NZ Warriors 2021 Round 22 Review: Warriors playoff dream continues after third win in a row

After round 21's victory over the Sharks, the Warriors made their way to Moreton Daily Stadium in Redcliffe to face the Bulldogs. I went into the match confident, but there was a slight unease that the Wooden Spooners could get an upset win here. However, that unease was unfounded as the Warriors walked away with a relatively comfortable 24-10 victory.

Three wins in a row and a match where the Warriors led from start to finish for the first time in quite a while. They scored from their first set with Josh Curran started the real with a long run down the sideline before finishing the drive after a nice short ball from Sean O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan went from hero to villain on the next set, throwing an intercept that was snatched up by Aaron Schoupp, who ran away untouched for the Bulldogs first try. After that, the Warriors always appeared in control, looking more threatening with the ball in hand, scoring two more tries through Jazz Tevaga and Edward Kosi. The Bulldogs had the last laugh of the first-half, scoring in the 39th minute via Jayden Okunbor to see the Warriors go into the sheds leading 16-10. 

The second half was more of the same, with the Warriors playing the more positive football but only managing one try when Chanel Harris-Tavita chipped the ball early in the tackle count for Reece Walsh to outrun the defenders to score just before the ball went over the dead-ball line. The Bulldogs looked to have scored after Kosi dropped the ball coming off the Warriors line, but the bunker took it away from them due to Sione Katoa making contact with Kosi's head. After that, the Warriors could not cross the line anymore, but they did slot a penalty goal to push out their lead and nail the win.

Now while I would have liked to see the Warriors blow the Bulldogs away, I was happy with the 14 point win; I had predicted a 12 point win, so I guess you could say they exceeded my expectation. Not only was it the Warriors third win in a row, but it was also the third match in a row where they kept their opponents scoreless in the second half. They have kept their slim playoff hopes alive, and while I still think they will just miss out, I am happy that they are making the end of a season more exciting to watch and write about, especially after having to write reviews through that losing streak.

It wasn't perfect, but this game had things that left a smile on my face, which leads to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

I thought the Warriors forwards dominated the middle; I was concerned that the Warriors may have struggled without Matt Lodge against a Bulldogs pack with loan player Ryan James in the mix, but I was wrong with four Warriors running for over 100 metres with Addin Fonua-Blake the best, chalking up 212 metres (the rest were Josh Curran with 175, Euan Aitken with 158 and Jazz Tevaga with 126). They threw offloads and created second-phase football, but they displayed more control than normal and didn't overplay their hand. Several of the pack put their hands up to run the ball more than once in a set, and they looked hungry. If this pack can keep this level up, they will be hard to combat, especially when you add Lodge back into the mix.

I liked what I saw out of the spine (for the most part), I think O'Sullivan is still playing better than I expected, and yes, he did have some poor plays included that intercept, but he kept plugging away. The highlight for me, however, was the budding combination between Harris-Tavita and Walsh. They are working well as a tandem, and I'm excited to see them build their partnership; add Shaun Johnson to that mix next season, and it could lead to some highlight-reel football.

Missed tackles are my last positive; normally, this is a constant in my negatives section, but last week I asked the Warriors to get their missed tackles to the low 20's, and they ended this match with 18. That is a great improvement, and while this was a match against a Bulldogs side that didn't threaten them too much, they managed to scramble whenever the Bulldogs looked to be gaining momentum. The Warriors stayed on their man better this week, and I'm hoping it is a sign of things to come.

They still have a long way to go defence wise, but this was a welcome step in the right direction. 

I still had concerns, which brings me to my negatives from the match.

Match Negatives

The Warriors made too many errors for my liking again, making 12 in this match. Some of them came from pushing passes that shouldn't have been passed. It may have been because the Warriors were trying things while they had a lead. Just like I said last week, they just need to take a breath and settle things.

I wasn't happy with the number of ruck infringements they conceded, they had five against them, and the disappointing part of it was that the majority of them were on the last tackle. The Bulldogs could not take advantage of these, but if the Warriors do the same thing against the Broncos, Raiders and Titans in the final three rounds, they may be in trouble.

Lastly, I was unhappy with some of the Warriors last tackle options. I praised the Warriors spine earlier, but they had a few sets that ended clunky with some poor kicks or wayward passes. Again I think in those moments, it was a case of the Warriors trying to rush to get things to happen. If they slow it down and utilise their strengths, then the points will come. They don't need to try and score every set.

Warrior of the Match

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My Warrior of the match once again goes to Josh Curran. The young second-rower has just gone from strength to strength in the past month. He was heavily involved in the Warriors attack, scoring a try, setting up another, running for 175 metres and led the side with 3 linebreaks. He also was sitting atop the tackle count ending the day with 42 for the second week straight. He is starting to find his feet, and I love it. One of the first names I would pencil into the Warriors starting lineup from now on. 

Warrior to Improve

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I struggled to select a player to improve this week as I was overly happy with everyone, but I have selected Kodi Nikorima. I've liked Nikorima's move to the No.14 as he has been adding some much-needed spark from the bench, but he didn't deliver too much for the Warriors in this match. He only made two runs from dummy-half and didn't really take hold of the match like I expected him to. He made 13 tackles with no misses, which was good to see; however, I want to see a bit more out of him this week attack-wise. 

Next rounds thoughts and prediction

Round 23 sees the Warriors head to Suncorp Stadium to face the Broncos. The Broncos have been poor this season but have started to show some fight in the past few rounds, including taking the Roosters to the limit in a 21-20 loss in Round 22, so I come into this match a lot more nervous than I would like. The Warriors will welcome back Dallin Watene-Zelezniak but will still be without Matt Lodge. Apart from bringing DWZ in for Ed Kosi, I would be happy to keep the rest of the 17 the same; however, Nathan Brown may bring Chad Townsend in. The Broncos have been tough, but I feel that the Warriors have built enough confidence and cohesion over the past three weeks and will move to four wins in a row, so I am picking the Warriors to get the win by 10.

Before I go, I just want to talk about my show, The Stand Off on New Zealand Sport Radio. We are celebrating our 50th episode tonight (16/08/2021) at 8pm NZ Time. We will be hosting a Q&A, sharing funny memories from the past episodes and discussing the Warriors and all things NRL with special guests Roo & Hammer. So if you are interested in checking it out, I will link it below. 

New Zealand Sport Radio

So that was a satisfying Round 22, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What changes would you make to the 17?
Do you think the Warriors will make the eight?
Who was your player of the day?
What is your score prediction against the Broncos?