and after those two tries early on by the Warriors I thought a cricket score was on the way. However, after that first nine minutes, the Warriors just could not get themselves over the try line except for one that I will speak about in a bit more details later on. 

I think the Warriors had the same thoughts as me and when they were up by 12, they relaxed a little and could not get themselves back into the mindest they need to get the win.

It was good to see Roger Tuivasa-Sheck return this week and while he added some dimension to the Warriors attack I kind of feel that at times he was either trying too hard or just not on the same page as the rest of the team. 

It may be down to the side adjusting to Todd Payten's new gameplan or just the side not meshing well, but I'm sure it is something that will be addressed in the upcoming weeks.

I think this match was a bit like last weeks where both sides were desperate to get the win, and it was a messy encounter, but I think when push came to shove, the Titans just appeared to want it more and kept pushing until they finally got the lead and refused to allow the Warriors to steal it back.

There is still a lot of improvement needed in this side, but it wasn't all doom and gloom, which leads me to my positives from the game.

I liked that the Warriors started this match quickly and looked dangerous with the ball in hand. They still need to keep starting the games strong, but they also need to ensure that they stay at that pace for the entire game. As the Warriors showed against the Bronco's when they play that faster style, it is hard for their opposition to keep up.

 

They offload is back! The Warriors finished the match with 17. They have looked a lot crisper since Payten has taken over and they marched up the field with ease and created plenty of opportunities for themselves only to stumble at the final hurdle.

If they can add the finishing touches to their attack, then they have the potential to score plenty of points.

My last positive was loan player Jack Hetherington once again. Jack did not hit the impressive figures that he did last week, but when he was on the field, you definitely knew it. He was always active, and while he plays with aggression, he does it smart, not giving away silly penalties. He chased loose balls with intent, run the ball hard and was tough on defence. I said it last week, and I will repeat it, Warriors do whatever it takes to buy him out of the final year of his contract with Penrith and make him a fulltime Warrior.

There are still concerns; however, which leads me to my negatives from the game.

Like I said above, the Warriors showed they could attack but lacked the polish to turn their attack into points. They still appeared lost on their last tackle plays and reverted to their old routine of just pushing through grubber kicks. This isn't entirely a bad ploy, but when that is all you try, it gets old real quick. Just mix it up a little to keep the defence guessing. 

The Warriors decision making when defending their dead-ball area was mindblowing. Two of the Titans tries came from in-goal taps, the first was a Tyrone Peachy tap back which was a great looking try to watch, but there were no Warriors players nearby. Admittingly it is a hard play to defuse, but we seem team try to tap the ball back just before it goes over the dead-ball line all the time so you should always have a player there to cover that. 

The other try the ended up winning the Titans the match came when Blake Green try to hit the ball over the dead-ball line when he was too far away from it, it required quick thinking. Still, he should have just dived on the ball, diving on it or hitting it out was going to result in a repeat set anyway so he should have gone for the safe bet.

The Warriors error rate was too high with 11 errors recorded, it's the catch 22 though, you want the Warriors to play that expansive style but if that do that you need to expect the errors to creep up.

However, there were a few times where they just forced passes that didn't need to be made. They need to throw caution in the win but don't throw all of it.

As always the Warriors missed too many tackles, they missed 29 which was almost double the amount of tackle missed by the Titans. The next five rounds see the Warriors face some strong teams and unless they improve their tackle accuracy, then it is going to be a long and miserable month and a bit for both the Warriors and the fans.

My last negative has nothing to do with the Warriors themselves but is actually directed towards the referee and more importantly the Bunker. Chris Butler did not have a great night, the Warriors were awarded no penalties for the entire match, I tried to find the record for the last time a team managed to end a game with no penalties, but I could not find it. Despite this, there were several times that the Titans were guilty of infringing, but they managed to avoid getting penalized. 

I am not going to say that this cost the Warriors the match as the side had plenty of chances to win this match themselves, but it must be disheartening to not have any 50/50 calls go their way. 

When Steve Roach is calling out on commentary that the Warriors are being hard done by with the calls, then you know something is wrong.

The Bunker needs to be fixed immediately, Jack Hetherington scored that try in this match, Butler sent it up as a try and then they Bunker took it away. Commentators and former players have come out and chastised the Bunker for this decision, but it isn't the first howler by them, and it wasn't even the last with the Bunker failing once again during the Raiders vs Storm clash.

Graham Annesley continues to come out and say sorry for the Bunker, but he has made no steps to fix it. It makes the NRL look like a laughing stock, and if they have no idea how to fix it, then they should just get rid of it.

Copyright Photo: Getty Images

My Warrior of the match goes to Tohu Harris.

Harris continues to shine in 2020, he ran for 172 metres and lead the Warriors with 53 tackles.

The Warriors may not be playing consistently this season, but Harris is always top of the class every week. If I can take any positives out of this season, it is that while stuck in camp together, the young Warriors can absorb all the knowledge they can from Harris. How to prepare during the week, how to train, how to convert all that wor during the week into your performance int he weekend. If they can take this opportunity with both hands, then perhaps the Warriors will have a stack of young forwards that deliver each and every week like Tohu does.

Copyright Photo: Getty Images

My Warriors to improve goes to Chanel Harris-Tavita.

Last week I said Harris-Tavita looked a little rusty, but this week I feel like he was out of his element.

I'm not sure what happened, but it looked like he was trying to play this match as a second-rower instead of a half.

Instead of trying to direct the team or put up some kicks, he just tried to run the ball into the defensive line or put some shots on when the Warriors were defending.

I like that he is not afraid to do his part on defence and shows no fear when running the ball but he needs to remember that he's a half and needs to pick and choose his battles, you see a hole in the line you take advantage of it or use it to put one of your teammates through.

He is talented and young, and I'm sure this was just an off night for him, and I expect to see him come back stronger this week.

Round 10 sees the Warriors back at Central Coast Stadium to face s Sharks team that was blown off the park by the Panthers.

The Warriors seem to play their best football at Central Coast Stadium so fans will be hoping for a strong outing, but I think the Sharks will be too strong, unfortunately, so I'm picking the Sharks to win by 18.

This match also appears to be the last game for David Fusitua, Ken Maumalo and Agnatius Paasi who are all set to travel back to New Zealand for family reasons.

Opinions are divided on this news, obviously losing your superstar wingers is going to be a massive blow for the Warriors, but I understand the player's decision.

With Katoa due back from injury, Paasi's exit isn't too significant, I would move Katoa into Jack Murchie's spot in the second row and move Murchie back into the prop rotation.

They agreed to travel to Australia on the proviso that their families would be able to come over, this hasn't happened, so they are coming back.

I don't hold anything against them for this, and I hope that the Warriors put on a massive performance for these guys in their last match.

This match also sees the Warriors hosting an event at Mount Smart for members to watch the game and catch up with other members.

I'm unsure of how many people the event is planned for, but I know it was a first in first served kind of deal.

I am looking forward to getting back to Mount Smart and catching up with, members that I haven't seen since last year.

If you are coming to the event come over and say hi to me, I love catching up with Warriors fans and talking football, so hopefully, I will see you there and fingers crossed we will be celebrating a win.

So that was a deflating Round 9, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

With all the bunkers errors recently, do you think the NRL will make some changes?

Are there any changes you would make to the gameday 17 this week?

Who was your player of the day?

What is your score prediction for the Sharks clash?