NZ Warriors 2022 Round 25 Review: Second-Half Slump sums up Warriors Season

After their disappointing performance against the Panthers, the Warriors returned home for their final game of the year to face the Gold Coast Titans. The Warriors started strong and looked set to end the year with a victory, but in a common 2022 theme, the side collapsed in the match's final stages, allowing the Titans to force the game into Golden Point before securing a 27-26 win.

What Went Down

Tanah Boyd capped off the Titan's second-half comeback with a match-winning field goal in Golden Point to win the game 27-26 over the Warriors.

Boyd, from beyond thirty metres out, made clean contact to give the Titans a sensational victory after trailing 26-12 thirteen minutes after half-time.

It all went awry for the Warriors when departing fullback Reece Walsh was forced from the field sixteen minutes after half-time with injured ribs.

But it would take until seven minutes before full-time and some individual brilliance from Jayden Campbell to bring the Titans within eight points.

In the next set, Beau Fermor found ex-Warrior Paul Turner on the inside to bring the score within two points before a Tohu Harris high tackle landed him on report and allowed Boyd to level scores at 26-all.

Daejarn Asi had the first shot at a field goal in golden point, with his attempt going wide and giving the Titans a seven-tackle set after the ball was caught in goal.

The Titan's win spoiled the final Warriors homecoming game of 2022 in a match where the home side dominated the opening fifteen minutes racing out to a sixteen-point lead.

Walsh was heavily involved in the Warrior's success, finding Arthurs on a cut-out pass for the opening try before setting up Josh Curran for the first of his two tries. When Dallin Watene-Zelezniak went over for the Warrior's third, it looked like the Titans had raised the white flag early.

The tide started to turn just before the break when the Titans finally got field position and improved their ball handling, with AJ Brimson crossing for their first.

Behind 20-6 at the break, the Titans score the all-important first try of the second half after the Warrior's short drop-out bounced into the hands of Fermor, who went over untouched.

The Warriors hit back through a solo try to Viliami Vailea after putting a step on some poor Titans defence from a scrum thirty metres out from his line.

From there, the Titans played more desperate footy, demonstrated in their final try where they kept the ball alive on the last as Turner scored to reduce the Warrior's lead to two points.

Both sides end 2022 with six wins and eighteen losses, with the Titan's points differential (-205) trumping the Warriors (-292), who finished second to last on the ladder. 

My Thoughts

After such a poor season, it shouldn't have been a surprise to see the Warriors snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It looked like they had the game in the bag, but they switched off in the final seven minutes allowing the Titans to score 14 points before nailing that match-winning field goal. 

Sitting in the rain and watching the team fall apart in front of me was heartbreaking. 

Still, with the last ounce of optimism I have left, I will say that this loss highlighted all the issues that have plagued the Warriors this year and gives Andrew Webster the best example of what he needs to work on when he arrives in NZ.

The inability to play for 80 minutes, inept defence, and lack of communication, it was all there, and the Warriors have lots to do as they prepare for 2023.

The season is now complete for the Warriors, and it has to be in the conversation for the worst one yet; they conceded the most points (700) not only compared to all other teams this year but also the most in a season in their history. They also secured only six wins for the second time, so it's fair to say they are at an all-time low, but perhaps that means the only way is up. 

Time will tell, and Im sure when my season preview comes out next year, I will have been sucked in by the media spin and talking up the hopes of 2023.

It wasnt all bad, however, so I found a few things to smile about, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

The Warriors started well once again, scoring the first three of their five tries in the opening thirteen minutes. It looked like playing back in front of their home crowd saw a lift from the side; however, they didn't sustain that effort over the 84 minutes of gameplay. 

If they can continue to start matches like this and improve how they finish them, we should see more than six wins from the club next year.

Playing with emotion can give you an edge over the opposition, but you need more than that to get across the line.

The forwards kept busy with five of the pack running for over my target of 100 metres. Bunty Afoa led the charge with 155m, with Addin Fonua-Blake (154m), Tohu Harris (154m), Tom Ale (116m) and Eliesa Katoa (111m) all joining him. The pack did their part with the ball in hand but also made some silly errors in that final seven minutes, which helped lead to the side's downfall. However, if they can get a few more of the forwards running in triple digits and improve the footy IQ of these forwards, then they should be more formidable next year.

As I mentioned above, the 2022 season was horrible to watch and write about, and I'm just glad it is almost over. I say almost because I still have a season review to write, which I'm sure will reopen some wounds.

It's been tough, but as long as the club takes on board all the lessons they have learnt this year, it should bode well (with all my fingers crossed).

However, I had plenty of concerns, bringing me to my game's negatives.

Match Negatives

It wouldn't be a Round review if I didn't mention the poor defensive effort. The Warriors missed 52 in this match. Every player except Fonua-Blake and Ben Murdoch-Masila missed at least one tackle, with Daejarn Asi (8 misses) and Josh Curran (7 misses) leading this unfortunate stat. Rinse and repeat what I have said all year; Justin Morgans time in charge of the defence has to come to an end as the defensive structure has shown no improvements with him at the helm. I know Andrew Webster has talked about a fresh approach to the coaching of the side, so hopefully, that leads to someone else stepping in and correcting what is going wrong. It's not all down to the coaches, however, as the players need to work on their technique and build trust in each other over the offseason.

Another issue plaguing the Warriors is their error rate; they made 9 errors here. While the conditions didn't help, the Warriors made silly decisions when the pressure was on, forcing offloads that should never have been thrown. These coach killers can make or break a match, and we saw that here.

Lastly, that seven-minute fade at the end of the match. I'm not sure what happened here. 

Did the Warriors take the foot off the gas, assuming the match was won? Did the team's dynamic change when Reece Walsh left the field injured? I have plenty of questions but no answers.

Once Jayden Campbell scored in the 73rd minute, you could visibly see the Titans get a second wind while the Warriors went into their shell.

In the NRL, if you get a lead, you need to keep pushing forward, as any team on their day can turn things around and pull the rug out from under you. It's a harsh lesson to learn, but as the number one side at losing matches after having a half-time lead, it's clear the Warriors haven't learnt just yet.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Bunty Afoa.

I think it was Afoa's best match of the season; as the only player in the squad to compete in every game, it was a good signoff for him, leading the side in running metres with 155; he was also second in post-contact metres with 84m. He made 34 tackles but did miss 4. I thought Afoa had a decent 2022, considering it wasnt that long ago that he was told he was free to leave the club, but he decided to fight, and he legitimately was one of the only players this year that looked to be giving it his all every week. The Warrior's front-row stocks are low currently, and I still think Afoa has some work to do, so he has more of an impact in the Warrior's prop rotation, but I believe he can do it.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve is the entire side during that final ten minutes.

I have watched the match a few times now, and I struggled to pinpoint one player that was bad overall, so I cheated and just picked everyone for that brain fade. Freddy Lussick and Addin Fonua-Blake gave away silly penalties, and then Fonua-Blake forced a no-hope offload that ultimately handed the Titans the match-winning drive. Those final minutes in this match gave me flashbacks to last season's final round performance also against the Titans, where the side just imploded. 

Not a great way to end the year, to say the least.

Seasons done; What's Next for me?

So that's a wrap on the 2022 season, thankfully, and while it didn't go the way any of us wanted, we at least can look forward to going back to normal in 2023 with 11 (at the time of writing) matches being played on NZ soil. 

It will also be a new-look side with 15 players exiting the club now, Matt Lodge, Kodi Nikorima and Ash Taylor have already departed, and we know that Euan Aitken, Jesse Arthars, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Eliesa Katoa and Reece Walsh were leaving, but the club has now confirmed that Daejarn Asi, Lleyton Finau, Jackson Frei, Dunamis Lui, Jack Murchie, Pride Petterson-Robati and Junior Ratuva are all leaving too. 

However, in a few weeks, I will touch on the roster updates when I write my season review. I usually wait to release it before the Grand Final, so look out for it.

I traditionally disappear in the offseason, but I am thinking of covering the Kiwis World Cup campaign and doing match reviews after each match if that is something you may be interested in. I would also like to do some articles throughout the months before everything starts again, so if you have anything you would like to see my opinions on, let me know, and I will see what I can put together.

Last but not least, my show, The Stand-Off, will continue to stream live on Facebook every Wednesday at 8pm NZ time throughout the finals series, so come join us there as we discuss the footy.

So that was a heartbreaking Round 25, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What is the first thing Andrew Webster needs to work on when he joins the club?

How would you grade the 2022 season overall?

Who do you think will win the premiership this season?

Would you like me to cover the Kiwis World Cup campaign?