NZ Warriors 2024 Round 17 Review: Warriors Ride Back Into Winners Circle With Victory Over Broncos

After their embarrassing Round 15 defeat to the Titans, the Warriors returned home to face the Broncos. The Warriors controlled possession early on and finished many of their opportunities, finding themselves back in the winner's circle with a 36-16 victory.

What Went Down

The Warriors hit the ground running, building pressure with their kicking game and defence, forcing the Broncos into making several errors, which handed the Warriors good field possession. They wasted little time, and in the 9th minute, Chanel Harris-Tavita broke the line and dived across the line for the first points of the evening. The home side kept forcing the Broncos to play from deep within their own half, and when they made a few more errors, the Warriors pounced again when Te Maire Martin finished off a strong Adam Pompey run by catching the markers sleeping, sniping out of the ruck for the second try of the night, seeing the Warriors lead 12-0 in the 16th minute. The sides started to trade sets and errors for a spell until a TMM grubber deflected off a Broncos player, and Harris-Tavita then beat Kotoni Staggs to the loose ball by cms for his second try of the night in the 27th minute. An error from the Warriors saw the Broncos finally get some possession in good field position and wasted little time when they put up a kick to the corner, which Marcelo Montoya dropped, which allowed Deine Mariner to scoop it and touch down for the Bronco's first try of the night in the 30th minute. The Warriors looked to regather the momentum as they surged up the field before, in the 36th minute, CHT evaded tacklers to cross for his third try; however, the Bunker deemed that Pompey had obstructed the Broncos and denied the try in what was the final play of note in the first half, seeing the Warriors go into the sheds leading 16-6.

The Broncos started the second half in a better mindset, running with intent in their first set, but the Warriors responded with a strong set of their own, ending with a big kick to the corner that Mariner looked to have knocked on. The official said play on, and the Warriors' defence saw the Broncos stuck within their own ten meters until a penalty for a high shot by Marata Niukore relieved the pressure. Selwyn Cobbo broke the line before flicking the ball to Ezra Mam, who was held up over the line, but the pass was deemed forward. Mam was involved again on the next set when he hit a 40/20, putting the Broncos in prime position again and, with the assistance of back-to-back six again calls, they were camped on the Warriors line for a spell, but they struggled to break through but earned themselves a dropout when they pushed a grubber through that was grounded by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, the Warriors attempted a short drop out which was caught by Cobbo who turned and sprinted down the sideline and looked to have scored; however, the Bunker advised that he had knocked it on and the Broncos were awarded a penalty due to CNK not using arms in the try saving tackle. The Broncos kept pushing, and with another six again called in their favour, they spread the ball out to the right, with Tristian Sailor sending Mariner over in the 51st minute to reduce the Warrior's lead to 6. The home side got back on track and, a few sets later, extended their lead in the 58th minute when a TMM grubber bounced up perfectly for Tuivasa-Sheck to snatch and cross to extend their lead to 22-10. With a decent lead, the Warriors had control but left the door open for the visitors with another error and dangerous tackle penalty combo, and the Broncos looked to their giant Xavier Willison to bust the game open, charging up the middle to carry several defenders over the line as he scored in the 64th minute leaving the Warriors fans sitting on the edge of their seats of another potential last-minute defeat. The fans were able to lean back in their seats only a few sets later in the 68th minute when TMM kicked to the corner for Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to pluck out of the sky before touching down. With a healthy lead and time running out, the Warriors decided they were not done yet as Freddy Lussick scored the final try of the night in the 72nd minute with a nice wrap-around play between him and Mitchell Barnett to see the Warriors end their 2-game losing streak with a 32-16 victory and extending the Broncos losing streak out to 4 matches.

My Thoughts

Well, that was a step back in the right direction after that dreadful after on the Gold Coast, I came into the match low on confidence, but as the game drew closer, that optimism started to sneak back in, especially when the Broncos announced that their Origin stars would not back up. The Warriors were not perfect, but against a team with many outs, they didn't just squeak out a tight win. They got a 16-point victory, which is precisely what the Doctor ordered. Many of the issues we saw last week improved, and the team seemed back on the same page. Despite being clunky at times, they worked as a unit, kept things relatively simple, and executed most of their opportunities. They missed a few scoring chances and need to reduce those six-again calls, but this is a good starting point as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive. The ladder is tight right now, and to stay in the mix, they just need to keep winning. It won't be easy, but if it was, then it wouldn't be the NRL. 

There was a bit to smile about, which brings me to my positives.

Match Positives

The forwards were back in a big way after missing the bus last week. Only three players cracked the triple-digit target I have set for them, Mitchell Barnett (184m), Dylan Walker (174m) and Addin Fonua-Blake (164m), all setting the platform, and most of the others in the pack were not far behind. We saw last week how poor the backs play if the big boys up front don't lay the platform, so as long as they play more like this from now on the Warriors will always have a fighting chance. 

The attack was still a bit clunky, but with the momentum the forwards built, we got to see Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita put the backs into scoring situations with a good mix of kicking options and passing plays. With SJ out for at least another three weeks, we will get to see the partnership of TMM and CHT build, and this should put them in the right spot to string wins together. 

The team's attitude improved tenfold from last week. Sitting at the game, I saw no bickering, and the teams all stood up and gave their all on both sides of the ball. This is all we really ask from the team week in and week out; if they give their all, everything else will fall into place. Putting my tinfoil hat on, I think the return of Barnett did wonders; you can see on the field that he is leading the troops in the huddles and just leads from the front and has to be almost a sure thing for player of the year honours at the end of the season.

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

Match Negatives

The Warriors' defence improved here, but they still struggled to defend on the back of penalties and errors. It wasn't a game-defining issue, but this could have turned the tide against a team with more strike power. It's just an attitude thing, and they need to be switched on from start to finish; on a positive note, it is something that they can work on.

The discipline was an issue; they conceded 7 penalties, gave away 2 ruck infringements and 2 inside the ten calls. That isn't the end of the world, and some of those calls were 50/50 at best, but several times during the contest, the Warriors just let off all the pressure they had created with a silly mistake. They just need to play to the whistle and keep squeaky clean as best as they can.

They just need to ice more of their opportunities; they left a few points on the field, and while it didn't cost them this match, it potentially could in the future. A few more weeks with the same squad named will help with the cohesion, and this should see them nail more of those scoring chances. It is just going to take some more reps.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Te Maire Martin. Well, the Warriors are now 4-0 with TMM in the number 7, and he had a hell of a game here, playing a hand in 4 tries and scoring 1 himself. While he doesn't have the big boot of SJ, he is making up for it with his kick selection and just smart attacking plays. He is not as talented as SJ, but this team just seems to respond better when he leads the attack right now, which is all I care about. It will make for an interesting time for Webster when SJ is fit again.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve goes to Marcelo Montoya. It was hard to pick a player here this week, but I thought Montoya was the guy who pulled the short straw. He was busy running the ball out of the Warriors' half, ending the match with 127m, but he also made 2 errors, gave away a penalty, and had trouble marking Mariner. He is the only back at risk of demotion when the likes of Rocco Berry are ready to return.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

The Warriors head across to Sydney to face the Bulldogs, who defeated the Sharks in Golden Point in Round 17.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep the same 17, as they always say, don't change a winning side.

The Bulldogs have really turned things around this season and are edging closer to a top-four spot, but they have only earned one more win than the Warriors and have been playing a similar style, which may come from the former Panthers assistants having similar playbooks. They are no easy beats, and if the Warriors give away silly penalties again, then they could be in a world of trouble; however, if the Warriors pack can dominate the middle and the team can keep Matt Burton from unleashing his big boot, deny Stephen Crichton from any space and not get affected by Reed Mahoney's niggle, then they have a big chance of getting a much-needed win. It will be challenging, but I am backing the Warriors here, so I am picking a Warriors win by 6.

So, that was an improved Round 17, but as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who was your player of the match?

Would you make any changes to the 17?

Do you think the Warrior's finals dreams are over?

What is your score prediction against the Bulldogs?