NZ Warriors Round 15 Review: Warriors show slight improvement but not enough against premier Panthers

After their disappointing Round 14 defeat to the Sharks, the Warriors remained at Moreton Daily Stadium for the final time to face the Penrith Panthers. It wasn't the best performance from the reigning premiers, but they barely broke a sweat, strolling to a 40-6 victory handing the Warriors their seventh loss in a row. 

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

Ingers League Wrap-Up Round 15 Match Report

I may have been a little hopeful in my prediction last week, but I ended up only ten points off my guess, so it wasn't too bad. Stacey made some of the changes that I requested, and I thought it was a better-balanced side but I wasnt holding out for a victorious swan song in Redcliffe.

The Warriors made show improvement which is a promising sign moving forward; however, they need more improvement quickly if they want to avoid being the first Warriors side in history to win the Wooden Spoon.

Some decent showings from the pack, a few backs that asked some questions on the Panthers line, and a nice debut from a new half did more than enough to keep me reasonably positive while I watched the match. There were still plenty of times I yelled at the screen, but it sure beats the past five or six weeks where I have almost been despondent while the game was on. If the Warriors didn't switch off defensively for patches in this match, then the result may have been closer, but it wasnt to be, unfortunately.

Overall I felt like more players put the effort in this week and they are becoming a more cohesive unit, so I'm sure better results will come; I just hope my newfound sense of optimism doesn't wind up biting me in the end.

There wasn't much to smile about this week, but I found some glimmers of hope, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

Some of the forwards reached my desired running metre target of 100 metres (Jazz Tevaga 137m, Addin Fonua-Blake 134m, Bunty Afoa 133m and Tohu Harris 113m), which was a great sign, especially against a Panthers pack that is known to dominate the middle. The Warriors just need a few more of the pack to up their effort as, besides these four players, most of the pack did not pass 50m. If they do that and start to get the momentum rolling forward, then they will give themselves more scoring opportunites.

I thought Ronald Volkman had a solid debut; facing the Panthers in your first match is a daunting task, but I think it helps take some of the pressure off if you are debuting in a game no one expects you to have a shot of winning. However, Volkman didn't overplay his hand and showed some nice playmaking skills, almost setting up a try for Reece Walsh with a nice inside ball. He also held his own defensively, and I am happy to see him retain his spot and start building combinations with the rest of the spine.

Next is the return to Mount Smart; after last playing at home in August of 2019, the boys are coming home. It will be great for these players to experience a vocal Warriors home crowd again (and many will get to experience it for the first time). However, I am more excited for the fans, who have missed out on so much live footy; I know for myself going to live games has been a significant part of my life, and it's left a massive hole, and I can't wait to get back to my treasured seat in the west stand. 

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

Match Negatives

Those defensive lapses really hurt the Warriors in this match; they ended the game with 30 missed tackles. They were playing one of the best teams in the NRL, but they were communicating and forcing the Panthers to make errors, but they couldn't keep it up consistently. When they stopped talking, that's when the Panthers started to make them look silly, scoring easy tries through defensive misreads. Their defensive attitude has been poor for a long time, and I don't see it improving anytime soon, but if they start talking and trusting each other more, I may get to stop talking about it every week in my negatives.

The attack still needs work; they showed glimpses at times in this match, but too often, they are just not clicking. There were a few instances where they kicked early in the tackle count but there wasnt not any kick chasers rushing after it. A few unforced errors didn't help either, but they were up against the best defensive outfit in the NRL. 

Not to make excuses for the Warriors, though; they need to create more scoring opportunities, I think we will see that get better with Volkman adding some spark once he gets into the rhythm, and I am still betting on Shaun Johnson bouncing back after reuniting with his wife and child.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Reece Walsh.

Walsh just gives his all week in and week out, and this performance was no different, he chanced his arm and made a few errors as a result, but he refused to stop trying. Almost scored a few times and set up the first try after an excellent 40/20 from Chanel Harris-Tavita. He is hands down the most dangerous player in the Warriors squad with the ball in hand, and I expect to see the ball in his hands more now that Stacey has removed the shackles from this side.

I can't wait to watch Walsh live.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve goes to Jack Murchie.

Im not sure what has happened with Murchie the impact he had on this team when he first joined the squad is gone, and now he barely makes an impact. He has gone invisible recently, with you only noticing that he is out on the pitch when he makes mistakes.

He is a talented player, but something is going on with him at the moment, and I think he will be on the outer; Euan Aitken will take his spot unless he goes out to the centres, and if that happens, I would still give Murchie's spot to another player. WIth some decent forwards joining the squad in 2023, Jack's time at the club could be coming to an end unless he shows a rapid return to his previous form.

Next round thoughts and prediction

The NRL is taking a break this weekend for State of Origin game two and the International matches, but after that, Round 16 sees the Warriors, after 59 games on Australian soil, finally return to Mount Smart to face the Tigers, who went down 36-12 to the Bulldogs in Round 15.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep the backline the same except for bringing Aitken in for Pompey in the centres. In the forwards, I would move Afoa into the starting front row, moving Tevaga to lock with, Tohu and Curran playing in the second row. My interchange would stay the same, with the only change being Pride Petterson-Robati taking Afoa's bench spot.

Playing in front of a decent crowd in New Zealand should give a boost to the side, and they are fortunate to be playing another struggling side, so for the first time in a while, I will be coming into the match confident and if the Warriors iron out that defence and click better on attack they should end their losing streak, so I am backing them and picking the Warriors to win by 10.

With no Warriors game this week, I may take a break from writing to enjoy the long weekend and a return of the international game. The past two months have been hard to write about, so a week away will be a welcome recharge for me. I can't wait for the game at Mount Smart, and I know the Warriors are running a member's Captain's run, so if any of you are coming to either the training or the match and want to catch up and chat some footy, just come say hi. 

I will be wearing my Inger League Wrap-Up beanie, so I won't be hard to find.

So that was a not as bad as I imagined Round 15, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Are you going to the game at Mt Smart?

What did you think of Volkman's debut?

Would you make any changes to the gameday 17?

What is your score prediction against the Tigers?