NZ Warriors Round 19 Review: Warriors second half collapse sums up season

After their disappointing loss to the Eels in Round 18, the Warriors made their way to GIO Stadium in 
Canberra to face the Raiders.
This was the second time these sides have clashed this year, with the Warriors winning the first clash in Golden Point. However, that was not the case this time, as the Raiders scored four tries in the second half to come from behind and win 26-14.

I didn't think the Warriors would get the win here, but they got my hopes up when they burst out of the gates quickly, earning a penalty and a repeat set before former Raider Jack Murchie took a short ball and barged his way over the try-line. They continued to pile on the pressure when Daejarn Asi crossed for their second try after Xavier Savage failed to defuse a monster bomb.
The Raiders were given a penalty on the Warrior's try line when Jack Wighton was held back after putting a kick into the in-goal; however, they could not take advantage of the field possession as the visitor's goal-line defence held firm.
The Warriors added to their lead after Shaun Johnson kicked a penalty from 40 metres out in the 26th minute after showing some great spirit, defending multiple Raiders attacking opportunities. 

However, Canberra were not helping themselves, making several errors with the ball in hand, which saw the home side go into the break scoreless.
The Raiders looked a more composed side when they returned from the sheds, Wighton kicked a 40/20 in the first set, and after a few close calls, the Raiders finally found success when they scored in the corner via Albert Hopoate minutes later.
After the game went into a stalemate, the Raiders took control of the match after Jazz Tevaga lost the ball with a bit of help from Corey Harawira-Naera; the New Zealand side's defence was unable to hold Sebastian Kris out as he latched onto a short-ball to score. Wighton then kicked another 40/20, and the Raiders found themselves in front for the first time in the match after Harawira-Naera ran into a massive hole and crossed the try line untouched. Harawira-Naera made it a double a few minutes later, diving on Jamal Fogarty's grubber just before it went over the dead-ball line.
Harawira-Naera looked certain for a hattrick after diving on a Reece Walsh knock-on, but the bunker deemed that the forward lost control of the ball; Walsh then gave away a penalty for kicking the goal-line drop-out out on the full, which saw Fogarty extend the lead to 12 with a penalty kick in the final scoring play of the game for a well deserved come from behind victory for the home side.

So this was a frustrating watch; the Warriors played well enough in the first half to go on and land the win here; they just did not leave the sheds after the break and left the door open for the Raiders. Skipper Tohu Harris said that his teammates need to take a look at themselves in the mirror, and I agree with him; plenty of soul-searching is required before playing the Storm this week. 

There were a few things to smile about this week, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

I was happy with the Warriors starting the match quickly; they scored twelve points in the first eight minutes of the match and set themselves up nicely for the rest of the game if they didn't switch off. They need to keep starting games bolting out of the gates but do have to remember to play for the entire 80 minutes.

I thought the Warriors looked good with the ball in hand in the first 40 minutes, they were asking plenty of questions of the Raiders, and Jack Murchie and Chanel Harris-Tavita were running good lines and almost broke the game open on several occasions. I like the spine they went with in this match and would like to see this spine stay on for the rest of the season, although I think that Daejarn Asi's kicking should have featured more.

Defensively they battled hard and refused to let the Raiders through with some stern goal-line defence; translate that 40 minutes display into an 80-minute performance week in and week out, and the Warriors should see some results go their way. 

Flowing on from that, I thought Chanel Harris-Tavita had yet another decent outing as fullback. He was popping up in the inside shoulder of the ball runner, which is something I have been begging to see from Reece Walsh. He also appears to be able to get the defensive line set much better. Is he a better fullback than Walsh? I don't think so, but Walsh plays to his own script while CHT appears to fit better with the Warrior's current gameplan. Just a shame that he is leaving at the end of the year.

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

Match Negatives

The most obvious negative is the second-half collapse, it flows into all my negatives, so I won't get into too much detail here, but the NRL is one of the most challenging contests out there where one of the top teams in the competition can get beaten but a bottom team if they switch off. So when two teams this close on the ladder are battling, and you find yourself with a decent lead, you can not afford to take your foot off the gas. It's a harsh lesson to learn, but hopefully, it's a wake-up call for the Warriors.

Errors continue to haunt the Warriors; they finished the match with ten, which just helped the Raiders get back into the contest. I thought they were hard done by on a few of the calls, but you can't say that all ten errors were incorrect and the need to get the schoolboy errors out of their game; otherwise, I struggle to see them getting many wins in the remaining six rounds of the season. Please, Warriors, just show the ball more respect.

Much like everything else, I thought the Warrior's defence completely fell apart in the second half. They showed that they could contain the Raiders in the first half but that all fell away when the Raiders got into the match and started applying more pressure. They ended the game with 35 missed tackles, and the lion's share of those were in the second 40. It could be as simple as the Warriors clocking off, believing their lead was big enough, but the attitude and trust in the players on either side of them needs a lot of work this week as they prepare for Round 20.

Lastly, I wasnt a fan of the lineup changes and use of the bench. I was happy enough with the team named on Tuesday but didn't like the gameday changes, moving Josh Curran to the bench in particular; I feel the Warriors missed him when momentum swung against them; Murchie did a good job out there, so I would have moved Aitken to the centres to keep Curran on the pitch. I also thought Stacey waited too long to bring Walsh into the game; he said he brought him on because he thought the Warriors needed some spark to get back into the contest, but it was too little too late. I will go into it later when discussing the team I would pick, but Im not sure where Walsh fits for me.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Tohu Harris.

Another monster effort from the Captain, he led the forward pack with 112 metres (the only forward to hit triple digits this match) and was heavily involved on the defensive side of the game, making 44 tackles. He adds another dimension to the Warrior's middle with his ballplaying skills, constantly threatening to move the ball after contact to another teammate in open space; if CHT remains at fullback, you can put money on him bursting into open space after one of these Harris plays. Being Captain of the Warriors is never easy, and his first year at the helm has not been pretty. Still, I have my fingers crossed that his give it 100% attitude starts to rub off on the rest of the squad because if more players had his mindset, then the Warriors could be a dangerous outfit.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve goes to Adam Pompey.

Pompey is simply not a first-grade level centre; he may not be helped, but the Warrior's wingers are always running at a hundred miles an hour, but it looks like Pompey is just going through the motions. Several other options should be in his spot right now, and he needs a wake-up call to either reach his potential or realise that he has a lot to work on before being a regular first grader.

Next round thoughts and prediction

Round 20 sees the Warriors return home to Mount Smart to face a Melbourne Storm side currently on a four-game losing streak and desperate to make a statement after everyone has started to doubt their playoff potential.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep the backline the same, with the exception of swapping Pompey for Aitken. 

In the Forwards, I would bring Curran back into the starting lineup, either in Aitkens spot or back to lock (with Jazz Tevaga going into the spot that Curran isn't).

The bench is a bit trickier, Bunty Afoa and Eliesa Katoa keep their spots, and I would give Aaron Pene or Pride Peterson-Robati the other forward spot on the bench. For the 14, I would toss and coin and either let Walsh keep it or bring Freddy Lussick back. If Walsh stays there, he needs to be brought into the match around the 60-minute mark when the storm middles are starting to slow down.

It's going to be great going to another live match this week, and I can't wait but playing the Storm is always challenging; however, facing a Storm side that hasn't won in a month is a scary prospect, and I don't like the Warriors chances, so I am going to pick the Storm to win by 12.

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

Would you make any changes to the 17?

What would you do with Walsh?

Would you like to see the Warriors offer Asi another contract?

What is your score prediction against the Storm?

NZ Warriors Round 18 Review: Late fightback not enough as Warriors foiled by errors

After their victorious return to Mount Smart in Round 16, the Warriors had a week off before heading back across the Tasman to face the Parramatta Eels at CommBank Stadium. 

The Eels have struggled with consistency, alternating between wins and losses on a weekly basis, so I came into this match more optimistic than usual. However, it wasn't to be as the Eels took advantage of some early second-half errors from the Warriors, seeing them win 28-18, handing the Warriors their twelfth loss of the season.

As already stated, I came into this match somewhat confident that the Warriors could get a win here; I still picked the Eels to win, though, due to the Warriors missing a few players.

The Eels dominated possession in the early stages earning several repeat sets and applying plenty of pressure on the Warriors before crossing in the eleventh minute via Waqa Blake.

The Warriors looked to have scored when Chanel Harris-Tavita dived on a loose ball; however, the bunker deemed that Reece Walsh placed a fingertip on the ball first. The New Zealand side was starting to build pressure, but a Shaun Johnson cutout pass was intercepted by Maiko Sivo, who ran forty metres before sending Blake over for his second try of the night.

It took thirty minutes, but the Warriors got themselves on the scoreboard after a dubious knock-on call went against the Eels; the New Zealand side quickly shifted the ball to the left to Adam Pompey, who sent Marcelo Montoya over in the corner.

The Warriors survived a poor start to the second half after a Walsh error handed Parramatta good field position, but Montoya put a bone-rattling tackle on Clint Gutherson that saw him lose possession and his lunch.

After several errors, Parramatta found themselves in good field position, and the Warrior could not withstand the barrage any longer when Isaiah Papalii crashed his way over the line; the Eels were not done scoring on the next set after a Montoya error saw Bailey Simonsson flick the ball blindly back on the inside for Gutherson to dive on, extending their lead to sixteen.

Walsh attempted a wayward 40/20 on the third tackle, and the Eels made the Warriors pay for it after Gutherson passed the ball to Dylan Brown, who, after evading the Warriors defence, got the ball to Sivo who stormed his way to the try line from sixty metres out.

The New Zealand side showed some signs of life as the game was coming to an end scoring back-to-back tries through Ed Kosi and Jack Murchie to make the score look more respectable but were left rueing some poor attacking options as the Eels held on for a 28-18 victory.

So yes, another disappointing result here, but I think this team is showing improvements in every performance since the departure of Nathan Brown. Chances of playoffs are all but over, but I want to see these improvements continue and to have the Warriors compete every week, the next few rounds are going to be tough, and I don't want to see a return to blowout scorelines.

There were a few things to smile about this week, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

The team's attitude appears to have improved so much in a short space, the gameplan has been adjusted, and the team is responding well, leading to keeping them in the contest for the entire match.

You can just see that more of the squad are giving it their all where not so long ago; you could select a handful of players that were just going through the motions. There are still patches where the team reverts back to the old ways, so they need to work on that, but overall, it's a step in the right direction.

I thought the team's Discipline was excellent; they conceded only 3 penalties and 3 ruck infringements. That is actually quite impressive, not only because the Warriors have been getting pinged a bit this year but to win the penalty count at CommBank against the Eels is not an easy task. If the Warriors can keep their penalty count and work on a few of the negatives I bring up below, then they are always going to find themselves in a position to get the win.

I have the defence in my positives for the second review in a row. The Warriors ended the match with only 19 missed tackles. The Eels have a lot of dangerous attacking players, so keeping the defence tight for most of the game was great and further shows how the improved attitude from the players is lifting the performance. I asked that the defence effort we saw against the Tigers become the standard moving forward, and so far, it appears to be the case. There were still a few misreads that let in soft tries, but I'm confident they can iron them out.

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

Match Negatives

The Warriors are still making too many errors for my liking ending the match with 13. They were in this contest until they started the second half poorly, making silly errors that allowed the Eels to increase their lead. Giving a team like the Eels more opportunities with the ball by making simple errors is a surefire way to lose, and we saw that here. More respect for the ball is needed, and I'm confident they can reduce that error rate and stop me complaining about it.

Those mental lapses are still there, not as bad as before, but for a few sets in random periods of matches, the Warriors just appear to switch off; that's where the defensive lapses and errors seem to occur. It is never in the same place, so it is hard to figure out what is causing the issue. Is it poor fitness and just fatigue setting in, I'm not sure, as sometimes it happens at the start of either half. 

This also means I don't have a fix for it either, but if the squad's attitude continues to improve, I am sure we will see these lapses disappear.

The Warriors made a few poor attacking options, the Johnson cutout pass, Walsh's 40/20 attempt and a few others. On the bright side, it is good to see them trying things, but when they don't work, it puts the side in a hole, as we saw with those two options leading to Eel's tries.

I don't want to see the Warriors stop trying things, but I just want to see them make smarter decisions when the game is on a knife edge. 

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Tohu Harris.

An almost complete performance from the Captain here, playing in the front row, he ran for 173 metres, led the side with 44 tackles, and played a part in Ed Kosi's try. The Warriors need help in the prop department, and I think Harris fits the bill nicely. I had him as a potential prop in 2023, and that may still be the case, but for the rest of this season, he needs to stay there at least; it helps take some of the pressure off Addin Fonua-Blake to do all the heavy lifting in the meter eating department. 

If he hadn't missed so much football at the beginning of the season, the Warriors might have found themselves in a better position on the ladder.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve goes to Aaron Pene.

When Pene signed with the Warriors, I was full of optimism and praise for the former Storm forward, I expected him to rise through the ranks quickly and establish himself as one of the top props in the squad, but that just hasn't happened yet. He was moved into the starting lineup but still made the least amount of running metres by any forward with only 69 metres from 8 runs. He struggles to make a dent in the defensive line, and when you have a player like Jazz Tevaga moving into prop and running over 100metres, you really need to wonder if Pene is up to the task of being a first-grade regular. I love my props, so I am biased, but I expect to see Pene hit the ground running next season and show that my expectations of him as a player were not unfounded.

Next round thoughts and prediction

Round 19 sees the Warriors remain in Australia, heading to the Capital to face the Canberra Raiders, who defeated the Storm 20-16 in Round 18. It should be a tough encounter as the Raiders continue to try and claw their way into the top eight.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would be happy to keep the backline the same except for Dallin Watene-Zeleaniak returning for Ed Kosi (who I thought had a solid outing), and I would still like to see Euan Aitken replace Adam Pompey in the centres. I think Harris-Tavita has done enough to stay in the halves but could also agree with Ronald Volkman returning since he needs more minutes to prepare for next season.

Forwards I would also keep the same with Harris in as prop, and I would move Bunty Afoa to the starting lineup, replacing Pene. I like AFB coming off the bench right now, so he stays there, and the rest of the bench stays the same for me; I will keep Pene there to give him a shot at showing improvement.

Playing in Canberra is never easy, and the Raiders have dangerous players all over the park, so the Warrior's defence will need to be at its best. I expect another lift from the Warriors here, but I think the Raiders will be too strong in front of their home crowd, so I am picking the Raiders to win by 8.

Since the last time I wrote, the Warriors announced that Andrew Webster will be the new Head Coach in 2023. I have spoken about it on my show, The Stand-Off (every Wednesday at 8pm NZ time on Facebook) and also as a guest on Roo & Hammer's show; it's hard to predict what will happen.

I am hopeful that it is a good move, and I'm sure I will cover that more later this year in my season review and my 2023 season preview, so watch this space.

So that was a disappointing but hopeful Round 18, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What are your thoughts on the Webster signing?

Would you make any changes to the game day 17?

How do you think the Coaching staff can stop the metal lapses the side keeps making?

What is your score prediction against the Raiders?

NZ Warriors Round 16 Review: Warriors defeat Tigers in Homecoming celebration

After their disappointing Round 15 defeat to the Panthers and a week off due to the international round, after 1038 days, the Warriors finally made their much-anticipated return to Mt Smart to face the Tigers. In front of a sell-out crowd, the Warriors ended their seven-game losing streak with a 22-2 victory.

I came into this match confident that the Warriors would get the job done, but I thought it would be a close tussle between two struggling teams; however, the Warriors, while still being a bit patchy, dominated the contest, continually forcing the Tigers to play deep in their own half and never gave them a chance to get into the match.

I thought the team was a bit hard-done by with a few early calls, but they kept to their game plan and were eventually rewarded. 

The news of Reece Walsh dropping out of the side due to catching Covid sucked during the week as I was concerned with how it would affect the Warrior's attack, but selfishly I also just wanted to see him play live, but that will come in a few weeks.

Overall I liked this performance; the players stepped up and delivered when it mattered, which is all I can hope or ask for. The forwards were busy in the middle, and the backs asked many questions of the Tiger's defence, and defensively there was a massive improvement, but more on all of that below.

Watching live from the stadium was just amazing, and for the first time in months, I was actually looking forward to rewatching the game so I could make my notes for this review. It was a good step in the right direction after two months of disappointment, and hopefully, the club can build off this win as they have some tough matches coming up.

There was plenty to smile about this week, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

Man being home was just something I cannot describe; I think missing out on footy at Mt Smart for so long made me appreciate it more. Having gone to well over 100 (perhaps over 200) games at my favourite place on the planet, I think I took it for granted. 

Being back there in a vocal crowd, watching the Warriors win, well, there is no better feeling for me, but you could see the impact it had on the team, they grew an extra leg, and I think it helped keep them focussed when calls went against them. I'm just glad that the days of the Road Warriors are over.

Flowing on from the lift the players got from the crowd, the increased effort from the side was clear to see. The forwards had more punch in their hit-ups, which allowed the backs more time and space. Addin Fonua-Blake led from the front again, running for 163 metres, which when you take in the news that he had Covid last week was just impressive; he only had two other forwards hit the 100m mark (Jazz Tevaga - 143m and Tohu Harris - 137m) but I thought all the rest did their part too despite not getting the triple digits, they all bent the line, and long may that continue. Throw in some big runs from Marcelo Montoya, Dallin Watene-Zeleaniak and an outstanding performance from Chanel Harris-Tavita at fullback; it was just a great afternoon of football.

Lastly, I want to praise the defence, normally, I moan about the defence weekly, but this was where I saw the most significant improvement. The Warriors ended the match with only 17 missed tackles, and while they were facing a lacklustre Tigers outfit, they do have some dangerous players, and the Warriors just continued to shut them down. The one thing that made me happy above everything else was the fact that the Warriors did not let a single try in; towards the end of the match, when the win was already in the bag, the Tigers started to set up camp in the Warriors RedZone, and I thought that the Warriors would finally let a try sneak through but as close as the Tigers got there was always a Warrior there to throw their body on the line to stop the Tigers. I've said it a lot, but defence is all about attitude, and it was great to see the Warrior's attitude improve; they need to draw a line in the sand now and make this the standard for defence moving forward.

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

Match Negatives

First up, the Warriors made too many errors for my liking, ending the match with 14. Nothing too major, just a few mistakes from pushing the pass too early and a general lack of respect for the ball in patches. Emotions were high, and to their credit, you saw the team react and defend their way out of the mistake when an error was made. If they can reduce that error rate, though, it stops the opposition from getting those extra shots at scoring. 

This kind of goes with the errors, but I still think the attack needs some work; it was messy in the first 20 minutes, with the Warrior's first two tries being denied, and it looked like the team was getting a bit frustrated. I think losing Walsh, having a halves combination still learning to work together, and lacking confidence that a seven-game losing streak would give you all played a part, but the Warriors kept plugging away. They had a game plan and stuck to it, and eventually, the points came. Walsh will return, the halves will start to build cohesion, and the Warriors will be all the better for it.

And finally, the Pitch Invaders, now I'm not going to sit on a high horse here, I had a few laughs with the first few, but when it kept happening, I got over it, the Warriors were building momentum, and each time someone stopped the game by running on the pitch they had to start all over again. It may just be me, but I just wanted to get back to the action on the field, so hopefully, that is the last we see of that this season.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Shaun Johnson.

For as long as I have been writing about the Warriors, I think I have been super critical of Johnson; however, this year, I have been looking at him differently, and I was hoping that my belief that the impact of being away from his wife and child was the cause of his drop in form. 

After one week of being home, I think that belief was on the money. SJ has looked like a completely different person this week; you could see he had some fight back, and it was emotional for me to see his reaction to running onto the field again. I thought he had a great game, he picked his spots and took the line on, ending the match with over 100 running metres, directed the backline well, and his kicking game was causing plenty of issues for the Tigers. It's just good to see him happy again, and I am still confident that there's plenty left in the tank, and he will deliver some more great moments for the fans.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve goes to Adam Pompey.

It was hard for me to pick a play to improve, but in the end, I went with Pompey, I was looking forward to seeing Euan Aitken back in the centres, but Pompey returned after the reshuffle; he made a few silly errors which is kind of his thing. The biggest being a wayward flick pass that soared into the crowd on the first tackle. However, other than that, I thought he ran hard and kept James Roberts contained; I just want to see his decision-making with the ball in hand to improve if he continues being picked in first grade.

Next round thoughts and prediction

The Warriors have a bye in Round 17, so they will get some well-deserved time off to catch up with their friends and family before heading back across the ditch for back-to-back games against the Eels and the Raiders. I will save my prediction for the Eels game until next week.

With no game to write a review for this weekend, I will instead write my annual midseason review in its place, going over the good, the bad and the ugly of the 2022 season. It's a bit later than usual due to the Warriors having a later bye round, but it will be interesting going over everything that has happened this year so far, so keep an eye out for that next week.

So that was great Round 16, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What did you think of the Mt Smart atmosphere?

Would you like to see Aitken move back to the centres next week?

Is there anything, in particular, you want me to cover in my midseason review?

What is your score prediction against the Eels?