NZ Warriors 2022 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?