NZ Warriors 2023 Round 27 Review: Winning streak over as understrength Warriors go down to Dominant Dolphins

After Round 26's win over the Dragons, the Warriors flew back to Aussie Soil to Suncorp Stadium to face the Dolphins in the new club's final match of 2023.

With several vital figures rested for this match, the Warriors struggled with cohesion and lacked the attacking spark to overcome a Dolphins side determined to end their first campaign positively, handing the Warriors their biggest defeat of the season, 34-10.

What Went Down

The Dolphins struck first in the eighth minute when Jack Bostock soared into the left corner, and Jamayne Isaako converted from touch for a 6-0 lead.

Come the 24th minute, the Dolphins had a second through Sean O'Sullivan after mounting concerted pressure for several sets.

A brilliant inside ball by prop Jarrod Wallace found Isaiya Katoa in support, and the Dolphins had cashed in on the weight of possession to lead 18-0 after 28 minutes.

Warriors halfback Ronald Volkman came close to opening his side's account soon after when he grubbered for himself, but he could not control the ball as he tried to get it down.

The NRL's leading try-scorer, Jamayne Isaako, finished a slick attacking raid with his 24th four-pointer of the season as the Dolphins ran the undermanned Warriors ragged, ending the first half leading 22-0.

The Warriors opened the second half with more steel in their defence, and a shot by Tom Ale on O'Sullivan served notice that Andrew Webster's men weren't going down without a fight.

When Freddy Lussick crashed over from dummy half in the 58th minute, the Warriors had closed within 16 points and given themselves some hope.

Tireless worker Josh Curran then busted the Dolphins defence from deep in his own territory and found Adam Pompey, who sent the ball on to Marcelo Montoya to make it two tries in two minutes for the Warriors.

A penalty against Warriors debutant Paul Roache for a dangerous tackle eased the pressure on the Dolphins, and they steadied with a try to Max Plath off great lead-up work by Kodi Nikorima.

Trailing 28-10, the Warriors threatened to hit back almost immediately, but some desperate defence by Valynce Te Whare kept the Dolphins' line intact.

Veteran forward Kenny Bromwich grabbed himself a late try to make the final score 34-10.

The Warriors were simply outclassed on the day and will head into the finals series on the back of their biggest loss of the season.

My Thoughts

Well, despite several players being rested, I still came into this match confident that the Warriors would have enough to get the job done against the Dolphins, but I was far too optimistic, with the game essentially being all she wrote at halftime. The Dolphins are not a bad team, and they were just too good for a Warriors team, minus its key figures.

The Warriors played like a mismatched team that wasn't on the same page in that first half; there were holes in the defensive structure, a lack of punch in the middle, and Ronald Volkman really struggled to take control of the Warrior's attack. The Dolphins had the lion's share of the ball in the first half and made the most of it with four tries, while the Warriors kept making errors with the slim ball they had.

There was an improvement in the second half with the Warrior's defence improving and the attack starting to work, which saw them score two tries in quick succession, but ultimately it was too little too late. It was a disappointing way for the Warriors to end the regular season for sure, but this happens sometimes when you rest your players (if you can recall, the Panthers lost 38-8 to the Cowboys in the final round of last season), so we just have to take it on the chin and move on to the Warriors first finals campaign since 2018.

No excuses here, though. The Warriors had a decent enough team to remain competitive but lacked intensity and made too many errors, but the focus was always on the finals, so we will just have to wait and see if throwing this match was worth it.

There were aspects of the match to smile about, which brings me to my positives.

Match Positives

There wasnt much to take from this performance with so many players out, but it was a good showing for a few of the names that will play a part in the finals. Josh Curran, Mitchell Barnett, Adam Pompey, and Bayley Sironen all had solid nights, and despite the loss, they will benefit from having the run. Addin Fonua-Blake and Tohu Harris need help up front, and the performances from Curran, Barnett and Sironen showed they can do that job. Pompey showed some promise with the ball in hand, but the best thing for him was getting a week to work with Te Maire Martin as the Warriors need the left side attack to fire in the finals.

The key figures got a week to rest and not travel to sort out any niggles they have and focus on the finals. I said last week that I'm not a fan of resting players and I would prefer momentum going into the finals, but let's face it, the Warriors' final month was not what we expected, they were grinding and winning, but it wasnt anything to write home about so perhaps this week off was just what the Warriors needed. It cost them a ladder spot, but facing the Panthers in week 1 is a better match for the Warriors than the Broncos, so it may prove to be a wise move from Webster, but time will tell.

The Warriors are finals-bound, a statement I did not expect to say this season; this year has exceeded all my expectations, and while there is still more of this story to tell, It looks like the Warriors have started to build a good foundation and this should lead to more success in the future. I still don't know how deep the Warriors will go in finals; part of me can see them going very deep, while another part has concerns that they could exit in straight sets. This week's match against Penrith will paint a better picture for their hopes, but until then, let's just enjoy the return to finals.

However, I did have some concerns, which brings me to my negatives from the game.

Match Negatives

Once again, errors were a huge concern for me; the Warriors made 14 in this match. We could link some of that with the new combinations, but double-digit errors have been a blight on each Warriors game for the past month. 

This is my biggest concern for the Warriors finals campaign, if they continue to make ten or more errors in the finals, they will be looking at an early exit. Each error is a free set for the opposition, so if they eliminate the silly mistakes, they will make themselves a harder team to beat.

The attack was clunky; again, much of that can be a by-product of the shuffled team. Te Maire Martin was rusty after not playing first grade for 6 months, and Ronald Volkman showed that he is not ready to take control of a first-grade side attack just yet. In Volkman's defence, the Warrior's forwards needed to be rolling forward to give him time and space, but in a nutshell, the team just looked slightly off. However, as the game developed, they started to improve. TMM started to click on the left edge, which will be pivotal in the finals, and he will be better after the run. 

The Warriors struggled with the Dolphins' second phase footy. The Dolphins unleashed 21 offloads in this match, breaking the Warriors' defence line to shreds; it is a concern and a reason why I am happy the Warriors are not facing the Broncos this week. I think with the return of those key figures, this will be addressed and fixed, but from here on out, every aspect of the Warrior's defence needs to be tightened, wrap up the ball carrier and shut down any chance of second phase footy and it makes it easier to restrict the opposition's attack. 

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Josh Curran.

Another start and another strong game from the cult hero forward; he led the game with 36 tackles and was also busy with the ball in hand, running for 173m and making a crucial line break that led to Marcelo Montoya's try. May not be the most talented player on the pitch, but he always gives it 100% and plays with heart, which I would take any day of the week; he is a true battler in every sense of the word.

It's been a strange year for Curran, spending the majority of the season riding the pine; however, if the last two rounds are anything to go by, he has built up some form and momentum, and it will make for a difficult decision for Webster to make come team naming Tuesday this week.

Warrior to Improve

My Warriors to Improve is Rocco Berry.

I was stuck between Berry and Ronald Volkman, but I went with Berry because he was one of the few regulars featured in this match.

I can't say if his knee injury from last week was a factor in this match, but he missed 5 tackles, made an error, gave away a silly penalty and struggled on the kick chase, which has been his biggest attribute this season, he had low numbers with the ball in hand, running for only 30m off 6 touches, which has been a familiar pattern this season for the young centre. An off night and another interesting proposition for Webster's team selection this week. If his knee was the reason for the decline, would you want to select him this week or move Montoya into the centres instead and bring Kosi back on the wing? 

Finals Week 1 Thoughts and Prediction

Finals Week 1 sees the Warriors remain across the ditch, moving to BlueBet Stadium to face the reigning Premier Penrith Panthers, who soundly defeated the Cowboys 44-12 in Round 27 to earn the Minor Premiership.

Regarding the team I would pick, I thought it would be easier to just name my 17, so I've put it below. In the backs, I am only stuck on the centre spot that Rocco Berry usually fills; if his knee is showing any signs of issues, I would move Montoya there and bring Ed Kosi back. If his knee is fine, I would keep him in his spot. Forwards are how they have been used for most of the season, and I have included Tohu Harris as I believe he will be playing, but I have left out Jazz Tevaga as I'm not sure if he will be fit to return yet, although I have kept Curran in the starting lineup due to his recent form but could easily see him and Ford swap around.

It's a hell of a match-up for the Warrior's first finals match in five years, facing the current champions, and many will have already written the Warriors off, but I think they have a decent shot at scoring the upset here.

The Panthers have been beaten six times this season, and the one thing that was common in those defeats was the Panthers struggling with the second phase football, similar to the Warriors (no surprise since Webby came from Penrith), they are a great defensive team with solid structure, but you can catch their scrambling defence out. So the Warriors will want to add a bit of that into their attacking plan, but in order for that to work, their errors need to come down. On top of that, their defence must be top-notch, as the Panthers can score from anywhere and through anyone. It will take a huge effort, and if the Warriors are still in the hunt at halftime, then it is anyone's game. I'm sure Webby has a few tricks up his sleeve for his old mentor, and it should be a great match.

While I will be putting my money on the Warriors and genuinely think they could walk away with the victory, I think the Panthers at home will be too tough, so I have to pick the Panthers to get the win here in a tight contest by 8 but really hope I'm wrong.

So that was disappointing but not surprising Round 27, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What changes would you make to the game day 17?

What would you do with Rocco Berry?

Do you think Webster has a few tricks up his sleeve that we have yet to see?

What is your score prediction against the Panthers?