NZ Warriors Round 16 Review: Warriors dominate Knights and keep playoff hopes alive

After last weeks closer than expected win over the bottom-dwelling Bulldogs, the Warriors returned to where the NRL 2020 season version 2 all began as they hosted the Newcastle Knights at Scully Park in Tamworth. The Knights have got a lot of injuries to key players in their squad and facing the Warriors during their recent run of form was never going to end well for the Newcastle side as the Warriors ran away with their biggest win of 2020 36-6.

Well what a performance, I predicted a Warriors win here but not by 30 points. Even though the Warriors only lead 8-6 at halftime, they never looked in doubt and put on an attacking clinic in the second half, almost scoring at will and showing how dangerous they can be with the ball in hand.

This team is building something special here, and I think being in camp together all season has helped this side. Being away from NZ and family is hard on the everyone in camp, but I think it has made the Warriors a more formidable outfit. The young players in this side have grown so much, and this should be the start of some good times for the Warriors and the fans alike.

The Warriors form in the past 6 weeks has been great with narrow losses only against the Roosters and the Panthers.

This win keeps their slim playoff hopes alive, sitting in 9th position, 4 points behind the 8th placed Sharks. If they want to crack they eight they just need to keep winning, plus a win in round 18 against the Sharks would help the cause, not to mention the fact that the Sharks have not won a match this year against a top 8 side and face 3 teams in the top 8 in the final 4 weeks. So the Warriors have given themselves a shot they just need to keep the momentum going. 

There was plenty to smile about this week, which leads to my positives from the game.

The Warriors attack was on point this week, 9 line breaks, 30 tackle breaks and 18 offloads. The Warriors have been getting the wins but not blowing anyone off the park so you kind of had a feeling that eventually everything would click and the points would start flowing, and it happened this round.

I think the best part of the performance was the fact that the Warriors kept their foot down and did not let up until the final whistle. It's that killer instinct that has been lacking for some time for the New Zealand club, and it is something that needs to become part of their DNA.

Despite playing a more expansive style, the Warriors kept their error rate in the single digits and ending the match with an 89% completion rate.

The Chanel Harris-Tavita and Kodi Nikorima halves pairing is continuing to impress me.

Nikorima has been playing some of his best-ever football the past few weeks and appears to be flourishing without Blake Green there.

Harris-Tavita is growing every week, and taking more control of the matches is starting to find his voice out there. Both players complement each other's style, and neither tries to overplay their hand and try to take over the match on their own.

If they continue to grow their combination and get some good ball from the pack, then I only see good things in their future.

Speaking of the pack, the forwards had another good night with 6 of the forwards running for over 100 metres, with last weeks Warrior to improve Lachlan Burr leading the pack with 188 metres.

I like how the forwards are all stepping up now, you usually could pick 2 or 3 of the pack that played well with the rest not really pulling their weight. They just need to keep turning up and focus on controlling the middle. This kind of result is what happens when the Warriors forwards bully their opposition. With good ball, Nikorima and Harris-Tavita have all the time in the world to unleash the backline and the Warriors backs =have attacking threats everywhere.

George Jennings has been fantastic not the wing and is sure to be earning himself a contract somewhere. I would be looking at him if I was the Warriors as they need some good stock in the Wings to keep Ken Maumalo and David Fusitu'a on their toes.

I don't have much, but the game wasn't perfect, which leads me to my negative from the match.

Yes, I only have one negative this week and its a regular in this section, and that's missed tackles.

The Warriors missed 20 tackles, which is still too much if they want to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.

They strangled the Knights out of this match and covered their first-up tackling with some good scrambling defence, but I just want to see them tighten up their defence in the middle and around the ruck, if they do that then they won't leak any soft tries and strengthen their chances of walking out victors.

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My Warrior of the week goes to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

What a day out for the Skipper, 269 metres, 2 line breaks and 2 tries. As the only kiwi player in camp without his family, there has been plenty of articles writing throughout the week about how tough it has been for Roger. He has said he thinks about coming home all the time, but he is toughing it out for the team and is truly showing his commitment.

For me, the most encouraging aspect of Tuivasa-Sheck's games recently has been watching him finally start to run off the shoulders of his big forwards, if they can offload the ball to him running that line, I find it hard for anyone to stop him breaking the game wide open.

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I have no Warrior to improve this week. I have watched the game several times, and I could pick out someone I was disappointed in. So instead, I would like to mention Chanel Harris-Tavita.

I mentioned above that Harris-Tavita is growing each week, he is the future of this club and it's his attitude that has impressed me the most this year.

Spending weeks on the sideline waiting for your chance to prove yourself can be challenging and several players have thrown their toys and demanded releases, but Harris-Tavita just continued to bide his time and make the most of his shot when he got it.

He does all the things you expect from a half, but I think his defence shows the heart he has, yes he can do the big hits but the amount of times he comes in to clean up some sloppy defence shows his character. Fingers crossed the Warriors can manage to keep him within the club longterm as I would love to see CHT become a one-club man.

Round 17 sees the Warriors return to the Central Coast to host the Parramatta Eels.

The Eels are hard to predict, they went from holding the Storm scoreless in round 15 to getting thumped 38-0 by the Rabbitohs. They currently sit 3rd on the ladder and are going to be a massive challenge for the Warriors. However, if the Warriors can continue to play like they have been for the past 6 weeks, then they may be able to get another win here.

Daniel Alvaro and George Jennings will not be playing in this match as per the loan agreement prohibiting them from playing against their own team, this is a massive loss for the Warriors, and I'm not sure who will fill their spots. Perhaps we will see Gerard Beale back on the wing and Joshua Curran onto the bench.

Unfortunately, I think the Eels will come away victors here, but it will be close, so I'm picking the Eels to win by 6. While also hoping the Warriors prove me wrong.

So that was an impressive Round 16, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Do you see the Warriors making the top eight?

Who would you bring in to replace Jennings and Alvaro?

Who was your player of the day?

What is your score prediction for the Eels clash?

NZ Warriors Round 15 Review: Warriors get out of jail against gallant Bulldogs

After last weeks narrow defeat to the table-topping Panthers, the Warriors travelled to ANZ Stadium to face the 16th place Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

Despite their position on the ladder, the Bulldogs have been putting in some valiant efforts but have lacked the ability to close out games and it was more of the same this week as the Warriors survived an early scare to come away with a 20-14 victory.

Well that was a lot closer than I would have liked. When the Bulldogs scored their final try minutes into the second half and pushed their lead out to 14-6, I thought the Warriors had come into the match already expecting to win and were going to get the rug pulled out from under them.

Thankfully for Warriors fans, the grit I have been praising for the last month was still there and they managed to get the job done. With the team missing Eliesa Katoa, Patrick Herbert and Chanel Harris-Tavita, I expected the Warriors to be lacking some cohesion and I was correct but I think the replacements did a good enough job in filling the gaps.

It wasn't a great performance but the Warriors continue to show that if they stay within range of their opponents they can get the results, and for the remainder of thier draw with some tougher teams the Warriors are going to need to consistently keep themselves in the hunt.

The gap between the top eight and bottom eight is starting to grow and chances of a top eight finish for the club is getting slimmer, all the Warriors can do is continue to notch up wins and see what happens.

It is a case of what if, but if the Warriors had won their round 9 clash against the Titans instead of going down 16-12, then they would be sitting at ninth only 2 points outside of the eight with a much better shot at playoff football, but that is the gift of hindsight.

Regardless of where they end up on the ladder, it is imperative that the Warriors move into 2021 with this newfound attitude. If they can start next season the same way they are ending this year then they give themselves a great chance of cementing a playoff spot. 

There was quite a bit to praise this week, which leads to my positives from the game.

The Warriors backline put in the work this week, with all of them bar Hayze Perham and Paul Turner running for over 100 metres, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck leading the side with 334 metres.

One thing the Warriors need to do though is having players running off the shoulders in support, I have been begging Tuivasa-Sheck to do this and sure enough, when he actually does it he streaks off to score, the backline lacks speed with the exception of Sheck and Kodi Nikorima so RTS needs to be the key man running those lines just off the edge, the Warriors have plenty of players that can offload the ball so they need to take advantage of it.

The young forwards continue to impress me, even with the backs stacking up the metres, Adam Blair, Tohu Harris and Jazz Tevaga all cracked the triple digits with Tevaga lead the pack with 185 metres. The majority of the pack were sitting just under the 100-metre mark which is great to see.

The pack has been building along nicely and there is going to plenty of room for thought for Todd Payten this week when Katoa is available again as it will be hard to take a player out.

If it was me, Katoa would be starting on the left, Harris on the right and Tevage in the middle, and the player to be omitted would be Isaiah Papali'i, I thought he played well but I think Jack Murchie offers more and needs a spot in the 17.

Paul Turner had a good hitout in his debut and is a star in the making, he almost scored in the early stages of the match and then had two tries taken off him in the second half.

He was a little gunshy in the halves and the Warriors relied heavily of Nikorima but I think Turner will feature in the side quite a bit in 2021. He has plenty of natural ball running talent and there is an Xfactor about him that you can not train. I guess it will just come down to what position he winds up playing in the future, next year I would be happy to have him as the 14 as I could see him filling many gaps in the backline and would give him time to get used to first grade.

Lastly, the Warriors improved their discipline. I have been critical of how many penalties and ruck infringements the Warriors have given away but this week they kept them both low, conceding only 4 penalties and 1 ruck infringement. If they can keep this up they will pressure their opposition and with that pressure, the Warriors will be able to force mistakes and gain the upper hand.

I did have issues with the performance however which leads me to match negatives.

The Warriors had another slow start, despite looking the more threatening side in the first half, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. It was simply down to some poor Warriors defense which is at least something the Warriors can address and work on. The Warriors are showing they can shut teams down in the second half so if they can emulate that in their first-half performances they should be able to find some success.

The Warriors error rate was poor, making 12 errors in this match. You do expect a few more errors when the team is chancing their arm but they just need to reign in some of the 50/50 chances they are taking. They are a dangerous side when they play confident and throw the ball around it is all about finding that sweet spot.

Lastly was the Warriors lack of polish and poor fifth tackle options.

I put this down to the teams changes during the week and having Turner in the halves for his debut. The team struggle early on and didn't seem to be on the same page on attack with same poor decisions late in the tackle count. There were plenty of times where the Warriors appeared lost on the last tackle and died with the ball in hand.

The biggest one for me was Karl Lawton kicking from dummy half when the rest of the side didn't seem to know that he was going to do it.

It got better as the game progressed, showing that once the players were comfortable things starting to mesh. Nikorima was a bit dicey at the start of the match but took hold of the game and started creating plenty of opportunities and judging by Katoa's year to date and the performance of my Warrior of the day, it is clear that the second-rower on the same side of the park as Nikorima is going to feature heavily in the Warriors attack.

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My Warrior of the match goes to Jack Murchie.

After missing out on the gameday 17 since round 10, Murchie finally got another chance to show the Warriors what he can offer and he delivered in spades.

I liked what I saw from the young forwards in the early stages of this season and was perplexed at his axing but with Katoa and Jack Hetherington playing well it did make it hard for him to get a look in.

He showed a lot more on attack this week than in his early matches, back then it looked like he was a young large forward that would be a battering ram but this match highlighted the attacking weapon he can be. He scored two nice tries and showed some great hands when helping set Adam Pompey up for his try.

He needs to be in the gameday 17 as I said above but I don't see him getting a starting spot of Katoa or Harris so an interchange forward would be his ideal spot right now, especially with Papali'i and my warriors to improve not really delivering what is required from the Warriors right now.

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My Warrior to improve goes to Lachlan Burr.

News during the week was that Burr will not be at the Warriors club next year and will be looking for a gig elsewhere. Unfortunately for him this match showed why the Warriors are not extended his contract, he was not awful by any means but he just lacked any punch when running with the ball, watching the match I thought his biggest issue is that he runs too high when going into contact and lacks the strength to continue to push forward after being wrapped up by defenders. He also had a few wayward offloads that wound up going to Bulldog players. I like Burr and think he can continue playing in the NRL as an interchange forward and I wish him well with wherever his future leads him.

Round 15 sees the Warriors host the Newcastle Knights at Scully Park in Tamworth.

It's great to see the Warriors take a match to Tamworth where they spent their quarantine and should be a great match for the locals to watch.

I was looking forward to seeing the Warriors play Blake Green for the first time since his exit from the club but it looks like he has injured his ACL in the Knights 12-0 win over the Cowboys. 

It's horrible to see that happen to anyone and I really feel for Green as I thought he had been playing well for the Knights and at his age, this could well be the end of his career, I really hope that isn't the case and wish him well in his recovery.

The Knights are relatively safe in the top eight but have not looked that convincing for the past month and the Warriors are in with a chance to come away with the victory. The Warriors should have Katoa and Chanel Harris-Tavita back in their lineup and I their inclusions firm up the Warriors chances.

I think the Warriors have the edge in this match with thier new physical style and the Knights missing some key players so I'm predicting the Warriors to win this match by 10.

So that was a closer than expected Round 15, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Where do you see the Warriors ending up on the ladder?

What do you do with Jack Murchie when Eliesa Katoa returns this week?
Who was your player of the day?

What is your score prediction for the Knights clash?

NZ Warriors Round 14 Review: Valiant Warriors take NRL leaders to the limit

After last weeks hard-fought victory against the Sea Eagles, the Warriors made their way back to their makeshift home ground on the Central Coast to face the top of the table Penrith Panthers.

This was always going to be a tough ask for the New Zealand side, especially when Penrith were looking to score their club record-breaking ninth win in a row. However, I think many fans were hoping that if the Warriors could not walk away with the win that they at least show a bit of fight. And fight they did as the Warriors agonizingly went down 18-12.

 

The Warriors new attitude has been a shining light the past four weeks, the Panthers have been building this year and look like they could go all the way and the played that way in this match, starting the game strongly, dominating possession and territory. Nathan Cleary terrorized the Warriors and kept them camped in their own red zone forcing repeat sets. The Warriors goal-line defence withstood many attacks, but eventually, the points started to come. 

The Warriors kept themselves in the hunt though scoring just before the break and scoring the only tries in the second half. I think they were a little hard done by on one occasion when Stephen Crichton snatched a try saving intercept from what looked to be an offside position, a tough call for sure but one that wasn't even mentioned anywhere after the match.

The loss was hard to take with the chances of a top-eight finish eroding, but I think the Warriors will walk away from this match with confidence and their tough draw no longer looks that bad.

Originally I had picked the Warriors to only get one more win this season, and that was the upcoming match against the Bulldogs, however now I think the Warriors could quite possibly win the majority of their final matches, with the hardest one being their round 19 encounter against the Raiders.

Will they make the eight, no I don't believe so but the end of the season is not going to be as dire as I thought.

Before I move on, I just want to mention the fans that were kicked out of the grounds for allegedly hurling racist taunts to Brent Naden. There is no place for that in the game, and I hope they get punished, life ban from grounds or something. Unfortunately, it took the sheen of a good Warriors performance and was the only talking point at the end of the game.

There was a lot from this match that brought a smile to my face, which leads to my positives from the game.

When the Warriors were down 16-0, I was worried, I thought that after all the hard work the Warriors had done the past few weeks to be a more competitive team was about to go down the drain.

But that newfound grit started to shine, and the Warriors clawed their way back into the match and could have easily snuck away with the win. With everything that has gone on this year, it's great to see the Warriors ear respect from the commentators and opposition alike. However, I was a bit disappointed that their performance barely got a mention in any of the wrapup shows from across the Tasman.

I will be talking about the Warriors defence a bit later, but I want to highlight the Warriors goal-line defence. It felt like the Warriors were camped on their own goal-line for an age and the Panthers have shown how dangerous they can be with the ball in hand, but the Warriors refused to let them stroll over without working for it.

That type of effort comes down to attitude, and hopefully, it is a sign of what's to come for the rest of the season and beyond.

Again I thought the Forwards did well, due to constantly having to fight out of their own half they struggled to get the big numbers, but against a more experienced pack, the young guns stood up. I look at 2020 as a character-building exercise for the younger players, and I think the Warriors pack is going to be stronger for it next season.

The halves pair continued to grow chemistry and are meshing well. There is still a long way to go, but I think Kodi and Chanel complement each other, and I look forward to watching Chanel take more control of the kicking game when he grows in confidence.

Before I move on I just need to mention Chanel separately, that kid has heart in spades, and his tackle on Liam Martin will be included on highlight reels for years to come. I love watching him throw himself into tackles, I wince because I worry that he is going to hurt himself, but so far he hasn't, and it's great to see him trying to turn a game in the Warriors favour when the pressure is on. He is a star in the making and will be a cornerstone of this Warriors club for many years.

I did have some issues, however, though, which brings me to my match negatives.

I praised the Warriors goal-line defence but everywhere else on the park the Warriors were woeful. They ended the match with 42 missed tackles their highest tally for weeks. If it wasn't for some good scrambling defence, the Panthers could have opened the game wide open.

Reduce the missed tackles and increase your chances to walk away with the much needed 2 points.

The Warriors could have got the win here, but they let themselves down with errors, making 12 in total. 

There were several in the final stages of the match when the Warriors really needed to wrap the ball tight and get themselves into scoring positions.

Was it weather, fatigue, trying too hard or overthinking Im not sure but they need to show the ball more respect this week.

The Panthers had the lions share of the football due to some smart plays, but the Warriors made matters worst by handing Penrith more possession through penalties and ruck infringements.

They conceded 7 penalties and 6 ruck infringements which is way too much against the best team in the league right now. Yes some of the calls against them were suspect but effort to cry foul.

Thankfully it is something that can be worked on, and I expect to see a more disciplined performance this Sunday.

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My Warrior of the match once again goes to Tohu Harris.

Harris has been fantastic this season and lead from the front yet again, leading the Warriors in tackles (58) and running metres (142).

I hope that the young players in the camp are using this COVID situation to absorb everything Harris does throughout the week in regards to training and prep and it results in a stack of forwards that deliver consistently every week.

Rumours were circling throughout the week that Harris is looking to leave the club, he has disregarded this news but with his contract expiring at the end of next season, the Warriors will need to start working on ensuring he stays with the club for longer as he will be a massive loss if he decides to move on.

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My Warrior to improve goes to Isaiah Papali'i.

I was almost tempted to give everyone a pass this week but Papali'i stood out for me for all the wrong reasons.

After not making the side for several weeks, Papali'i finally got the call up with Jack Hetherington being suspended and it was his time to make a statement as he looks to earn a new contract.

Unfortunately, he didn't do much to show the club that he needs to be kept on, he appeared slower than usual and didn't offer anything on attack and made several poor defensive reads. I feel that his time at the club is at an end and the best thing for both parties is to move on, I'm sure with a new start at another club we will see Papali'i grow and utilise the promise that he use to show, he just seems to be in a rut right now.

Round 15 sees the Warriors travel to ANZ Stadium to face the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in a rare return to Sunday afternoon football.

Despite the Bulldogs languishing at the bottom of the table, they have been battlers all year and have been every team really work for their wins this year.

I think the Warriors will get the win this week, but this could be a speedbump game and the Warriors can not come into the match underestimating the Bulldogs.

If the forwards can gain the upper hand, it should allow Kodi and Chanel plenty of time to get the backline into scoring opportunities.

I'm picking the Warriors to win this match by 12.

So that was a valiant Round 14, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Do you think the Warriors are heading in the right direction for 2021?
Where do you see the Warriors ending up on the ladder?
Who was your player of the day?

What is your score prediction for the Bulldogs clash?

NZ Warriors Round 13 Review: Warriors clip injured Sea Eagles wings in rain-soaked encounter

After last weeks close encounter against the Tigers, the Warriors made the journey to drenched Lottoland to face the Manly Sea Eagles.
With the Warriors being featured in the news all week for everything but this match up it would be fair to assume that the New Zealand side may have not been up to the challenge. However the Warriors newfound toughness shined through with the team walking away with hard-fought 26-22 victory and their first back to back wins since 2019. 

Despite predicting a Warriors win, I can honestly say I had my doubts that they would be able to show up after the week they had. Those doubts subsided just seconds into the match when George Jennings and Chanel Harris-Tavita dragged Daly Cherry-Evans over the sideline with the first tackle of the game. The points started to flow, and it looked like the Warriors were going to win comfortably, but when Karl Lawton was sin-binned, the momentum switched, and the Sea Eagles forced themselves into the game. The Warriors didn't dropped their heads and regained control and were able to hold onto to the lead despite Jack Hetherington also going to the bin for a high shot on Martin Taupau. The weather did neither side any favours, but I think it suited the Warriors more aggressive mindset, they look to enjoy getting into a tussle now and hopefully, this means we will not see any more blowouts this season.
I cannot fault the Warriors new mindset, they have been through plenty of drama and challenges this year, and it appears to have made the side mentally tougher and unbelievably they are slowly edging themselves in playoff discussions. Now I still think their draw is too tough, but I'm more than happy to be wrong on that call. You cant go overboard though, Manly were depleted and lost Fonua-Blake and Taupau during the match so the Warriors should have walked away with the win.

Todd Payten appears to have rallied this side together, and it is a shame that he rejected the Head Coaching role as I think he had shown some good qualities. However, I understand his decision and hope the team finish the year strong and send him out on a high note. 

There was a lot from this match that brought a smile to my face, which leads to my positives from the game.

Firstly, the Warriors grit was outstanding, playing a quarter of this match with only 12 players should have gifted the Sea Eagles the win but right now the Warriors are showing plenty of resilience. During the match, Brent Finch was shown on the sidelines. Todd Payten advised that he has been brought into the camp and is speaking with the players, showing them some hindsight about the situation they are in and how they will look back at this time and realise how good it was to be "in camp" with the squad for the entire season. I think that this has made the side closer, and while we have seen some of the benefits this year, I feel that the Warriors will reap the rewards of this situation for seasons to come.

With Blake Green leaving for Newcastle on Tuesday, I finally got the halves pairing of Kodi Nikorima and Chanel Harris-Tavita that I had been asking to see since early on in 2019. In their first outing together I think you could give them a pass mark. They weren't perfect but showed plenty of promise. Nikorima looked more comfortable on the right-hand side and had some nice kicks, Chanel was a bit rusty after having limited time on the field but will be good for the run, and I expect to see him grow with the extra responsibility. The Warriors appeared to have more options on last tackle and showed plenty more on attack, which is what we have all been asking for. 

I thought the forward pack was strong once again, they didn't hit the big numbers like they did last week, but they edged Manly in the battle up the middle. Losing some experience men in the middle didn't help the Sea Eagles, but I think the young Warriors pack have built into a tight unit and the experience the younger talent like Jamayne Taunoa-Brown have got this season will make them stronger players next season. With the addition of Ben Murdoch-Masila and Leeson Ah Mau and Bunty Afoa returning from injury, the Warriors will have a pretty decent pack.

The backline looked more threatening this week, George Jennings looked a lot more comfortable this week, and he is yet another loan player that I wouldn't mind the Warriors keeping hold of. I'm not sure if that is down to the exit of Green, allowing a more attacking style or if the backs are just started to mesh well and enjoying playing behind a dominate pack. I was worried when Ken Mauamalo and David Fusitu'a left the camp, but I'm enjoying how this current setup is working out.

There were some issues, though, which brings me to my match negatives.

The Warriors discipline let them down in this match, most notably the two sin bins but they also conceded six penalties and seven ruck infringements. With a tough game this week and a brutal run home, the Warriors cannot gift their opposition any let-offs so play to the whistle and reign in the aggressive hits just a tad.

Lastly and once again I need to point out the missed tackles, the Warriors missed 31 in this match, and they were lucky that it didn't cost them in the end. If they don't reduce that stat this week, the Panthers will have a field day. Defence may well play a part in if the Warriors surprise everyone and make the eight so they need to improve it asap.

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My Warrior of the match was Tohu Harris. 

Harris had yet another strong performance with 214 running metres and 38 tackles and must be a shoo-in for Warriors player of the year. He is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack this year and is continuously bending the opposition defensive line, if the Warriors could get their backs to run off his shoulders more you could see the side really open opponents up and score plenty of points.

It's fantastic to see him step up this year and lead this young forward pack and I hope the club can extend his contract beyond 2021.

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My Warrior to improve goes to Jake Hetherington.

I almost didn't pick a player to improve as I thought all 17 did well but decide at the last minute to pick Jack.

No since his first match as a Warrior I have heaped the praise onto this young forward and have pleaded that the Warriors do everything they can to try and keep him long term. My thoughts haven't changed, and I would love to see him stay with the club longterm, but he had a shocker in this match. 

The high shot on Taupau was obviously a silly decision that could have cost the Warriors the game, but Hetherington also made a few silly errors, he is a talented footballer, but he needs to work on his discipline and his hands.

He is off to the judiciary for the high shot (his sixth appearance in what has been a short career to date) and will be gone for a minimum of four weeks. His loan deal runs out in two, and it sounds like the Panthers will be bringing he back to their camp while he is on suspension, so this match may have been Hetherington's last game in Warriors colours.

If that's the case, thank you for your contribution this year, and I still have my fingers crossed that you jump the ditch.

Round 14 sees the Warriors return to their makeshift home on the Central Coast to host the table-topping Penrith Panthers. The Panthers have won eight on the trot and look to be the team to beat in 2020. The Warriors will need to be at their best if they want to walk away with their third win in a row, the Forwards will need to control the middle, and the backs will need to play an expansive style to combat the tough Panthers defence. Unfortunately, I don't see the Warriors getting the win here, but I'm hoping to see plenty of fight from the New Zealand side, so I'm picking the Panthers to win by 16.

Before I go, my thoughts on the recent coaching news. The Warriors have announced that they have signed Nathan Brown as head coach on a three-year deal and have also signed Phil Gould on as a consultant. Brown isn't who I would have gone with (I still would have liked to see the Walker brothers given a shot), but the decision has been made, and we will have to wait and see. He isn't a bad coach by any means and has spent time with the club already, so I genuinely hope it works well. 

The news regarding Phil Gould, however, has me excited. There has been plenty of things Gould has said that I have disagreed with, but there is also a lot that I have sided with him on, and there is no disputing that he has a heck of a football brain on him. The Warriors need help creating pathways with the youth of this country, and he has shown to be able to assist with that if you look at Penrith's system. There is so much talent in this country that is lost to union or to clubs across the ditch so if they can work out a way to keep that talent here, then the Warriors could have a more fruitful future.

Plus with Brown at the helm and Gould helping the club, that may entice players that the Warriors are targeting to sign on the dotted line, after seeing the club lose most of the players they have targeted this year.

So that was an excellent Round 13, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Do you think a top-eight finish is realistic?

What are your thoughts on Brown and Gould's signings?

Who was your player of the day?

What is your score prediction for the Panthers clash?

NZ Warriors Round 12 Review: Warriors hold off late Tigers surge in upset victory

After last weeks valiant but unsuccessful effort against the Roosters, the Warriors made the trip to the Sydney Cricket Ground to face the Wests Tigers.

Interim coach Todd Payten stated that last weeks performance was to be the Warriors base level and despite a slow start and dicey finish, the Warriors put on a great display to defeat the Tigers 26-20 

I had hope that the Warriors would build on last weeks performance, but I can admit I was a bit concerned when the Tigers scored two tries in the first 12 minutes. My heart sank as I thought the Warriors were going back to their good game, bad game routine. 

However, the Warriors didn't drop their heads. They kept themselves in the hunt with an improved effort by their forward pack which allowed Karl Lawton to have a field day in the ruck area and gave the backline plenty of opportunities which they actually took advantage of more than we have come to expect in 2020.

New loan players George Jennings and Daniel Alvaro had decent debuts for the club without setting the world on fire, which is fine considering the limited game time they have had this year. I think we will see Jennings add plenty of spark to the left edge attack once he develops some chemistry with Peta Hiku, as in this match they just seemed to not be in sync with each other just yet.

Alvaro offers some much-needed experience to the pack, and I expect to see his minutes increase in the upcoming weeks as his match fitness returns.

I feel like this performance adds another feather to Todd Paytens cap and I would be perfectly happy to see the Warriors give him the gig fulltime.

As I said last week, I appreciate his communication and the players appear to be responding to him. 

I know some people want an experienced coach to come in and take over, but if the team is buying into Payten, why not let it play out.

This side appears to be building something special, again I feel like a top-eight finish was gone a long time ago. I feel like the Warriors are going to be more enjoyable to watch for the remainder of the season than I originally anticipated.

There was plenty to smile about in this performance, which leads me to my positives from the game.

The Forwards had a great night with 5 of the pack running for over 100 metres, with Tohu Harris leading from the front with 181 metres.

For years the biggest issue with the Warriors has been the forward pack's inability to dominate the middle, and I think this year has been a step in the right direction especially considering the Warriors have been without Bunty Afoa, Leeson Ah Mau all year.

Jamayne Taunoa-Brown is developing nicely and will be a constant inclusion in the Warriors prop rotation for years to come.

Eliesa Katoa is a bonafide superstar in the making that has not out a foot wring since his debut this season.

And last but not least Jack Hetherington had another strong outing, he spent some time in the second row and looked dangerous on the edge, Warriors, please do whatever you can to keep this man. I think the Panthers would be crazy to let him go but fingers crossed.

The fightback this side showed after being down 8-0 early was encouraging but what impressed me more was the effort the team showed in stopping the Tigers from snatching a last-minute victory.

After the fast start, the Warriors were able to play some smart football and force the Tigers to continually play out of their own red zone, much like what the Roosters did to the Warriors last week.

But it looked like the Warriors got a bit complacent after getting the lead and the Tigers closed the gap, we have seen Warriors sides capitulate in situations like this before, but they kept their defensive pressure up and forced the Tigers to make mistakes preventing a heartbreaking ending.

I think this shows an improved attitude and self-belief that this side has built during what has been a challenging year, some mental toughness has been sorely needed, and this should only mean good things for the Warriors 2021 campaign.

The shackles appear to have been permanently removed with the offloads coming back in abundance.

The Warriors unleashed 18 offloads in this match with Jazz Tevaga leading the team with 6.

This team is a very dangerous side when they are frequently utilising second-phase football.

If they can continue to utilise the offloads more often and get players like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Kodi Nikorima running off the shoulders of their forward pack. If they can get those faster players into open space will create plenty of scoring opportunities which would put the Warriors in good stead to notch up some more wins.

My last positive was Kodi Nikorima, I thought he had a great game, and it's no secret that the Warriors are at their best when Nikorima engages the defensive line.

During the week the Warriors highlighted the need for Nikorima to get more involved, even going as far as putting money the line if he could double he run total from last week (Nikorima failed, unfortunately, running 15 times when he needed to hit 16).

His kicking game improved this week but is still well behind where he needs it to be, the Warriors need him to continue playing this attacking style and find him a game manager half to partner up with, and I think you will see his performances improve tenfold.

The performance wasn't perfect; however, which leads me to my negatives from the game.

Every week I go on about it, but the Warriors missed tackles, they were above their average this week missing 35. If they want to be a legitimate playoff contender, they need to reduce this by at least 10.

The Warriors at least have some decent scrambling defence which helps keep them in the hunt, but if they don't improve their first up defence, then they will find themselves on the losing side more often then not.

Another ongoing issue is the Warriors ruck infringements, they only had 6 in this match, but that is 6 extra sets that they gifted the Tigers. The six-again rule has changed the landscape of the NRL, and all teams are adjusting, but the Warriors appear to give away new sets a bit more than some of the other clubs.

Cutting this down will help the Warriors starve the opposition of the ball and the less time they have to defend the more likely they can end the match as victors.

My last negative is the Warriors penalty count, they were penalised 9 times in this match, and much like the above comment, that is just handing the Tigers the ball another 9 times. I thought the Warriors were hard done by on a few calls, but they still need to take some responsibility and play to the whistle.

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My Warrior of the match goes to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

Much like last week, it was hard to pick just one player for this weeks award, with Lawton, Nikorima and Harris all being just as deserving to be picked but I had to go with the Skipper.

An early error from RTS was the only blemish on his night, but he bounced back to end the match with 279 running metres, 7 tackle breaks, 2 offloads and 2 nice little kicks that resulted in repeat sets.

This is what I enjoyed most from RTS, we all know he can run and gun with the best in the NRL, but the Warriors need him to step up and offer some dimension to their attack and adding a kicking game to his arsenal is a surefire way to do this.

He doesn't need to do it a lot, but if he sees an opportunity to force a repeat set or kick through for one of his centres or wingers to score with a nice little kick, then it only strengthens the Warriors attacking threat.

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My Warrior to improve goes to Adam Blair.

I almost didn't pick a player to improve this week as I thought all the players contributed to the final result, but in the end, I decided to pick Blair.

Todd Payten has been critical of Blair's performances lately, and he hasn't really responded in the way we would have hoped.

I thought Blair started the year strong, however, in the past few weeks, the younger forwards have really shown how far off the pace he is right now.

He only had a limited run of 29 minutes and made 20 tackles, but his 54 running metres from 6 runs and 2 penalties bring down his efforts.

I like having Blair used as a front-rower only, but right now there are players performing better than he is and I would not be surprised if he was dropped for a week or two if his work rate doesn't increase.

Round 13 sees the Warriors head to Lottoland for another dose of Friday night football to face the Sea Eagles. Manly have had some good performances despite playing without their star fullback Tom Trbojevic but were soundly defeated in round 12 by the impressive Penrith Panthers.

The Sea Eagles will be hurting from this result and will be looking at making a statement as they continue to try to claw their way into the top eight.

I expect the Warriors to name the same 17 that played in round 12 and I think they have shown that they are tough enough to get results against the team around them on the table.

With that in mind, I'm predicting the Warriors walk away with the win here in a close-fought contest, so I'm going with a Warriors win by 8.

So that was a better Round 12, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Do you think the Warriors can string some wins together?

What were your thoughts on the new loan players first hit out?

Who was your player of the day?

What is your score prediction for the Sea Eagles clash?