NZ Warriors 2018 Round 4 Review: Streak continues in Rooster romp

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After last weeks breathtaking come from behind victory over the Raiders, the Warriors ventured to Sydney to face premier contenders the Sydney Roosters.

With Sam Lisone, James Gavet and Shaun Johnson out for this matchup, many (including myself) had doubts that the Warriors would be able to go 4-0.
But the Warriors did not allow self-doubt to come into play, and they made easy work of the Roosters winning 30-6.

The Warriors could be the real deal in 2018, they have struggled in the past to win without Shaun Johnson, in fact, this was the first time the Warriors have won without their star halfback since 2014.
When the Roosters walked over for an easy try in the first three minutes of the match I sighed, it looked like the Warriors of old were back again but that was the only time the Roosters competed in this match which leads me to my positives of the game.

The Warriors finally reduced the penalties conceding only eight, it would be great to reduce this further, but single digit penalties is an improvement from the first three rounds.
If the Warriors can continue to keep the penalties low while also maintaining the aggression that they have shown in 2018 they will increase their chances of winning tenfold.
I was also impressed that their 80% completion rate did not affect the ability to offload with the Warriors still having sixteen offloads for the match.

This takes the Warriors to the top of the offload leaderboard with 71 for the season, this shows that the Warriors are more refined with their off the cuff play, no longer throwing no hope offloads that they use to, this, in my opinion, makes them a dangerous side to deal with.
Issac Luke continued to threaten running from dummy half, Bunty Afoa was strong once again in his first start of the year, and the rest of the front rowers gave a good platform for the backs to work with.
Tohu Harris, Leivaha Pulu and Adam Blair were a powerful back row combination, and I feel that Adam Blair and Tohu Harris stepped up in Shaun Johnson's absence and added playmaking options to the Warriors.

I also liked watching the Warriors not take their foot off the Roosters throat.
In years gone by if the Warriors have achieved a good lead, they have had the habit of resting on their laurels and leaving the door open for their opposition to creep back into the match, but the resolve in this Warriors side is so different from the Warriors of the past 5-6 years.
The Roosters made a lot of errors in this match, and the Warriors took advantage, finetuning is still required as they have teams coming up that will not gift them as much possession.
The scrambling defence and goalline defence continues to shine week in, and week out, teams are struggling to find a way through and if the Warriors will need to keep this up with some tough opponents coming in the next four rounds.
The Warriors have looked strong after the first month of the season, but there is still a lot of room for improvement which leads me to my negatives.

To be honest, I don't have too many negatives this week, the right edge defence rushed in which lead to the Roosters try in the early stages but they did sort that out.
The Warriors defence seems to get better the closer they get to their own try line, but they can be exposed in the middle of the field, the Warriors have been able to cover for this with the scrambling defence but toughening up their defensive line in enemy territory is a must.

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My Warrior of the game goes to Blake Green.
Blake has been a standout in every game this year, but the way he lead this team to victory was great to watch.
He didn't overplay his hand, dealt a massive blow to the Roosters when he kicked a 40/20 when they were out of position and played to the high level that we have come to expect from him.
The way Mason Lino was able just to slot in and do his job is a testament to the impact Blake has on this team.
There are talks across the ditch of Blake possibly being a State of Origin call-up this season if his form continues, this would be great for Blake, but the selfish fan in me wants him to play for the Warriors in those rounds instead.
Blake currently in my mind is one of the best signings this club has made, and I believe the best from him is yet to come.

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For the second time this season I could not pinpoint a Warrior that needed to improve, but I did want to mention Mason Lino.
Mason will most likely never be the Warriors (or any NRL club) go to halfback but when the situation arises Mason is never shy from giving it his all.
Mason is taking the opportunity to learn from some fantastic halves in the time he has spent with the club, and the growth he has shown in his game management is tremendous.
When the last tackle option fell to him, he was able to force repeat sets and put the Roosters under pressure which is what he needed to do.
100% goal kicking for the match as well as a try was a great way to cap off Mason's first ever first-grade win.
If Shaun ends up being out for more than just this week, I am confident that Mason can make the fans proud of his contribution.

Round 5 the Warriors return to Mount Smart to face the North Queensland Cowboys in an epic doubleheader on Saturday with the Melbourne Storm and West Tigers also playing at Mount Smart that night.
The crowd is bound to be a large one and will have some work to do to up the atmosphere that the Warriors fans in Sydney put on in Round 4 (big props to those fans, it sounded like a home game).
This match is the first of three in a row that the Warriors will play at home, and the Warriors need to make a statement.
The Cowboys and Broncos are next up for the Warriors, and both sides are not playing their best right now so now is the time for the Warriors to take advantage.

I'm picking the Warriors again here with a 10 point win over the Cowboys.
I honestly can't wait for this doubleheader, some quality players will be on display in both matches, and it should be a great night, rumours are that this will be a sellout so it will be awesome to be in packed Mount Smart once again.

So that was my take on a well-executed Round 4 performance, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who was your player of the day?
If Shaun is still struggling with his groin would you rest him again this week?
Was there any player that you think needs to improve after their Round 4 performance?
What is your score prediction for Round 5?

NZ Warriors 2018 Round 3 Review: New attitude shines through in historic victory

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After their 2-0 season start the Nz Warriors ventured to the Australian Capital to face the 0-2 Canberra Raiders.

The Warriors have never started a season 3-0 and very seldom taste victory in Canberra but this is no longer the Warriors of old, and they created a breathtaking come from behind victory to win 20-19.

Wow, this was indeed a heart in mouth game to witness.

My emotions were all over the place, but unlike 2017 I had the belief that the Warriors could come from behind and get the win.

This leads me to my positives from the match.

The attitude and self-belief this team has is fantastic, they were never ahead on the scoreboard until the dying seconds, but they kept their kept heads up and kept pushing forward.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck with more try saving antics on the goal line just showed the passion that is flowing from this team.

It took repeat penalties (More on that in my negatives), and the Warriors being reduced to twelve men for the Raiders to get over the try line.

10 minutes into the match the Warriors were 12-0 down, the Warriors had been tackling for what seemed an age but it was the Raiders that started to look tired, this was evident when the Warriors charged down the field and scored on only their second opportunity with the ball in hand.

The Warriors defence was still patchy, but when someone dropped off a tackle, there was another player ready to clean up.

This Raiders side reminded me a lot of the 2017 Warriors, with about twenty minutes to go the Raiders started trying to protect their lead instead of adding to it, and much like the 2017 Warriors they watched the opposition catch up and pass them.

There were several games last year like this match where the Warriors needed to set up and nail a field goal, but Shaun Johnson and the team did not get themselves in position correctly and looked lost.

Well, this team learnt from those lessons, and with two minutes on the clock, they didn't rush or panic they were composed and charged down the field and Shaun slotted the required field goals with relative ease.

A special mention needs to go to Sam Lisone who stayed on his feet on the last tackle to achieve the quick play the ball needed to give Shaun that extra time to ensure his kick would be accurate.

The forwards ran hard and fast again and really set the platform, Bunty Afoa, and Jazz Tevaga showed enormous impact from the bench, I like Sam Cook, but I think Jazz offers more to the side with Issac playing 80 minutes again.

Shaun didn't run as much as he did in rounds one and two but he also didn't overplay his hand, Tohu Harris was causing all kinds of problems for the Raiders edge, so you cant really blame Shaun for just getting him the ball in space.

Shaun delivered when the Warriors needed him most, and you cant ask for much more than that.

Fitness shined through yet again, the Raiders were clearly gassed very early on in the second half, and the Warriors looked like they could have continued playing for another half.

If upcoming games are as tight as this then that fitness level could easily prove the difference between a win or loss.

However, we have yet to see a perfect performance from this Warriors side which leads me to my negatives for Round 3.

Penalties, I feel like I could save a template for my review and have penalties as my top negative as the Warriors are conceding far too many still.

In the first ten minutes, the Warriors conceded 6 penalties, and the sin-binning of Adam Blair put the Warriors on the backfoot.

If the Warriors were playing the Storm or the Cowboys, this could have easily have cost them more than 12 points.

The defence needs work, as much as I like what Peta Hiku has been offering on attack, his defence is really letting him down.
Peta is missing far too many tackles on his edge, with Gerald Beale returning from injury soon and Blake Ayshford waiting in the wings if he doesn't show improvement quick he may find himself relegated to the reserve grade.

Fortunately these issues the Warriors currently have are easy to work on and if they can iron these kinks out, they are going to be tough to beat.

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My Warrior of the game for the second week in a row goes to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

Roger continues to put his body on the line for this team, the enthusiasm he shows after making these big tackles is infectious.

He leads the Warriors in running metres and line breaks, and I don't see any signs of him slowing down.

This is the best Roger has been since signing with the Warriors and with Roger, Blake Green and Shaun Johnson controlling this backline the Warriors are always going to be dangerous with the ball in hand.

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My Warrior who needs to improve is Adam Blair.

With the Warriors conceding back to back penalties and the referee warning Roger that if the Warriors continued to infringe that he would send someone to the bin, the last thing an experienced player like Adam should have done was throw a late hit at Aiden Sezer.

If Adam had not been sin-binned, I don't believe the Raiders would have scored the 12 points they did, and the Warriors would have run away with an easy win.

I do like the pressure Adam brings to the opposition halves on fifth tackle options, but he needs to find a better balance.

Round four has the Warriors travelling to Sydney to face the 2-1 Sydney Roosters.

This is going to be the biggest challenge the Warriors have faced in 2018 so far.

The Roosters looked rusty in round one but have really started to mesh, and with new recruit Cooper Cronk leading the side they are going to be tough for the Warriors to overcome.

After being sited Adam Blair and Sam Lisone have both plead guilty, and Adam is available to play, but Sam is suspended for the match, so I assume Albert Vete will be coming in for Sam.

Call me an optimist, but I'm picking the Warriors to claim victory here by four.

So that was an exciting Round 3, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who was your player of the day?

What is your biggest concern in the Warriors performances to date?

Who would you bring in to replace Sam Lisone?

What are your score predictions for the Warriors Roosters clash?

NZ Warriors 2018 Round 2 Review: Warriors continue winning ways in Mt Smart return

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After their first-ever win in Perth, the Warriors made the journey home to Mount Smart Stadium for the first time in 2018 to face the Gold Coast Titans.
Buoyed by their first-round performance and their impressive record against the Titans the Warriors came into round two as heavy favourites and followed through never looking in danger with a resounding 20-8 victory.

The Warriors continued from where they left off in round one, and it is hard to deny that it wasn't exciting to watch them play "Warriors Football" again live which leads me into my positives from the match.

The Offloads are back!!!
28 offloads in this match was a sight to behold for this Warriors fan, sometimes I think the Warriors offloaded in situations where it may have been better to just take the tackle, but it was nice to see them throw the ball around with confidence.
Even though they started the match slowly, they were always in control, even with only 43% of the possession they were able to keep the pressure on the Titans who sorely missed Ashley Taylor.
Tohu Harris was a handful for the entire match and has already made an impressive combination with Peta Hiku and David Fusitu'a on the right edge.
Speaking of which David Fusitu'a had another strong outing scoring another two tries to take his 2018 tally up to four.
The forwards impressed me again, hitting the defensive line with intent and always threating to create second phase football.
With Isaiah Papalii getting injured in the early stages of the first half the interchange forwards was relied on for more minutes, and they delivered.
If the Warriors are to cement themselves at the top of the table, the forwards will need to continue tormenting the opposition without letting up.
Blake Green continues to impress me, Ryan James was quoted in the post-match press conference saying that he believes Blake is the Warriors best ever signing.
That's a big call but so far he has performed well above my already lofty preseason expectation of him, and long may it continue.
I was also impressed that the Warriors didn't seem to let up, in years past the Warriors have been guilty of letting their foot off the gas when they appeared to be cruising towards a win.
This year so far they have been pushing forward from start to finish trying to convert any opportunity into points.
They also kept their heads in the game, their new huddle is working wonders so far, at the 76-minute mark when the Titan finally managed to score a try the Warriors didn't drop their heads, they focussed and made sure it was the last try the Titans got.
If the Warriors can keep this level consistently and work on some finetuning, I believe that they are going to cause a lot of headaches for their upcoming opponents.
Finetuning leads me to my negatives.
This was not a perfect performance by any means, but the weak parts of the Warriors performance can be worked on and improved which is a good situation for the Warriors to be in.
Penalties are still an issue, they were penalised less this round but giving a more quality side easy possession and field position could cause a lot of grief for the Warriors.
Errors and missed tackles need to be reduced substantially, but they did make an improvement on Round one's effort, so they are at least heading in the right direction.
The Titans had three tries disallowed by the bunker, It would have been interesting to see how the Warriors would have reacted if those tries were allowed.
How would they react if they had to play catch up football?
We may find that out as that situation may still arise in the upcoming months, but Im hopeful that they are able to stay composed when they behind on the scoreboard.
There wasn't too much more that I could crack down on.
To be honest, you may have seen more if you were watching from home as I find watching the game live at the ground I do tend to miss a few things so let me know if I have missed any negatives that need to be worked on.

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My Warrior of the game goes to Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
What a start to the season Roger has had, the stats speak for themselves.
232 running metres from 26 runs, 3 line breaks and 5 offloads.
Roger had a field day in his return to Mount Smart and was continually threatening the Titans defensive line.
With his contract situation all finalised in the offseason, it has allowed him to focus on performing on the field and leading this team.
Roger is still a young captain and likes to lead by example, and the pride and passion he is playing with currently is infectious, and I feel that his 2018 can only get better.

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It was hard to pick a player to name my player who needs to improve, but I have gone with Peta Hiku.
This was not an easy selection as Peta had an excellent game with the ball in hand but on the defensive side of the game, he still left a lot to be desired.
Too many times Peta jersey grabbed when going in for the tackle instead of going for the man and this lead to several missed tackles.
Peta is a proving a good centre to pair with David Fusitu'a he just needs to get his defensive effort to match his attack if he can do that he will be well on the well to avoiding my player to improve chapter for the rest of the season.

For the first time since 2009, the Warriors are 2-0, and they make their way to Canberra to face the 0-2 Raiders.
The Warriors have never started a season 3-0, and their record in Canberra is mediocre (3 wins in 15 appearances), but I feel that this is the Warriors team that can set the new starting record for the club and im picking them to win by 8.
The Raiders have looked competitive in defeat so far this season and will push the Warriors to their limit in what should be an exciting encounter that I am looking forward too.

So that was a promising Round 2, and so far I am happy with the way the Warriors are progressing, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who was your player of the day?
What is your biggest concern right now?
How big a loss is Isaiah Papalii?
What is your score prediction for the round 3 match with the Raiders?