NZ Warriors 2023 Round 14 Review: Warriors turn Black Out into Blow Out with Strong Finish over Dolphins

After their disappointing loss to the Broncos in Napier, the Warriors returned home to the newly named Go Media Stadium to host the Dolphins in their first-ever clash.

The Warriors started slow but grew in confidence as the game progressed, which saw them run in four tries in 18 minutes to walk away with a commanding 30-8 victory.

What Went Down

A dominant second half has seen the Warriors blow the Dolphins away 30-8 in a physical contest at Go Media Stadium in front of over 23,000 fans.

Wearing a heritage jersey, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2003 season, Shaun Johnson wasted no time turning back the clock for the Warriors with a show-and-go to open the scoring in the sixth minute. He converted his try to make the score 6-0.

They went close to scoring again six minutes later, with Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad stopped just short of the line.

Rocco Berry was forced from the field in the 14th minute after a head clash due to a shoulder charge from Jarrod Wallace.

The Dolphins had their own chances; however, errors prevented them from scoring.

They finally broke through five minutes before halftime when Kodi Nikorima managed to get a pass over to Tesi Niu to score in the left-hand corner, despite a touch by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

A double movement from Luke Metcalf in the dying seconds of the half denied the Warriors their second, leaving the halftime score at 6-4.

A late tackle by Anthony Milford saw him sin-binned early in the second half, with Marcelo Montoya forced off for an HIA.

The Warriors continue to build pressure, being denied when Mitch Barnett was held up over the line. From the next play, Watene-Zelezniak crossed in the right-hand corner, only for the bunker to overturn the try due to an obstruction.

An error by Mark Nicholls in the following set immediately put the Warriors back on the attack, and it was left for Johnson to again rewind the clock with some fancy footwork to score near the posts.

They made it two tries in as many minutes when Marata Niukore broke through and sent Luke Metcalf away to score under the posts, pushing the score to 18-4 in the 58th minute.

Watene-Zelezniak finally got his try in the 69th minute when a quick shift found the winger. Johnson converted from out wide to push the margin out to 20.

An intercept shortly after saw Watene-Zelezniak run 50m to score his second try under the posts before Jamayne Isaako added a late consolation try for the Dolphins, cutting the final margin to 30-8.

My Thoughts

Well, that was a better performance to watch; I was nervous in that first half with the Dolphins hanging in there, but after Luke Metcalf crossed, I took a massive sigh of relief as I couldn't see the Dolphins stringing enough together to make a comeback, perhaps if they had Jeremy Marshall-King and Hmaiso Tabuai-Fidow out there it would have been a different story but I think we all know what having key players out can do as the Warriors have dealt with that almost every round this season.

This side is a backend team; if they are in the hunt for the first 50 minutes, you know they will get some points on the board in the final 30, which is precisely what we saw here. 

They never conceded the lead in this match, but their fitness and self-belief just shined through the further the game went on.

It was hard to pinpoint any player that let the side down; they all made an impact in some form, with some, like Josh Curran having to play out of position in what turned out to be a great showing for the second rower in his stint at centre.  

With injured players starting to return, the Warriors are building nicely; they are still far from the finished product, but with a healthy squad and a decent run home, I am getting more confident of a return to finals football; we just can't get too far ahead of ourselves as there is plenty of work left to be done, but this season feels special.

Before I move on, I want to praise yet another bumper crowd, it's great to see all the support for the Warriors, and if they continue to perform, you know that those massive crowds will continue to march through the gates. The club announced that this match was another blackout, just like the one we had against the Roosters in the 2008 semi-final. It was a great idea, although it may have been better when it was dark as turning all the lights off didn't really have the impact they hoped for.

However, the Warriors came out with new music and fancy lighting in their tunnel, wearing those awesome heritage jerseys. It made for an exciting presentation, so full credit to the club for putting it together, and I hope the new Warriors entrance stays.

 

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

Match Positives

The forwards continued to earn them keep churning out the metres, with 5 hitting my triple-digit target, Addin Fonua-Blake leading the way once again with 195 metres, followed by Marata Niukore (159m), Mitchell Barnett (147m), Jackson Ford (123m) and Tohu Harris (117m). This saw the side keep the edge during the battle and tired out the Dolphins, which created more opportunities for Shaun Johnson and the backs to make their mark in the second half. If they can keep this up, then the Warriors will be a difficult team to overcome.

Defence was my biggest issue last season, and I seldom mention it now, which shows how much they have improved this season, and this match was no exception; they made 365 tackles, only missed 17 and nabbed 3 intercepts, restricting a strong attacking team like the Dolphins to only 8 was a massive effort. Admittingly the Dolphins were missing some serious firepower, but you can only play the people in front of you, so it was good to see the Warriors not take them lightly. They communicated well and worked together to shut almost all the Dolphin's attacks; when things broke down, they scrambled well to fix their mess. Defence is paramount to NRL success, so long may it continue.

Lastly, the welcome returns of Wayde Egan and Mitchell Barnett. Egan being back in hooker, saw the spine look more dangerous; his delivery out of the ruck was quick; he picked his moments to snipe and kept the Dolphins on their toes. He is a crucial figure in the Warrior's chances of success, so fingers crossed he can stay healthy for the remainder of the season.

Then there was Barnett; after his neck injury, there were rumours that his career may have been over and thankfully, that wasnt the case. After 11 weeks off the pitch, I was expecting less impact from him in his first game back, but he exceeded my expectations with an epic performance, running for 147 metres and making 29 tackles. He will no doubt be moved into the starting 13 this week, and rightfully so.

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

Match Negative

I'm still not happy with the Warrior's respect for the ball; they made 10 errors which is down from the 13 made in Round 13. Most of them happened when the Warriors started to try and up the tempo, which makes for an exciting game but makes winning more difficult.

As I said last week, every error is a free set given to the opposition and with the ladder being so close this season, you just can't give anyone a leg-up. Playing error-free footy is not easy and not what im looking for, but if the Warriors can reduce the errors to single digits, I will be happy.

I still have concerns about the Warrior's attack when they get into the opposition's red zone, a few individual efforts in that region saw the Warriors get points, but they still seem clunky when trying to set up scoring opportunities closer to the line. It will improve if the Warriors can field the same players week in and week out, but it needs to be a lot better if the Warriors wish to stay in the eight and make an impact in the finals.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Shaun Johnson.

Once again, several players put their hands up for selection this week, but I have gone with SJ. 

When the Warriors were struggling to get themselves on the board, SJ struck, scoring their first two tries with some excellent solo efforts, making me flashback to his younger days. He kicked reasonably well, even if some of his last tackle options were not up to scratch, and he was 100% at the kicking tee. His biggest improvement this season continues to be his defence, ending this game with 27 and only 1 miss. It has been a welcome return to form for the halfback, and it has me wondering if he is giving everything he has this season because he has already decided to hang up the boots at the end of the year? Only time will tell, but I'm hopeful we will see him back on the field in 2024.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve was Bunty Afoa.

I'm still not sure what Andrew Webster's game plan is for Afoa, but his impact is barely making a dent; this could be due to the game plan or perhaps he is uncomfortable as a starter. Whatever it may be, his hit-ups and running metres have been low for some time, managing only 6 runs for 56 metres in this match; he also made a pretty ordinary error towards the end of the match. On a positive note, his defensive output is still solid, with 22 tackles without a miss in the middle. Maybe his role is to shore up the middle defensively and let the other forwards charge up the field; if that is the case, then I may not be as critical of him in the future.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

Round 15 sees the Warriors head back across the ditch to Canberra to face the Raiders, who defeated the Tigers 20-19 in Round 14 and will be celebrating Jarrod Croker's 300th match.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep it the same, except switching Afoa and Barnett around, and if Walker is available, he comes onto the bench for Bayley Sironen. 

Rocco Berry will be sitting out due to his 11-day stand-down, so I would bring Brayden Williame back in for him.

The Raiders have been on a roll lately, winning 7 of their last 8 matches and with it being Croker's 300th, they will be tough to beat, especially at home.

If the forwards can keep their momentum going and have another big night, Johnson and the rest of the backs should be able to get enough points on the board, and I'm expecting a big night from Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in his first game against his former club. 

If the Warriors kept the Raiders pack quiet and contain Jack Wighton, then half the battle is already done. I am confident that the Warriors will get the job done, so I am backing them to upset Croker's party and walk away with a 10-point win.

So that was an improved Round 14, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Do you want to see SJ play next season?

How are your confidence levels for a Warriors finals run?

Who would you bring in to replace Berry at centre?

What is your score prediction against the Raiders?