NZ Warriors 2023 Round 11 Review: Warriors Strong First Half Seals Victory Over Bulldogs

After their Round 10 loss to the Panthers, the Warriors made their way to Accor Stadium to face the Bulldogs for the second time this season.

After a dominant first half saw the Warriors stroll out to an 18-0 lead, the Warriors left the door slightly ajar, allowing the Bulldogs a shot at stealing the win but showed some staunch defence when it mattered and a tremendous solo effort try from Ronald Volkman to end their losing streak with a much needed 24-12 victory.

What Went Down

With both sides coming off losses at Magic Round, there was plenty of anticipation around which team could bounce back with a win. In the opening 10 minutes, the Warriors gained the ascendancy through the boot of Shaun Johnson. First, he forced a line drop-out, then in the next set, he grubbered through the line for Josh Curran to score untouched.

The pressure remained on the Bulldogs as they struggled with execution and ball control. A seven-tackle set saw the Warriors march the length of the field and score again. Dylan Walker threw a flat pass to Addin Fonua-Blake, who charged through a gap to score his fifth try of the year. The bounce of the ball was against the Bulldogs too, when Adam Pompey intercepted an attempted flick pass.

Pompey was eventually run down by the Bulldog's cover defence, but Shaun Johnson’s skill was on show again when he chipped a kick out to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who caught the ball and scored in one motion. The Warriors cruising into halftime with a comfortable 18-0 lead.

Following the break, the Bulldogs came out showing plenty of energy. An early line drop-out forced the pressure back on the Warriors, and as a result, the Bulldogs broke through. Harrison Edwards put on some footwork close to the line to score next to the posts. With a renewed sense of confidence, the Bulldogs found their momentum as the intensity of the game lifted.

However, the Warriors were up for the challenge and found their first points of the second half. Ronald Volkman kicked for himself off a sloppy pass from the dummy half and regathered after a ricochet. He stepped around Hayze Perham to score a solo try, extending the lead back to 18 points. A consolation try to Jayden Okunbor gave the Bulldogs fans something to cheer about late, but the lead was unassailable. The Warriors ultimately proved too good as they outlasted the Bulldogs 24-12.

My Thoughts

Well, the losing streak is over, and the Warriors are back in the top eight; this was also their sixth win of the year, equally the total amount of wins they got last season.

That first half highlighted how much this side has improved in a short period of time, utilising their mobile pack and short passing game to probe the Bulldog's defensive line, and this allowed them to strike with some sweet kicking plays that caught the home side napping. They made the most of their opportunities and made me wonder how dangerous this side could be when their injured stars return. 

They let the foot off the pedal in the second half (more on that later), which was dishearting but I never felt like the Warriors were not in control, and while they couldn't pile on the points, they limited the Bulldog's chances and strangled them out of the match. Still, plenty to work on, but as they enjoy their first bye, they have time to recuperate and prepare for the next stage of the campaign, knowing that the toughest stretch is now over. 

 

There were aspects of the game to smile about, leading to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

The Warrior's discipline was back in check, conceding only 3 penalties and giving away 4 ruck infringements. You can say what you want about the officiating, but the key to winning the battle with referees is to find their line and stick to the right side of it, figure out quickly how much leeway you have and then adjust your style to how they call the match and I think we saw that from the Warriors here, I thought Cummins was a bit quick on the six again calls at times but you saw the Warriors defenders start to get off the tackle quicker and reduce those six again calls. If they can keep this mindset moving forward, they will find themselves on the right side of calls more often than not.

Dylan Walker is back where he belongs, coming off the bench and adding some dimension to the Warrior's middle at the right time. This is his best position in the squad, and while he did what he could in the halves, the Warriors are a lot stronger with him in the middle. His pass to Addin Fonua-Blake was classy, and I don't think AFB has had an easier try in his career. Walker is an integral part of the Warrior's gameplan, and if he can remain in that interchange slot, expect to see the Warriors scoring plenty more tries up the middle.

The back three had a solid night out; getting out of your own half as quickly as possible is vital in getting in the winner's circle in the NRL, and the Warriors have some of the best outside backs when it comes to that aspect. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (210m), Marcelo Montoya (185m) and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (152m) all throw caution into the win and just surge up the field; this also relates to the early carries they make in the sets before the forwards can get back. When they start the sets with a few strong runs, the whole side looks more energised and cruises up the field. 

So I have my fingers crossed that these three keep doing what they are doing, as it certainly helps the Warrior's chances of victory.

However, some things concerned me, bringing me to my negative from the game.

Match Negative

AFB (162m) and Tohu Harris (162m) were massive in the middle, but they need help as Bunty Afoa (57m) and Tom Ale (40m) didn't really add much punch in this match. With the Warrior's current set-up, those four players are the ones that are looked to for the grunt work, and as great as Harris and AFB are, they cannot continue to do the lion's share every week as this is when we will start to see injuries happen. The Warriors cannot afford to lose AFB at all or Harris for the third time this season, the pending returns of Mitch Barnett and Jazz Tevaga will help, but until then, Afoa and Ale have some work to do. 

The Warrior's goalline attack is still clunky, and they don't seem to look steady when attacking close to the line. I don't know why they struggle when they get to the red zone, but the coaching staff need to fix it sooner rather than later if the Warriors want to play finals this season. The short balls close to the line have worked in the past, but it needs to be used only with players that know how to time their run; AFB has perfected it, but Afoa was struggling with the play leading to a few errors. The upside is that we saw some nice plays inside the red zone this week, so the Warriors can do it; they just need to stretch this from moments in a match to an 80-minute effort.

The Second Half drop was an issue but not an unexpected one. To be honest, it was just a team running out of juice after a tough few weeks. With a decent lead, perhaps the thought of the bye started to enter the minds of the players, and it let them relax. I can't say that for sure, but the positive is that while they let their foot off the gas, they didn't lose control.

The NRL season is brutally tough, and there are always peaks and valleys, but the best sides know how to minimise the valleys and capitalise on the peaks; I hope that when I look back on the 2023 season, I can say that the Warriors have done that.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Shaun Johnson.

Another big night from SJ here, setting up some nice tries for Curran and DWZ, he did have one or two missteps, but the good definitely outweighed the bad here. He directed the side around well and paired up better with Volkman here and made me comfortable with that combination until Luke Metcalf is ready. Still, the most impressive thing about Johnson in 2023 is his defence; he made 20 tackles with only 2 misses and was always one of the first players there on the kick chase. I know these rumours are floating around about the Tigers sending him offers for 2024, but I am sure he will be a Warrior next season if he decides to play on.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve was Tom Ale.

It was hard to pick a player yet again, with essentially all the players doing a serviceable job, but I have gone with Tom Ale.

Ale has been great this season, but he was kept quiet here with only four runs for 40 metres and 11 tackles in 22 minutes of work. He is commonly known for being defensively sound, and while he only had one miss, it was a big one that led to the Bulldog's first try.

It was just an off night for the youngster, who is probably fatigued after the past month of intense football; after the bye, you can expect a big bounceback. 

Bye and Round 13 Thoughts and Prediction

Round 12 sees the Warriors get a bye, so an easy two points and a deserved break after a brutal month.

A time to rest and plan for the next block of matches couldn't have come at a better time for the club before Round 13 sees the Warriors back on home soil, making the trip to Napier to face the Broncos.

It's hard to pick a team two weeks out, but I am happy with the side that played the Bulldogs, so I would keep it the same with the exception of any injured players that can return. 

I also want to see Luke Metcalf come into the halves; Volkman had a good night out, especially when you consider that he broke his finger badly early on in this game; however, Metcalf makes for a better pairing with SJ.

The Broncos have been good this year, but with the timing of this match, they will be without their Origin players, which means they could be without around 5 players or perhaps more. This doesn't make the Broncos easy beats by any stretch, but they have yet to travel much this year, so heading to Napier is a big task for them.

So I am backing a rested Warriors to get the job done against a depleted Broncos outfit with a 12-point win.

I'm also going to Napier for the match, which I am looking forward to, and if you are going and happen to see me, say hi.

So that was an enjoyable Round 11, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What changes would you make to the game day 17?

Do you see the Warriors cementing a spot in the top eight?

Are you heading to Napier, and would you like to see more games taken around NZ?

What is your score prediction against the Broncos?