NZ Warriors Round 19 Review: Seven on the trot as Rabbitohs demolish lacklustre Warriors

After round 18's valiant effort against the Panthers, the Warriors moved to the Sunshine Coast to face the Rabbitohs. This was always going to be a tough task, especially with the Warriors missing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Tohu Harris, and the Warriors were blown off the park, losing 60-22 in their seventh loss in a row and their worst performance of 2021.

Well, the positive feelings I had from last week did not last long. I praised the Warriors for going down swinging in trying circumstances against the Panthers, but they barely threw a jab in this match. The match started well with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scooping up a Cody Walker dropped ball to run 50 metres to score the afternoon's first try. Then the Rabbitohs flew into action, scoring six tries at a rapid pace, aided by some poor kicks from Reece Walsh and some woeful defensive reads from the Warriors. Sitting at a 34-4 scoreline, the Warriors finally showed some spark with back-to-back tries after Adam Pompey broke the line before passing to Chad Townsend, who flicked it to Marcelo Montoya, who juggled it on the way to the try line in comical fashion. They then scored right from the preceding kickoff when Kodi Nikorima threw a cutout pass to Watene-Zelezniak before getting the ball back to end the half trailing 34-16. It didn't look great, but I was hopeful that the Warriors late surge was a sign of a bounce-back in the second half. Still, the Rabbitohs scored in the first minute of the half and did not allow the Warriors back into the contest, scoring another four tries with the Warriors only highlight of the half being Walsh diving on Townsend grubber. 

It was a disappointing performance that has squashed any slim hopes the Warriors had of making the playoffs; hopefully, this was just a speedbump (although a mighty one at that) in what has been a tough season, and we start to see some better efforts in the last six rounds.

There wasn't much, but I had a few things that I liked, which leads to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

I thought Taniela Otukolo had a solid outing; he missed a few more tackles than you would want ideally. However, he delivered quick ball from the ruck and sniped a few times out of dummy-half. Still early days in his career, but I think the Warriors have a decent hooker in the making here.

We got to see slight glimpses of the attacking threat this side can possess; Watene-Zelezniak can open up games with his pace; the Warriors just need to get him the ball with room to run. It was also nice to see Adam Pompey pass the ball. I might be a bit facetious we that statement, but we have seen Pompey hold onto the ball with an unmarked winger outside far too often this year. I think with a few players back into the lineup, this side could string a few wins together.

Lastly, this was the last game against a top tier side; the six remaining games are against the Tigers, Sharks, Bulldogs, Broncos, Raiders and Titans. Now while there is really no such thing as an easy game in the NRL, the Warriors should be able to get some more wins under their belt; however, they have a lot to work on.

This leads me to my negatives from the match.

Match negatives

The Warriors defence was horrible; they missed 41 tackles here, so many of the Rabbitohs tries were simple. After watching them scramble their hearts out last week, it was disheartening to see them just let Souths stroll their way up the field with relative ease. And Walsh was targeted heavily out the back, and he really needs to stop jumping on guys running with the ball; I know he is small, but koala hugging guys when they are a metre away from the try line does not work. I know it is easier said than done, but in those situations, just go for the ball and makes sure they cant ground it. Like I criticised last week, the wingers still came of their man, but the Rabbitohs were monstering the Warriors all over the park.

Errors were high once again, with the side making 12. With the Rabbitohs dominating the contest, I was getting frustrated watching the Warriors just throw the ball away with poor carries and no chance offloads. After praising him for the past two games, Matt Lodge had me screaming at the TV every time he threw an offload to the ground. I love offloads, but I hate when a player just throws the ball out the back when there is no support player there.

My last negative is just the attack in general; bar that slight glimpse at the backend of the first half, the Warriors didn't ask any questions of the Rabbitohs defence. The forwards lost the battle in the middle and the Warriors kicking options left plenty to be desired. They lacked direction from their spine, and given the limited possession they had (ending the catch with 33% possession), they needed to make it count. The impending return of Chanel Harris-Tavita may help here, but they need more effort from their experienced halves if they want to win some more matches before the season ends.

Warrior of the Match

Copyright Photo: Stuff.co.nz

My Warrior of the match goes to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. It was hard to pick a player that impressed me this week, but DWZ was a rare highlight when it came to the Warriors attack. His first try for the club was a nice display of his speed, and his dart up the sideline was key in the Warriors third try. He is a threat with the ball in hand, leading his side with 156 running metres (only DWZ and Lodge ran for over 100 metres in this match), and I'm sure we will see plenty more tries from the winger. He just needs to work on his defensive reads as he allowed his counterpart Josh Mansour to score a double in this match.

Warrior to Improve

Copyright Photo: Getty Images

My Warrior to improve goes to Chad Townsend. I know he is not 100% right now due to his shoulder injury, but the Warriors need him to direct the play better. It doesn't help when you forwards are not setting the platform, but when Walsh was clearly struggling with his kicks, the experienced half need to step up and take over. He had his moments, including that pass to Montoya for his try, but he needs to deliver more of that this week.

Next round thoughts and prediction

Round 20 sees the Warriors head to Suncorp Stadium to face the Wests Tigers, who are actually the last team the Warriors managed to defeat this season. However, the Tigers have shown that they can put on a decent performance when they want to, so it is by no means an easy game for the Warriors. The team will be rejigged once again, with Addin Fonua-Blake potentially out injured after his gruesome finger injury, and Lodge is suspended for a match, so that's a big loss upfront. Still, the Warriors could welcome the returns of Chanel Harris-Tavita and Peta Hiku. I would move Bunty Afoa and Leeson Ah Mau into the starting front row spots and Hiku into the centre spot, replacing Pompey and CHT into the halves with Nikorima moving into hooker. I would also bring Ben Murdoch-Masila back into the 17. It is a tough match to predict, but I will go with the Warrior to end their losing streak, winning by 8.

RTS has left the building

The Stand-Off hosts with the Skipper

Before I go, I just wanted to touch on the recent news of RTS requesting and being granted an early release from the Warriors. With the news of the Trans-Tasman travel bubble being shut, New Zealanders have seven days to get back into the country before it shuts for possible 8 weeks. This means that it could hinder his transition to Union, so he asked to be let out. It is disappointing to see him leave early, and I would have liked to see him end his NRL career with a victory, but sadly it was not to be. He leaves the club as one of its greats and will forever hold a place in the heart of this fan. He emulated the spirit I want all Warriors players to have, and the sacrifices he has made for the club will never be forgotten. Thank you for everything you have done in a Warriors jersey RTS, you have left a legacy, and I wish you nothing but the best in your new journey. I'm sure we will talk about this in more detail on Wednesday night on The Stand-Off with Brad and Richie, so check that out.

So that was an embarrassing Round 19, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What would be your gameday 17 this week? 
Who was your player of the day?
Where does RTS sit in your all-time Warriors player ranks?
What is your score prediction against the Tigers?