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.
 |
| Copyright Photo: Getty Images |
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.
 |
| Copyright Photo: Getty Images |
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?
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?
A great assessment there Brad, full of positives and accurate observations.
ReplyDeleteYour comments about Blair got me thinking that perhaps there is something of a metamorphosis slowly developing in the club with younger players like Katoa and Taunoa-Brown easing their way in which gives me optimism for the future.
I think Katoa was my player of the day being a constant handful for the Tigers and always threatening an offload.
It was hard to assess the new loan players but in general I think they are players of quality who should offer something useful given time.
It would be so nice to see the team put a few wins together for a change and it's teams like the Tigers and Manly that can present those opportunities, even for us. It is still difficult to pick consistent
Warriors wins though and Manly will be desperate and they can be very good when they're on.
I will cautiously back the Warriors to win by 4.
Yes I think the younger players are developing nicely which should bode well in the future.
DeleteKatoa was fantastic, to be as good as he is with the limited experience he has is amazing. He is still developing and I see in a few years, him being spoken off in the same breath as Kikau and the like.
I have liked all the loan players that have been used so far and although using thier own players would be more ideal, the Warriors Front row and wing stocks are quite depleted.
I think this game against the Sea Eagles is winnable but will be a tight tussle so your prediction of a Warriors win by 4 isnt a bad bet.
With the recent news of Payten rejecting the Warriors job offer. I am hoping that the players, who seem to have really brought into his coaching style, step up and play well to give him a fond farewell.