NZ Warriors 2024 Round 24 Review: Sea Eagles Surge After the Break, Leaving Warriors Behind

After their heartbreaking Round 23 Golden Point defeat to the Dolphins, the Warriors remained on Australian soil to face the Sea Eagles. Not many, including myself, gave them any chance of walking away victors, but the return of Shaun Johnson, Luke Metcalf, Adam Pompey and Marcelo Montoya made the team look more competitive. After bringing the fight in the first half, which saw the game level at 10 all, Manly took control in the second half, holding the Warriors scoreless and cruising away to a 24-10 win.

What Went Down

After the Warriors controlled the early field position, a 40/20 by Daly Cherry-Evans swung momentum in favour of the home side. The Warriors then conceded back-to-back infringements before eventually cracking as Tom Trbojevic created an overlap that saw Jason Saab cross over in the corner after only 9 minutes. Manly kept the pressure on, but they were unable to convert their attacks into more points. The home side conceded a penalty which handed the Warriors an opportunity to get back into the contest and looked to have scored moments later when they shifted to the left before Adam Pompey barged over the line. However, bunker official Kasey Badger deemed that Cherry-Evans had been obstructed by Kurt Capewell, overturning the try. The Warriors did not drop their heads, and after Tom Trbojevic made an error, the Warriors went left again, this time to Addin Fonua-Blake, who managed to offload the ball to Shaun Johnson, who scored under the posts in the 20th minute, levelling the scores. Manly got back to work and were next to score in the 23rd minute after a great pass from Luke Brooks to Tommy Talau saw him take advantage of a gap created by Johnson and Marata Niukore before Talau sent Tommy Turbo away to touch down under the black dot. The points started to dry up as the match entered a messy period, with both sides trading ruck infringements until the Warriors wound back the clock to 2023 with a play down the right edge that saw Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad put Dallin Watene-Zelezniak over in the corner for one of his trademark dives in the 32nd minute, Luke Metcalf nailed the conversion from the side to see the scores level 10 all in what was the last scoring play of the first half.

The skies opened up at the beginning of the second half, making the game stop-and-start. The rain significantly dulled both sides' attacking efforts. Both sides traded sets, with neither able to find the much-needed points until a well-placed kick from DCE saw Reuben Garrick snatch the ball out of the air in the 53rd minute for the first points of the second half. Both sides had additional opportunities but were unable to ice them. A costly error from Pompey handed Manly the perfect chance to secure the win, and they did not let it slip when Turbo threw a cut-out pass to Lehi Hopoate, who dived over in the corner in the 68th minute; Garrick's conversion saw the Sea Eagles extended their lead to 12. With only 12 minutes to go and in conditions that did not favour comeback-style football, the Warriors were on the back foot, and it was a messy final stage of the contest with both sides trading penalties (eight players were put on report by the referee and the bunker) which saw the final scoring play of match being a penalty kick at fulltime by Garrick after Chanel Harris-Tavita was pinged for a dangerous tackle. This saw Manly the victors 24-10, keeping themselves in the hunt for a top-four finish, while the Warriors will head back to New Zealand with the goal of getting a win in Johnson's final game at Mount Smart next round.

My Thoughts

Well, it was another game where the Warriors fooled me. I came into the match ready for disappointment and a heavy, one-sided affair. However, the Warriors got my hopes up as they looked up for the game, and an upset could have been on the cards. Then, all that hope just slowly drained away as the team struggled to piece anything together in the second half. Rinse and repeat what I said last week; the attack disappeared, and they struggled to defend their mistakes and had no killer instinct. I knew they were in trouble the moment it started to rain, and it still puzzles me how this team struggles in the wet when they spend most of their time in Auckland, where it's always prone to rain. 

There is nothing but pride left to play for this season, and while I hope we see an increase in the team performances in the final two matches of 2024, I feel like they might just throw everything they have into the final home match for SJ and then not show up for the final game against the Sharks. It may just be my current pessimistic outlook, but there hasn't been much to praise in recent times, and the team continues to struggle in the same areas, so they are either unwilling or unable to adjust right now. Thankfully, the offseason reset is just around the corner, and hopefully, it becomes the turning point this club needs for the 2025 campaign.

There were a couple of things to smile about, which brings me to my positives.

Match Positives

The attack did look better in the first half. SJ and Metcalf looked to be on the same page, and the returns of Pompey and Montoya in the backs gave the attack more targets. It was still clunky, but hopefully, we will see the combinations grow for the final two rounds if they can keep the same side out on the pitch. Right now, they have to be one of the most lacklustre attacking sides in the comp, and I just want to see their attack taken seriously again. 

The finals dream was over with the exception of some divine intervention, with every game working in their favour. However, they did not throw in the towel, which has to be commended. That second half was dreadful to watch, but they were still swinging, which is precisely what I want to see from them until that final whistle blows in two weeks. 

The Warriors got through the 80 minutes with no injuries. I had concerns about SJ and Metcalf not making it through, but there were no major bumps or bruises. This is integral to this side ending the season on a higher note, as a consistent 17 is the only way this side will build cohesion. It's weird to say with the season almost over, but I want to see them bring the fight until the end.

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

Match Negatives

That second half, they started with promise but kept shooting themselves in the foot; they earned themselves a penalty and elected to run it instead of taking the two points, which, while I appreciate them wanting to put on the throat, they ended up losing the ball moments later with a poor pass/poor handling situation between SJ and Capewell. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but taking the points when they were on offer could have kept the pressure on Manly. Alas, it was a half-full of letting Manly off the hook. It feels like we haven't seen an 80-minute performance from this side for a while, and until they can deliver that, it will continue to be hard for the Warriors to put sides away.

Respect for the ball was still lacking, and the Warriors made 12 errors in this match; now, while the weather did not make things easy, plenty of the errors were coach-killers with wayward passes and poor play of the balls. Handing the Sea Eagles 12 extra sets was just setting them up for failure; the team is low on confidence, so the 50/50's that may have worked in the past are just not sticking right now, so just stick to basics until they nail that, then look to expand. It's the old cliche of learning to walk before you run.

Lastly, the Warriors discipline, I know they don't get a fair rub of the green when they have Chris Butler as the official, but they conceded 7 penalties in this match, and there were only a handful I would have argued with. In the same vein as the errors, the Warriors are not a good enough team right now to just hand a team an easy 7 extra sets. It's hard when you feel like the officials are not giving you a fair go, but you have to adjust in real-time to how the official you have is running the game and not allow them to ping you regardless of whether you think it is valid or not. That is easier said than done, I know, but the Warriors have to be extra squeaky clean every week if they want to avoid being penalized out of the contest.

Warrior of the Match

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

Another big game from the big bopper upfront. He played big minutes and had 149 running metres and 60 post-contact metres. He also had 35 tackles with only 1 miss and no errors. I had plenty of concerns that AFB would clock off this season, especially when finals started to look more like a dream than a reality. However, for the most part, he has consistently been one of the best forwards on the field every time he has been out there. A massive loss for the Warriors, and he will have a significant impact on the Sharks; it will be a shame to see him go in just a few weeks.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve is Marata Niukore.

A quiet night for Niukore here, the only starting forward to not crack the triple digits, making only 55 running metres. Did make 27 tackles with only 2 missed and conceded a penalty. It wasn't a horrible game, but it was a flat game; I just expected a bit more punch out of the big unit. 

He has the potential to be a game-breaker out on the edge. He just needs to deliver.

Next Round Thoughts and Prediction

The Warriors return home for their final home game of the season to face the Bulldogs, who defeated the Dolphins 30-10 in Round 24.

Regarding the team I would pick, I would keep it the same unless Wayde Egan is fit to play; if he is ok, I would bring him back into Hooker. 

The Bulldogs have been the fairytale team of 2024, similar to how the Warriors were last season. They are the only team yet to be defeated at home; however, their record away is poor (3-8), so the journey to New Zealand may not be as easy as you would think if you looked at the ladder. They will be coming desperate for a win to keep themselves in the hunt for a top 4 finish, but the Warriors will be looking at giving SJ a victory in his final match at Mount Smart. So this has all the makings of a special night. If the Warrior's combinations can click better, turn opportunities into points, and reduce their errors, then they can walk away victors. I think and hope the Warriors get the job done, but I am going with a Bulldogs win by 8; I just think the desire to make the top 4 will get them across the line.

So, that was a disappointing  Round 24, but as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who would be your halves pairing in 2025?

Would you make any changes to the 17 this week?

Who was your player to improve?

What is your score prediction against the Bulldogs?