NZ Warriors 2023 Round 21 Review: Warriors survive Raiders fightback as SJ proves clutch in Golden Point

After Round 20's outstanding win over the Sharks, the Warriors remained on home soil to host the Raiders in a battle for a spot in the Top Four.

The Warriors spent plenty of the match under pressure but looked sure to win comfortably until back-to-back tries from the Raiders forced the game into Golden Point. The Warriors held their nerve and secured a 21-20 victory with a Shaun Johnson Fieldgoal to send the fans home happy.

What Went Down

Six weeks after the Warriors spoiled Jarrod Croker’s 300th game celebrations, Canberra travelled to Auckland in a game with huge finals implications, and it turned into a surprise Golden Point thriller.

The Warriors opened the scoring with a try to Marata Niukore in the third minute, converted by Shaun Johnson for a 6-0 lead.

Canberra hit back in the 18th minute when Hudson Young picked up a Warrior's knock-on and ran 40 metres to score. Croker converted to tie the game at 6-6.

Johnson got the Warriors back in front with a 27th-minute penalty goal.

Then came a crucial call just before half-time: Sebastian Kris looked to have scored but was hit by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak before grounding the footy, forcing the fullback to lose possession.

The Warriors quickly punished the Raiders when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad again scored against his former side.

Leading 14-6 at half-time, the Warriors pushed further ahead through Watene-Zelezniak, scoring in the right corner.

Another Johnson penalty goal in the 55th minute gave the Warriors a 20-6 lead, which seemed more than enough against a Canberra side lacking creativity in attack. 

While Jordan Rapana kept Canberra in the game with an Aussie Rules-style grab of a Jamal Fogarty bomb, the Warriors still looked comfortable with a 10-point lead.

Then, with two minutes left, the Raiders pulled the game out of the fire. First, Elliott Whitehead scored, then – in a rare moment of enterprising attack – the Raiders spread the footy to the left, with Albert Hopoate breaking down the sideline and then passing inside to Jack Wighton. At 20-20, Croker had a sideline conversion to win the game but missed. 

While the Raiders had the momentum, a poor first set in Golden Point resulted in a seven-tackle set for the Warriors. They marched downfield, giving Johnson enough time to slot a 30-metre field goal. And it’s not the first time he’s broken Raiders hearts.

Coincidentally, the Warriors’ NSW Cup side also beat Canberra 21-20, with the Raiders leading 18-0 after 15 minutes.

My Thoughts

Well, wasnt that a nerve-racking game, the Warriors looked safe with two minutes to go, and then the Raiders snapped into life and made me and all the other people there watching live from the stadium cling to the edge of our seats. I've been in this situation before watching Warriors games, where they just switch off and let victory slip out of their fingers, but this side is built differently and closed out that Golden Point Period as near perfect as you can hope for. 

Besides the final few minutes of regular time, this was another good outing for the Warriors; it was tough and gritty, which is what we usually expect when you face the Raiders. The forwards had their work cut out for them, and while it may not show on the stats, the forwards more than held their own. The attack was dangerous and asked many questions from the Raider's defence, and could have put this game away earlier if they had shown the ball a bit more respect.

To be clear, they should not have let it go to Golden Point, but at this point in the season, with a bunch of matches against bottom eight sides coming up, this was the kind of test the Warriors needed. Getting put under tense pressure and fighting through it will force the squad to not get complacent as they prepare for their first finals appearance since 2018.

As I've said so often this year, this team is something special; they know how to score, how to defend and when the going gets tough, they just don't give up, and if they stay focussed, then I see them going deep into the finals.

 

There was plenty to smile about, which leads to my positive from the match.

Match Positives

That attack continues to impress me; the Warriors have attacking threats all over the park, in the corners, up the middle, off kicks or off second-phase play. Shaun Johnsons' kicking game was top-notch here as he has fine-tuned his kicking game from outside the red zone to put the opposition under immense pressure, thanks partly to the edges showing 100% commitment to their kick chase. 

You name it; this team can do it, and this is integral to their finals chances as it makes them harder to prepare for. There is still work to be done, some of the plays were not as crisp as you would want, but with the team clicking for the most part, you can expect them to iron out the kinks in the final few rounds before getting into the sudden death of finals football.

The team's defence continues to shine through, the Raiders did score those two tries at the death, but for large portions of this game, the Warriors were stuck on their goalline facing set after set, and they dug deep and prevented most of what the Raiders threw at them. The players just refuse to give up on each or themselves, and there was no better example of that than Dallin Watene-Zeleaniak's try-saving attempt on Sebastian Kris. I know Ricky Stuart complained that it should have been a penalty try, and I may be biased, but I thought it was a fair call from the officials, especially when a high shot from Kris on Luke Metcalf was also let go. Defence will be key in where they end this season, and these final few rounds give them a great chance to shut some teams out and get everyone on the same page.

Lastly, the team's composure in Golden Point, after letting in those quick tries, you would have been safe to assume that the Warriors would be rattled and let it slip, but they had a good defensive set which forced a poor kick from Jamal Fogarty. Then with a 7 tackle set, the side surged up the field with what looked like relative ease on the back from big carries from Tohu Harris, Addin Fonua-Blake, Dylan Walker and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad before going to SJ, who has been in this situation so often that it looked a breeze for him to nail. Was a tense watch, but it just highlighted the confidence this side has. While I don't want to see this kind of finish again, I am more confident that the Warriors won't fall apart if they find themselves in another pressure cooker situation.

However, one thing did concern me, bringing me to my negative from the game.

Match Negative

Unforced errors again; they made 11 here, and while they defended their way out of most of these, they just can't afford to be making double-digit errors in the finals. Each error is a free set for the opposition, and giving those away to the top-tier teams will only set them up for failure. Many were from passes being pushed, so if they take a breath and stick to the game plan, I can see the errors coming down. I have my fingers crossed for a single-digit error rate in Round 23 against the Titans.

That final few minutes of regular time, the Warriors were leading 20-10, and while I will give them that Elliot Whitehead try after holding the Raiders out for a while, the Warriors finally relented and let one through; however, that final try in the final 30 seconds should never have happened with a poor defensive read along the edge. I don't know if they thought the game was over and let off the gas or if they were just fatigued, but I hope that this moment has been a valuable lesson for them to learn, and it's better to learn this lesson and still win as opposed to learning it from a loss.

Lastly, the interchange use, the Warriors got a bit cute with their rotations in the second half, with the side having Tohu Harris, Addin Fonua-Blake and Mitch Barnett all on the sidelines simultaneously. This was a curious move for me as the Raiders have a big pack, and with Marata Niukore already ruled out of the match, having the other three big forwards off the pitch at the same time only allowed the Raiders a chance to get back into the game. Addin played the entire first half, and Bunty Afoa only got 13 minutes, so there was a weird mix of minutes; however, many of the games this year have had a strange use of the bench, and while I do trust Webster, I would love to be a fly on the wall to learn his thought process behind his choices.  

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Addin Fonua-Blake.

AFB continues his charge towards being the top front rower in the NRL with another outstanding performance; he played 70 odd minutes, ran for a team-high 205m from 21 runs and made 34 tackles. He always gives 100% and is willing to carry his team on his back to get them the win. With his massive tank and heart, there is no other Prop I would want leading this side, the true linchpin in the Warriors pack.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve is Luke Metcalf.

Was hard yet again to pick someone here, but I have gone with Metcalf; he has found his feet in first grade over the past few weeks, but this match was a slight step backwards; he had a team-high 3 errors and just lacked a bit of the spark we have come used to while also being a bit quiet in the kicking game. Started to get into the match in the second half with some good running and defended well, and I expect him to bounce back in the next match.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

Round 22 sees the Warriors enjoy their final bye of the season; the two points earned here will see them remain in the Top 4, a position I never would have imagined this side being in before the season kicked off.

With no game to preview, it's the perfect time for the squad to rest up those nagging injuries and refocus on every NRL team's goal, which is to win the premiership. It's a challenging task, but the Warriors have found themselves in a good position in that top 4. They have matches against the Titans, Wests Tigers, Sea Eagles, Dragons and Dolphins left. While they are all winnable matches, the Warriors cannot take any of these sides lightly as on their day, they could steal some valuable competition points; keeping their eye on the ball will be crucial, but they could win all 5 of these matches and depending on how the Panther and Broncos go could even move up to 1st or 2nd. It's a great time to be a Warriors fan who has spent so many years doing mental gymnastics trying to figure out who had to lose to get the Warriors into the top eight, so sitting here focussing on the top four is refreshing for me. I hope this continues not only this season but for years to come.

So that was a nerve-racking Round 21, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Where do you see the Warriors finishing on the Ladder?

With 5 matches left, how many of those will be Warrior Wins?

Do you have any concerns with the interchange rotation?

What is your score prediction for the Titans match in Round 23?

NZ Warriors 2023 Round 20 Review: Warriors Ramp-Up Top 4 Aspirations with Dominant Win over Sharks

After Round 19's decisive win over the Eels, the Warriors returned home to host the Sharks in another must-win match if the Warriors want to have a chance at making the top four.

After a tense start, which saw the Sharks draw first blood, the Warriors took control of the match and showed how dangerous they can be with the ball in hand and how composed they can be when defending as they cruised to a 44-12 victory.

What Went Down

Wearing their Indigenous jerseys to celebrate Matariki (Māori new year), a four-try blitz in the middle of the first half laid the foundation for a crushing 44-12 win for the Warriors over the Sharks.

There was a late scare for the Warriors when Shaun Johnson went down with an ankle complaint; however, he appeared to be alright before receiving an early mark shortly after.

The Sharks had dominated the opening minutes, scoring in the tenth minute via a Nicho Hynes show-and-go before Johnson turned the game in the Warrior's favour.

It began in the 20th minute with a shift to the right, where Dallin Watene-Zelezniak crossed for his 14th try in just 12 appearances for the year.

A perfect line run by Rocco Berry off a Johnson short ball put the Warriors in front in the 27th minute, with the halfback converting to make the score 10-6.

Johnson followed that up with a pinpoint 40/20 in the following set before setting up Addin Fonua-Blake to crash over near the posts.

The Warriors went the distance again in the following set, with Wayde Egan breaking through from dummy half and sending Luke Metcalf away to score under the posts.

Metcalf thought he had a second four minutes later when he raced onto a Johnson grubber; however, he was found to be offside.

A desperate effort by Marcelo Montoya on Sione Katoa down the other end allowed the Warriors to head to halftime leading 22-6.

With the Sharks starting the second half strongly, Johnson proved himself as good at saving tries as setting them up in the 52nd minute when he matched Montoya’s effort by forcing Ronaldo Mulitalo into touch.

That swung momentum back to the Warriors, with Berry breaking through to send Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad away to score under the posts in the 57th minute.

They again piled on the tries in a hurry, with Johnson setting up Josh Curran on the hour mark before Watene-Zelezniak scored his second try with an acrobatic leap in the corner. Johnson’s sideline conversion pushed the lead out to 38-6.

The Sharks pegged one back when Briton Nikora overpowered Nicoll-Klokstad to score under the posts.  

A Will Kennedy knock-on, followed by Hynes being sin-binned for a professional foul, gave the Warriors one final chance to score. They did just that when Fonua-Blake drew defenders in before offloading to Ford, who linked with Adam Pompey to score the try that put them ahead of the Sharks on points differential. Metcalf converted to complete the 44-12 thrashing.

My Thoughts

Before I start, as I mentioned briefly last week, there was a loss in my family last Monday, which meant there was no review for the 46-10 victory over the Eels; thank you for all the kind words of support, it was a tough week, but this victory over the Sharks did end my week a lot better than it started. However, the review may be jumbled after the stressful week, so I apologise in advance.

Onto to this match, I feel like this was a great statement performance; after the disappointment of that Rabbitohs clash, and the Eels win having the stigma of missing origin players, this match was always going to be the one where the Warrior's credentials would be judged. For me, it showed that this side has something special and will have all teams worried once the finals begin.

The Sharks started both halves strong and made it look like the match was going to be a tighter tussle than we ended up getting, but the Warriors were able to weather the storm with some great defence, and they built pressure which then allowed them to unleash some strong attacking plays, which resulted in tries in quick succession. This may have been the best performance not only this season but for the past few years.

The team is clicking together nicely, and this is all without Te Maire Martin, Marata Niukore, Jazz Tevaga and Bunty Afoa on the pitch, which just shows that Webster's next-man-up approach is working so well. 

Of course, There is room for improvement, but Andrew Webster and the team seem to relish that, and this side continues to look like a genuine playoff threat. 

It feels weird speaking so positively about the Warriors since I have become so used to writing about poor performances since I started doing this in 2016, which does take a toll; however, the Warriors have turned a massive corner and hopefully have built the foundations for a promising future, and I'm loving it.

 

There was plenty to smile about, which leads to my positive from the match.

Match Positives

The attack is starting to hum, I've mentioned in the past that I had concerns about the Warrior's attack being clunky, but this has been addressed and fixed for the most part. The forwards led by Addin Fonua-Blake were dominating the middle. The spine is combing well, Wayde Egan is stringing games together without getting hurt and is linking nicely with Shaun Johnson, and Luke Metcalf has continued to make the number 6 jersey his own, and I can't see him being dropped for Te Maire Martin anytime soon. There are just attacking threats all over the park, the forwards can bust over in the middle, the edges can create opportunities regardless of how little space you give them, and the second phase footy is starting to become a staple in the Warrior's play. And once they build a bit of momentum, they are proving hard to stop, so hopefully, we will continue to see the points flow this season.

As great as it was to see the Warriors score 44 points, I was more impressed with the 12 points they conceded. Allowing one of the NRL's most dangerous attacking sides to score only two tries is a massive statement. The Sharks did have a few chances to get more points, but monster defensive efforts from Marcelo Montoya and SJ prevented them. It's great to see the side all communicated well and kept their defensive line relatively intact, and as the cliche goes, defence wins championships, so if they can keep this up, the skies are the limit.

Lastly, Rocco Berry. I started the season as a Berry fan, expecting to see him develop into the centre we have been promised, and I can admit I had given up hope on the youngster. However, due to limited options, he has kept his spot and had his best performance to date, and almost got my Warrior of the Match. His line running kept improving as the match developed, and he scored a nice try and created a few opportunities for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. He looked dangerous with the ball in hand, leading the Warriors with 7 tackle breaks and had a great night defensively, keeping Siosifa Talakai quiet. Fantastic showing for one of the more divisive players in the squad, and I hope this is the launching point for him and he goes to another level this week instead of this being a one-off performance.

However, one thing did concern me, bringing me to my negative from the game.

Match Negative

Honestly, I struggled to find anything negative as I thought this was one of their more complete performances. However, there were brief patches where the Warriors appeared to go away from the game plan and looked a little disjointed. Andrew Webster said in the post-match interview that he thought it was more about the team getting a bit too cute at times. The positive out of this was that they were able to get back on track quickly. Nothing much to be concerned with, but I had to find something.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Shaun Johnson.

What a week for SJ; he signed a one-year extension, welcomed his second child and ended the week with a stellar performance on the pitch. He had an extra pep in his step, and it showed with a near-flawless performance. He got an excellent 40/20, had three try assists and just had the ball on a string, orchestrating many of the Warrior's scoring opportunities. His kicking game was on point, and he was defensively sound, including his try-saver on Ronaldo Mulitalo. The only negative would be a few missed conversions, but they weren't easy, so he gets a pass. Just great to see his resurgence, and while my heart skipped a beat when he went down hurt, the positive is that it is minor, and he will be ready to go this week. Has to be right up there for the Dally M medal right now.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve is Adam Pompey. 

Although I did not publish a review last week, Pompey got the nod from me, and he has gone back to back this week. He did score a nice try at the end of the match, but besides that, there wasnt too much to praise. He missed 8 tackles and only ran 9 times for 66m. He just looked out of sorts and lost compared to the rest of the squad and will need a massive bounce back this week, but fluctuating performances are all part of Pompey's enigma.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

Round 21 sees the Warriors remain in NZ to host the Canberra Raiders, who had a bye in Round 20.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep Mitch Barnett in the front row and bring Marata Niukore back into the second row. This would see Josh Curran move back to the bench, and I would drop either Freddy Lussick or Bayley Sironen. Everyone else would stay the same.

Another must-win for the Warriors if they want to climb into the top four; the Raiders are currently fourth on the ladder, just two points ahead of the Warriors, so a win here would see the Warriors leapfrog them due to their Points Differential (Warriors have +110, and the Raiders have -55). 

The Warriors are on a roll, winning 4 of the last 5, and the Raiders have won their last 3 matches (in fact, that last defeat they had was against the Warriors in Round 15). 

It will be a tough match for the Warriors as the Raiders are now easy beats, but the elephant in the room is the Raider's struggle to perform in the second half. 

So to win here, the Warriors just need to be in contention at halftime and then take over in the second half. However, I expect a similar performance from the Warriors that we have seen the past fortnight, so I expect them to get a lead early and sleep it, so I will go with a Warriors win by 18 points.

So that was a fantastic Round 20, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Is a Top Four finish on the cards for the Warriors?

Was this a one-off performance from Berry, or do you see him staying at this level?

Has Luke Metcalf cemented his spot in the halves?

What is your score prediction against the Raiders?

NZ Warriors 2023 Round 18 Review: Weather bogs down Warriors as Rabbitohs open the Floodgates

 

After Round 17's victory over the Dragons, the Warriors return home to face the Rabbitohs.

In horrible conditions, the Warriors failed to execute and were soundly defeated 28-6 in what may be their worst performance of the 2023 campaign.

What Went Down

Wet and wild weather was on hand to greet the Warriors and Rabbitohs at Go Media Stadium in Auckland. Both sides had late withdrawals before kick-off – Isaiah Tass and Campbell Graham for the Rabbitohs and Josh Curran for the Warriors.

In the early exchanges, both sides traded sets while remaining cautious with ball movement in the wet conditions. The Warriors gained the ascendency off the back of several penalties. With the field position advantage, they eventually broke through the Rabbitohs' defence. Wade Egan created an opportunity down the short side for Marcelo Montoya to grab a try. Despite conceding the first points, the Rabbitohs bounced back quickly.

Off the back of a penalty of their own, the Rabbitohs got their first crack at the Warrior's goal-line defence and converted it into points. Cody Walker created an overlap, and Alex Johnston finished the backline shift to score. After the Rabbitohs won back momentum, Addin Fonua-Blake was sin-binned for high contact, and the Rabbitohs took the two points.

With the man advantage and fatigue setting in, Damien Cook set up Cameron Murray for a try, giving the Rabbitohs a 12-6 lead at halftime.

The second half was more of the same from the Rabbitohs, applying pressure from the get-go. Eventually, they broke through when Cody Walker chipped for Alex Johnston to grab his second try. Falling behind by 10, the Warriors looked to have scored against the run of play when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak charged down a kick and ran away to score. However, the bunker found a knock-on in the play and overturned the try.

Making matters worse for the Warriors, they conceded a try going the other way. Lachlan Ilias kicked for 18-year-old Tyrone Munro to score on debut, putting the Rabbitohs up by 16 points. That lead would prove too much to overcome for the Warriors. The Rabbitohs executed their wet weather game plan to perfection in the last 10 minutes, with Blake Taaffe adding one more try to finish off the win 28-6.

My Thoughts

Well, that really sucked; in my infinite wisdom, with the knowledge of the pending poor weather, I decided to get to the grounds early to watch the NSW Cup match; this meant that before the Warriors match kicked off, I was already soaked to the bone. 

Being cold and wet while watching the Warriors put on their worst display of the season put me in a deflated mood. As I was making the long walk back to my car, various emotions ran through me, but I settled on disappointment.

The Warriors got the first try, but after that, it was a brutal watch with error after error, and the Rabbitohs just bullied them all over the park. 

The weather was horrendous, but both teams had to play in it, and one was much better in the wet than the other. This is something that concerns me as the Warrior's two worse performances this season have been in the poor weather, so maybe the Warriors just cannot perform in rainy conditions, which is something they need to fix since they play in Auckland regularly.

It's a crash-to-earth moment for the Warriors, I was talking up a top 4 spot last week, and now they are at risk of falling out of the top eight; the competition is just that close, so they need to take a breath, take note of what went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again as the next few weeks are against quality opposition and they need to nail those wins.

 

There wasn't much from this game to smile about, but I have one which leads to my positive from the match.

Match Positive

It was hard to glean any positives from the multiple times I have watched the match other than it is a valuable lesson for the Warriors to learn. They were shown that even if you are out of form, if you execute the basics, have the right game plan and stick to it, then you should set yourself up for victory.

The Warriors got caught with their pants down and had the wrong idea of how to succeed in the wet, and I am sure that the coaching staff have got together and gone over the tape to ensure that this doesn't happen again. Losses suck, but how a team bounces back is the true sign of their character.

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

Match Negatives

The Warriors deviated from the game plan and paid the price. Instead of doing the hard yards up the middle, they elected to try and go around the Rabbitohs, which may have worked if they could keep their hands on the ball. However, expansive football seldom works in the wet, as was proven here. Keeping to the plans set in place falls to the leaders on the pitch, so Tohu Harris, Addin Fonua-Blake and Shaun Johnson need to be better at getting the squad back on track. If they return to following the game plan, I expect them to return to the winner's circle again.

Again, Errors were high; they ended the match with 13, and while the weather played its part, their opponents only made 3. They stayed in the fight for the first half, but as they kept giving up possession, they made the hill that much harder to climb, which pushed them to take further risks that did not work in their favour. On top of that, they keep pushing to the edges in the wet weather, which wasn't wise as the Rabbitohs easily slid them over the sidelines. It goes back to my positive, take note of this lesson, build on it, and show the ball more respect. 

Lastly, the forwards lost the battle in the middle; we still had three of the pack hit the triple digits, Addin Fonua-Blake (139m), Tohu Harris (125m), and Mitch Barnett (113m), but the pack lacked punch, and it's why they failed when they started to spread it wide, as they didn't get the job done in the middle. There are no shortcuts in the NRL if you want to be successful, and the Warriors need their forwards to play their part if they want to climb the ladder.

Warrior of the Match

 

My Warrior of the Match goes to Tohu Harris.

The Warriors skipper hasn't featured a lot in this category, but it's just because I am so used to the massive job he does every week that others always get ahead of him, so when there is an overall poor performance from the team, he is almost guaranteed to get the nod. He made 51 tackles, ran 16 times for 125m, second only to Addin Fonua-Blake (139m) and just kept plugging away in what was a frustrating match. He did make a few errors, including a few silly passes that lost his side possession, but those are things that I'm sure will improve next week. Wasnt the best performance, but he was better than the rest of his teammates, at least.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to Improve is Rocco Berry.

Another tough pick this week, but unfortunately, it was due to many players having an off night; however, I have settled on Berry. The young centre is a controversial figure in Warriors fandom; some think he has the goods, while others believe he will never be a regular first-grader. I am on the fence with him, but I can admit that his stock is depleting.

He has had a few good moments, but in this match, there was nothing to highlight for him; he did make 25 tackles with no misses, but a few defensive misreads from him really put the Warriors' defensive line under pressure. With the ball in hand, he was nothing to write home about, with only 4 runs for 38m, which was less than half the next lowest in the Warriors' back five (Adam Pompey and DWZ both with 99m). He will likely get a chance to redeem himself due to the current injuries in the backs, but his time is running out.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

Round 19 sees the Warriors head back across the ditch to face the Eels, who had the bye in Round 18.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep it the same, except for bringing in Brayden Wiliame or Ali Leiataua for Rocco Berry, depending on if either is fit. Still no word on Te Maire Martin or Jazz Tevaga yet, so I have ruled them out. There are also rumours that Shaun Johnson may miss this match due to the pending arrival of his new child, half stocks are thin right now, but I assume that would mean Ronald Volkman would replace him, which has me worried after watching his less-than-stellar showing on Friday night in the NSW Cup.

The Warriors need to get this win if they wish to remain in the top eight, as a defeat here will see the Cowboys replace them due to them having a bye this round. The Eels will most likely be without Mitch Moses due to Origin, but that makes them no easier to play against.

The Warriors were taught a harsh lesson this week, and if they want to get back on track, they need to stick to the basics. 

The forwards need to dominate the middle, and the team needs to reduce the error rate while utilising that short passing game that has created so many opportunities for them this season. If they do that, it should open up the Eels' defensive line and allow Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Marcelo Montoya to strike on the edges. It will be a challenging task, but I expect a bounce back, so I am going with a 6-point victory for the Warriors.

So that was a wet and miserable Round 18, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who would you have in the centres?

Do you think the Warriors have an issue playing in the rain?

If SJ is out, can the Warriors compete?

What is your score prediction against the Eels?