NZ Warriors Magic Round Review: Warrior's second half comeback not enough after a woeful first half effort

After Round nine's embarrassing defeat to the Sharks, the Warriors made the journey to Suncorp Stadium for Magic Round to face the Rabbitohs. After possibly their worst first half of the season, the Warriors showed improvement in the second, attempting a comeback but narrowly losing 32-30

For a breakdown of how the match went, check out my match report at the link below.

Ingers League Wrap-Up Magic Round Match Report

Ah, another typical Warriors game, dragging me down before giving me some hope as they attempted their comeback. It was like two different teams played this match, and the red flags that I had after Round 9 are still there. Yes, the effort in the second half was good, and I think if the Warriors played like that for 80 minutes, then the win would have been in the bag, but we are yet to see a complete performance from this side in 2022, and until they do that, they can kiss the playoffs goodbye.

The issues with this game were the same that we have seen before, shocking defence, clueless on attack and brain snaps from the supposed experienced heads in the backs. I will cover these more in the match negatives below, but as always, I will have my fingers crossed for a bounceback this week.

There wasnt much to smile about this week, but I managed to find some glimmers of hope, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

That second half comeback was impressive, I'm not sure if the Rabbitohs switched off or the Warriors woke up, but it was good to see some more positive football. The team looked to finally combine and play smarter football; they showed they can do it; they just need to do it for the full 80. They were building to scoring opportunities instead of trying to force a try every time they go the ball; more of that, please.

I think the inclusion of Tohu Harris helped; the team seemed to respond when he was on, and hopefully, we see more minutes from him soon as he regains his match fitness and that short ball to Bunty Afoa was beautiful. Shaun Johnson started the match well and then fell away but fired back in the second half; the Warriors need more of that from him; he made a few poor choices of the last tackle, however, and the Warriors need him to get that out of his game now. I don't want to see him flick the ball to a forward on the last tackle ever again.

The front rowers were strong again, with the main three all running for over 100 metres (AFB - 187m, Lodge - 146m and Afoa 130m). As a former front rower, I am biased, but I still believe that if your big men are doing the heavy lifting up the middle, then it makes the halves' job so much easier. It pulls defenders into the middle and exposes the defensive lines on the edges; you just need the halves to exploit that. AFB and Lodge will give you these performances every week, so it is up to the halves to take advantage.

We have Tohu back now, but the Warriors should get Euan Aitken, Wayde Egan and Chanel Harris-Tavita this week, with Jesse Arthars and Bayley Sironen the week after and then Josh Curran back in Round 13. Add to that the fact that the draw looks reasonably favourable during that time with games against the Dragons and Knights. There is no such thing as an easy game in the NRL, but the Warriors will be looking at those two games as must wins. I think the round 13 match against the Sea Eagles could be a win, too, with the full strength side together and playing a Manly side without some players due to Origin.

However, I had plenty of concerns, which brings me to my negatives from the game.

Match Negatives

The Warriors started well, earning back to back repeat sets, but once the Rabbitohs got their hands on the ball, it was clear that the Warriors were in trouble. I praised the second half effort, but boy, that first half was one of the worst I have seen in some time. They looked like strangers out there, and it was embarrassing to watch, if I'm honest. You start a game like this against any team in the NRL, and you are doomed to face defeat. 

Going off that first half performance, the Warrior's defence was atrocious. Again they looked like strangers, and the defensive line showed that they were exposed multiple times with the side bunching up in the middle of the park, which created holes on the edges. I'm not sure if it is part of the defensive game plan or if Reece Walsh is not making the defence calls out the back, but the team need to be vocal and call players out if they see mismatches; communication is vital. 

I have been calling for Justin Morgan to be shown the door. I will continue to do so until we see improvements in the defensive structure or the Warriors sign a defensive coach (just give it to Kevin Campion since he is already working with it the club again).

Lastly, the attack still lacks cohesion; it did improve in the second half, but in the first half, Shaun Johnson was making some poor choices on the last tackle, and he is too experienced to let it slide. When Chanel Harris-Tavita returns to the halves, we will see a more balanced attacking platform. Walsh is getting himself involved more, and if he can loiter around the ball carrier waiting for an offload, then this team could really start scoring some points.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Reece Walsh. 

The young fullback ran for the most metres for his side with 191 metres; he also asked plenty of questions of the Rabbitoh's defence. He always looks to be giving it 100%, and if things aren't going his way, it does not deter him from having a stab. Sometimes he does overplay his hand, but if others in the spine offered more help, I think Walsh wouldn't have to do so much. If the rest of the playmakers could get to his level, then this side would be very dangerous.  

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve goes to Ben Murdoch-Masila. 

If you have been reading my stuff or watching my show for any length of time, you would know that BMM is my favourite current roster Warrior and I love the guy, but his return from injury has been less than stellar, and perhaps the new style of the NRL has surpassed him? He played just under 30 minutes in this match but had limited impact, running four times for only 46 metres, it's not a bad average per run, but the Warriors need him to increase his work rate, especially if he is meant to take over from AFB or Lodge in the middle. I hope that we see his form improve sooner rather than later.

Next round thoughts and prediction

Round 11 sees the Warriors travel to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium to face the Dragons, who went down 20-16 in Golden Point against the Titans. 

Euan Aitken, Chanel Harris-Tavita and Wayde Egan may all be cleared to return. So in regards to the team, I would pick, for the backs, I would move Aitken to the centres for Vailea and either keep Adam Pompey in the other centre or move Daejarn Asi there so CHT can go back to the halves. In the pack, I would bring Tohu Harris back into the starting lineup in the second row along with Eliesa Katoa and move Jazz Tevaga back to lock. Egan or Lussick would be my hooker (depending on if Egan is cleared to play). For the bench, I would have Lussick or Egan, Aaron Pene, Jack Murchie and Bunty Afoa.

It will be a challenging game, but then matches against the Dragons always are; I feel that the Warriors have a shot here; with some key players back on the park, it may be just the ticket to get back into the winners circle so I am backing them to get the result here so will pick the Warriors to win by 10.

So that was a frustrating Round 10, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

How confident are you in the Warrior's top eight aspirations?

What changes would you make to the game day 17?

Will moving Aitken back to the centres fix the defensive issues?
What is your score prediction against the Dragons?