NZ Warriors 2024 Round 6 Review: Sea Eagles and Warriors Share Spoils in Intense 22-22 Stalemate

After their big win over the Rabbitohs, the Warriors returned to Auckland to host the Manly Sea Eagles.

In typical Auckland weather that couldn't make up its mind, the Sea Eagles started strong and looked to have the Warriors' number, but the home side dug deep and managed to force the match to Golden Point. Neither side could nail the victory, leading to this season's first draw, 22 all.

What Went Down

Both sides went set for set in the opening ten minutes before Manly seized their opportunity when Tom Trbojevic's close-range surge led to a fortuitous deflection, which was grounded by Daly Cherry-Evans. A second error from Jackson Ford gave Manly an opportunity to apply further pressure but despite a clever grubber from DCE, the Warriors managed to release some of the pressure by regaining possession from the short dropout. In the 24th minute, a slick move down the left flank saw Tommy Talau's precise kick set up DCE for his second try of the evening. Minutes later, some solid defence from Talau and Jake Trbojevic forced a Warriors error, allowing Tommy Turbo to send Talau over untouched to score the third try of the contest. 

An error from Manly in the 30th minute opened the door for the Warriors, who fired the ball out wide to Marcelo Montoya, but he was tackled over the sideline by Ben Trbojevic. The Warriors kept plugging away and finally found themselves getting some points with back-to-back tries, first when Tohu Harris fired a flat pass to Jazz Tevaga to crash over under the posts, then Dallin Watene-Zelezniak snatched an intercept to run over 50 metres to score and end the half with the Warriors trailing 16-12.

The Warriors looked certain to be the first team to score but appeared to panic on the last tackle, with the ball ending up in Addin Fonua-Blake's hands; his attempted offload went to the ground before being latched onto by Manly. The Sea Eagles then got a helping hand up the field from a Kurt Capewell penalty before crossing for the first try of the second when DCE sent passed the ball to Ben Trbojevich, who found a gap between Te Maire Martin and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck; this saw Manly extend their lead back out to 12 points. It was almost ten minutes before another scoring play developed when Shaun Johnson broke the line and backed himself as he evaded Turbo and dived over the line; he missed the conversion, which would prove to be a crucial miss. The try looked to reinvigorate both the Warriors and the home crowd as they surged up the field before a Johnson kick hit the posts, but the Warriors could not turn it into points as Tom Ales's offload went to ground. This saw the game become a mix of errors and staunch defence as both sides forced their opposite to start their sets from deep within their own halves. The Warrior's defence forced a few mistakes and spent a lot of time with the ball in hand but struggled to convert that possession into much-needed points until the 79th minute, where a delayed Johnson offload saw DWZ cross over in the corner to reduce the Sea Eagles lead to 2 points with a minute to go. The Warriors took little time to try and win the contest in the dying stages, rushing up the field before Johnson attempted a two-point field goal that missed as the final siren went, but we would not be done yet as the bunker was brought into the action when Chris Butler asked them to check the contact of Johnson from Josh Aloiai who deemed a penalty was worthy, which Johnson then slotted to see the scores level to send the match into Golden Point.

Both sides traded errors early on in overtime, but neither side could take advantage as the overtime period went the distance, with the only scoring opportunities coming from missed field goals from DCE and Johnson to see the game end as the first draw in 2024.

My Thoughts

Well, that was a rollercoaster of emotions. At 16-0 after the first 30 minutes, it looked like it was going to be a long night, but those two quick tries kept them in the hunt. That late-game comeback was an amazing situation to be in the Stadium for, especially when we have had to watch the opposition do that to the Warriors. Unfortunately, their game went backwards a little after I praised it last week. The defence, at times, was exposed, and the attack was just a touch out of sync. The final penalty, which forced the game into Golden Point, I don't deem as a penalty, but going off what happened last week to Freddy Lussick, they had to give it, so I will take it.

The issues I had with the performance are easy to address and correct, so I expect to see a vast improvement this week as the Warriors hit a series of games against bottom 9 teams.

It's disappointing not to get the win here, but after that fightback, I think they deserved the draw. Who knows what that single point could mean towards the end of the season? It could be a difference maker in their earning a higher spot without relying on points differential.

There were a few things to smile about this week, which brings me to my positives.

Match Positives

The defence in the final stages of regular time and then in Golden Point was impressive; they worked together and continually drove Manly backwards, aiding them in relieving the pressure and reapplying it on the Sea Eagles. It was a key factor in them getting back into the contest, and if they could bring that defensive structure to every game for 80 minutes, they would be in the driver's seat to get the win. 

AFB had another big game; with the injury to Bunty Afoa last week and then the Jazz Tevaga injury during this match, the front rows stocks are now scraping the barrel, so AFB had to put in the work and played for 74 minutes, ran for 196m and made 47 tackles. He has a hell of a motor on him, and I think the Warriors will be leaning on him until some of those experienced forwards return. Man, I am going to miss him in 2025, but I'm going to just enjoy watching him in 2024.

Lastly, the fightback, as I already mentioned, the Warriors were behind 16-0 in the first 30, and many teams would have simply given up, but they kept plugging away, trying to get back into the contest and refused to quit. This is the most important thing I want to see from the team every week, just give it 100% and never hang your head and throw in the towel. There will be games this year where the opposition may string a few tries together and build a lead, but after this effort, the side knows they have what it takes to get back into the fight, and that will be a great confidence builder for the rest of the season.

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

Match Negatives

I praised the late-stage defence, but the defence in the first hour of this game was a big concern; they were not working as a unit with DCE making easy work of their structure and tore them to shreds. The Sea Eagles troubled the Warriors with their second phase football, which was a concern I had with the Warrior's defence in 2023. It needs to be something that Webster and his team work on quickly. As you can imagine, the rest of the NRL teams will have this weakness noted and will look to utilise it. 

The errors killed any chances of the Warriors building momentum. They made 13 errors in this match, and while some of them may have been a bit dodgy, the Warriors cannot just give away that much free ball; in wet conditions, there were moments when they forced the passes while they played catchup footy, and they just didn't stick. Again, another aspect of their game that can be fixed is that they just have to focus, communicate, and not panic.

Lastly, the officials, before I move on, I am not trying to blame the referees. Still, I think Chris Butler had a very average game (in fact, you could say it was an average weekend for the officials in most games); watching in the Stadium, I had a decent view of the contest. Most of the time, Manly was not going back ten, and a few of the knock-ons and stripping calls seemed a bit dubious. Plus, the kick disruptor call was ridiculous and seemed to be the new conversation starter, with it being called in a few matches. It is another black-and-white rule that needs a bit of grey added a bit like the kick charge-down calls, which again, I think was a harsh call against Manly here; the officials have not been at the desired level so far in 2024, and hopefully, there will be some improvement soon because it takes some of the joy out of watching all eight games every week for me.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the Match goes to Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

CNK just brings 100% effort whenever he is on the pitch. He ran for 346 metres, had 8 tackle breaks, and was a constant threat to create opportunities with the ball in hand. He is just all heart and makes this team better by being on the pitch. Very sound under the high ball and doesn't shy away from doing the hard yards when the Warriors need him to. I was hoping to see him and RTS link up more than we saw here, but that combination will come in time.

Also, the chatter about RTS moving to the fullback spot is still around, but it is getting quieter, which is great because I am team CNK Fullback.

Warrior to Improve

My Player to improve is Jackson Ford.

Ford's second selection of the season was a tough one this week, with a few players not having the best nights. He was good defensively, making 48 tackles with only 2 misses, but he led the Warriors with 3 errors, and kind of went into his shell after that, with only 6 runs against his name. He is a very solid player, but when he gets a case of the dropsies, he finds it hard to shake, which is a shame as his line running is fantastic, and when he holds onto the ball, he is hard to top. He was taken off the field in the 75th minute, which is unusual for the 80-minute player, but at the stage of the game, the Warriors needed players out there that they could trust to hold onto the ball. I'm expecting a big bounceback from him this week, which he may need, with Jacob Laban continuing to impress with the small chances he is getting.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

In Round 7, the Warriors head back across the ditch to WIN Stadium to face the Dragons, who defeated the Wests Tigers 24-12 in Round 6.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep it the same. With Jazz Tevaga out due to his hamstring injury, it means the Warriors need to grab a youngster, so I think this week is the time to give Zyon Maiu'i his shot. I hope it happens, as I have big wraps on him and want to see him knock it out of the park.

If any of you have read my stuff for a while, you would know I do not like the Dragons at all. They have been a bit up and down this season. They are not a great team, but Ben Hunt is always dangerous, and Zac Lomax has been an amazing attacking weapon on the wing. So he will be their main target, and the Warriors will need to keep him quiet, which is easier said than done.

The Warriors need to reduce their errors and stick to their game plan of controlling the middle, pushing those kicks to the corner, and forcing the Dragons to play from deep within their own half.

If they do that for 80 minutes, they should walk away with a convincing win, so I am going all in and picking the Warriors to win by 18.

So, that was a tense Round 6, but as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who would you bring in for Jazz?

Would you drop Ford for Laban or give him more time?

How would you improve the NRL officiating?

What is your score prediction against the Dragons?