NZ Warriors 2022 Round 9 Review: Warriors hit an embarrassingly new low against undermanned Sharks

After the Round eight Golden Point victory over the Raiders, the Warriors made the journey to PointsBet Stadium to face the Sharks. It looked like the Warriors had an easy path to victory with the Sharks reduced to 12 men for 64 minutes and then 11 men for ten minutes, but that was not the case as the Sharks cruised home with a dominant 29-10 victory.

For a breakdown of how the match went, check out my match report at the link below.

Ingers League Wrap-Up Round 9 Match Report

After thinking the Warriors hit rock bottom two weeks ago against the Storm, they proved me wrong with a horrible effort against the Sharks, becoming the first team since 2008 to lose against 12 men.

Granted I predicted the Sharks to win this match, but playing just over an hour without 13 men is meant to be tough, but the Warriors made it look like they had the disadvantage. They were horrible defensively and even worse with the ball in hand, and they will need to do a lot of soul searching this week if they want to climb out of the hole they have dug themselves.

For the first time in a while, I am lost for words on a Warriors performance, this match raised plenty of red flags, and I'm not sure if they have the players or staff to fix it, but as always, I will have my fingers crossed for a bounceback.

There wasnt much to smile about this week, but I managed to find some glimmers of hope, which leads me to my positives from the match.

Match Positives

The match is over; take the lessons on board and move on.

We are another week closer to getting Tohu Harris back, I'm not saying he would have changed the outcome of this match by any means, but his experience and leadership are needed now more than ever.

This was one of the worst performances of the year, but this may be the result needed to either wake the players up or open the door to bring in other players to give them a shot. They have some inexperienced players like Junior Ratuva and Pride Petterson-Robati that could be given a chance to stake their claim at starting spots, and now that the Warriors are at an all-time low, it could be the time to blood some new talent. The question remains if they will wake up; however, the Storm match would have done that as you would think.

However, I had plenty of concerns, which brings me to my negatives from the game.

Match Negatives

The Warrior's attack was woeful; they ran around like headless chickens for large patches of the game and were simply too impatient. They had the numbers in their favour and just needed to play smart, and the points would come. However, they just started throwing the ball around and making terrible last tackle options. They should have been pushing for repeat sets to wear the Sharks down, but they simply refused. The playmakers needed to step up and control the match, but they didn't. I'm not sure if they have a poor attacking game plan or just don't know how to execute it, but perhaps they need to go back to the drawing board? A huge missed opportunity that they may come to regret at the backend of the season.

I have been calling for Justin Morgan to be shown the door, and each week his defensive gameplan strengthens my argument. The Warriors missed 45 tackles, and their poor defensive reads led to a team with 12 (and even when they were down to 11), creating overlaps constantly. When they did make tackles, they were not committing to wrapping the ball carrier up, which saw the Sharks go on an offload frenzy, ending the match with 19 offloads.

I criticised the Warrior's lack of heart against the Storm, but I will highlight the lack of leadership this week. This was a game that should have been easily put away, and when things started to go off the rails, the Warriors needed the leaders to pull them together and get everyone on the same page. That didn't happen, and it looked like everyone was just doing their own thing; it doesn't matter how talented you are as an individual; you cannot compete in the NRL on your own; you need to work together.

Lastly, the use of the interchange, Nathan Brown left Addin Fonua-Blake and Matt Lodge off the park for too long. The Warrior's effort dropped dramatically when they were on the bench, and the writing was on the wall by the time they finally returned. They are leaders in this side, and having them both off together for a large portion of the match hurt the sides' performance. I believe the Warriors need to have at least one of these two men on the park at all times, so they need to change how they use the bench and maybe even have one of them come off the bench instead of starting. Brown has plenty to work on this week, and he must be feeling the pressure with a month of less than stellar efforts.

Warrior of the Match

My Warrior of the match goes to Matt Lodge. 

I struggled to pick a player this week as I was that disappointed with the performance, but Lodge was one of the few that I thought out his hand up. He ran for 144 metres and was the only forward to crack the triple digits, and just looked like he was giving it 100%, which is not something you could say about many of his teammates. He was aggressive defensively, too, constantly getting in Dale Finucane's face. If even half of the gameday 17 showed up with his effort, the Warriors would be a dangerous outfit.

Warrior to Improve

My Warrior to improve goes to Shaun Johnson. 

He started the match well but then just slipped away; this match was tailormade for him to create havoc, but instead, he was making far too many poor decisions on attack. With AFB sitting on the pine, the Warriors needed SJ to step up and lead them to the promised land, but he passed the buck to the inexperienced players around him, and the Warriors suffered because of it. He knows how to force repeat set after repeat set, but that facet of his game was nonexistent here, and he needs to take a big look in the mirror before the next match. If the Warriors had more options in the halves right now, he might have been at risk of getting a demotion in round 10.

Next round thoughts and prediction

Round 10 sees the Warriors travel to Suncorp Stadium for their Magic Round clash against the Rabbitohs. Souths will be hurting after losing 32-12 against the Broncos and will be looking at making an example out of the Warriors. 

Hopefully, the Warriors will be welcoming back Tohu Harris in this match, which will be a welcome addition to the forwards. Marcelo Montoya will also be back from suspension. So in regards to the team I would pick, I would bring Montoya in, move Adam Pompey back to the centres and drop Vailea. In the pack, I would swap Katoa for Harris.

It will be a tough match, and while the Rabbitohs haven't been at their best so far this season, they should get the job done here, so I am picking the Rabbitohs to win by 16.

So that was an embarrassing Round 9, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What do the Warriors need to do to fix their woes?

Is it time for the old fashioned honesty session?

Would you look at alternating Lodge and AFB to ensure one of them is always on the park?
What is your score prediction against the Rabbitohs?

Ingers League Wrap-Up 2022 Round 9 Match Report: Sharks 29 Warriors 10

 

Scoreboard

New Zealand Warriors 10

Tries: Dallin Watene-Zeleniak 17, Viliami Vailea 21

Goals: Reece Walsh 22

Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 29

Tries: Nicho Hynes 7, Teig Wilton 29, Connor Tracey 46, 66, Jesse Ramien 76

Goals: Nicho Hynes 7, 30, 68, 76

Field Goal: Nicho Hynes 73

Red Card: Will Kennedy 16

Sin Bin: Jesse Ramien 53

MATCH REPORT 

First Half

The Warriors started the match with enthusiasm and after earning themselves, a penalty, barged up the field deep into Sharks territory. Some slick passing almost sent Euan Aitken across the try line, but some solid defence stopped him in his tracks. The Warriors had another shot when they put up a kick, but it was defused safely by Sione Katoa. The sides traded error-free sets for a spell until a poor defensive read by the visitors saw Jesse Ramien get a half-break before shifting the ball to Katoa, who then got it to Nicho Hynes, who ran the remaining 40 metres to score the first try of the afternoon. The New Zealand side fought back with a robust set and earnt themselves a repeat set after Shaun Johnson pushed a grubber into the Deadball area, which Katoa had to bat over the sideline. The Warriors had a few attempts at getting across the line, but the Sharks goal line defence held firm and forced an error from Matt Lodge. The home side looked ready to get themselves out of trouble but made an error themselves, handing the ball back to the New Zealand side in great field position. Reece Walsh made a little break before getting clotheslined by Will Kennedy; this saw the fullback getting his marching orders with a red card. With a one man advantage, the Warriors wasted little time and shifted the ball quickly to the right edge for Dallin Watene-Zeleaniak to score. A few moments later, the visitors were over again after Walsh spied a gap and darted away before flicking a pass to Daejarn Asi, who punched a kick through for Viliami Vailea to score. An error on the next set handed the Sharks the let off they needed, and they piled on the pressure, earning several repeat sets before finally getting across the line when Teig Wilton crashed through the tackle of Johnson; Hynes converted to hand the Sharks back the lead. The Warriors looked sure to score again but looked lost on the fifth tackle with the ball switching to several players before Watene-Zeleaniak finally put a wayward kick through, which Katoa quickly scooped up. The Sharks got themselves all the way down the other end of the paddock again and almost scored via Wilton again, but he was deemed to have lost the ball, letting the Warriors off the hook. The sides traded a few more sets before Hynes attempted a cross kick for Katoa; as time was running out, the ball did not stick and bounced over the sideline as the siren sounded, seeing the home side go into the sheds with a two point lead.

HALF-TIME: Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 12 New Zealand Warriors 10

Second Half

The Warriors looked threatening right out of the gates but lacked polish, Johnson put a kick up on the fifth tackle for Adam Pompey, who managed to catch it and flick it back inside for Vailea, but Hynes managed a huge try-saving effort, forcing an error out of the young centre. The New Zealand side were asking questions again a few sets later, but an unforced error by Johnson handed the ball back to the home side. Cronulla had a solid set earning themselves a repeat set, and they wasted little time, moving the ball out to the left before Siosifa Talakai sent Connor Tracey over in the corner to push the lead out to six. The sides went set for set with neither able to gain the upper hand until Jesse Ramien was sin-binned for a high shot on Aitken. With a two-man advantage, the Warriors made it hard for themselves with some poor attacking plays and handed the ball back to the Sharks with a wayward pass. The Sharks marched up the field with ease but could not convert it into points; the New Zealand side surged up the field with the aid of a penalty but once again looked lost with the ball in hand and made a poor last tackle option. Cronulla dominated this game despite the circumstances and had several sets camped on the Warrior's line. The visitors were scrambling, but eventually, the Sharks were over again when Tracey dotted down for his second try after a massive cutout pass caught the Warriors napping. With a 12 point lead, the Sharks looked unstoppable and continued to charge up the field, and it looked like Tracey was over again, but the pass was deemed forward. After several horrible attacking sets, the Warriors managed a more balanced set and completed it only to give away a penalty, allowing the Sharks to stride up the field before Hynes pushed his side's lead out to 13 with a field goal. Cronulla were not finished yet, moving up the field with ease, Hynes put a kick up, which was tapped back, and the Warriors looked to have wrapped the ball carrier up but gave up on the tackle, which saw the ball offloaded to Ramien, who crossed for the Sharks fifth try of the night. The Sharks were penalised deep in their own half, handing the Warriors ideal field position; however, they continued to look clueless on attack, shifting the ball from left to right and back again before Daejarn Asi dropped the ball, seeing the final whistle blow has the Sharks end a dominate display winning 29-10.

FULL-TIME: Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 29 New Zealand Warriors 10

Warrior of the match Points

No players that I can pick right now.

My official review will be out on Monday, so keep an eye out for when that drops to get my opinion on the match.

NZ Warriors 2022 Round 8 Review: Sloppy Warriors overcome fading Raiders in Golden Point showdown

After the Round sevens record-breaking loss to the Storm, the Warriors returned to Redcliffe to host the Raiders. Both sides came into this match desperate to turn their fortunes around, and the outcome was a mistake-riddled less than stellar performance from both clubs. The Warriors scored the only points in the second half to force the game into Golden Point before Shaun Johnson secured a 21-20 victory in the 82nd minute.

For a breakdown of how the match went, check out my match report at the link below.

Ingers League Wrap-Up Round 8 Match Report

Well, that was ugly to watch, but it was good to see the Warriors nail another Golden Point match, Shaun Johnson has not been playing outstanding, and I think he is still hampered with an injury of some kind, but when the Warriors needed him to secure the win he did it.

Most of the game was underwhelming for me; it was arguably the worst game of the season, with both sides more determined to throw the match away with coach killing errors. I was confident that the Warriors would get the job done as long as they kept within range of the Raiders at halftime since they struggle in the final 40, which is what we saw here.

I know I got some pushback for being too kind to the Warriors last week, and I may get more of the same criticism here because I did not mind this result; the schoolboy errors are inexcusable, so I will not be defending them, but this Warriors side with a young backline, a new half debuting with little to no training with the squad and a forward pack without Josh Curran, got the win, which is what's important. 

If this match was against any other team, they might have been on the path to a heavy defeat again. Still, you can only play the team that's in front of you, so take the points and get back to working on all the issues in the performance as the next two weeks are going to be tough, and a repeat effort like this one will only lead to heartbreak.

Before I move on, I just want to touch on the milking claims that are everywhere in the media. Did I think Matt Lodge had contact to the head? Yes. Do I think he milked the contact to get a much-needed penalty? 100% yes, but with the new rules, it is a penalty. 

Anyone that watches my show The Stand-Off on Wednesdays knows I disagree with this and think it should be play on, but full credit to Lodge's experience in getting the Warriors a chance to level the scores. Also, I thought Tom Starling milked too when Shaun Johnson's try was disallowed, so let's say it's even.

There wasn't much, but I liked some things in this match, which leads me to my positives from the match. 

Match Positives

They are back in the winner's circle, it wasn't pretty, but it got them the much needed two points. Plus, it's another week closer to the side getting Tohu Harris, Josh Curran, DWZ, Marcelo Montoya and Chanel Harris-Tavita back, which should make the Warriors a much better outfit.

What a debut for Daejarn Asi. He kept busy and ended the match with two try assists, one from a kick and the other from a nice pass. It's only one game, so I don't want to get over-excited, but I like what he offers from what I have seen so far. He didn't look like a player that was in his 11th match, and I would be looking at keeping him in the 17 long-term; when Chanel Harris-Tavita is fit, I would move Asi into the centres (where he has some experience); he is a big body that should be able to defend and has the playmaking skills to get the wingers over in the corner. He is only contracted until the end of the season, but I would like to see the Warriors keep him for a bit longer.

Lastly, after discussing the Warrior's lack of heart, I want to praise the fact that they didn't give up this week. Time was running out; they were behind on the scoreboard and were dropping the ball every few sets. There were several instances where the Warriors could have dropped their heads, put the cue in the rack and called it a day. However, they didn't; they kept pushing forward and got the outcome. I would have liked to see it in a better performance, but seeing them show fight when everything looked like it was going wrong is promising. 

However, I had plenty of concerns, which brings me to my negatives from the game.

Match Negatives

The Warriors were shocking once again with errors, making 17 this round. Poor play the balls, losing the ball in the tackle, silly offloads. You name it, the Warriors did it, and man, it was hard to watch.

They just can't continue making errors in the double digits; they were lucky that the Raiders made 18 errors themselves; otherwise, this would have been another loss. Show respect for the ball, and the rewards will come, continue to throw it away, and we are in for a long season.

The defence was a concern; the Warriors ended the match with 24 missed tackles. That's an improvement from the last round, and I will give them some leeway; however, due to the changes in the backline and the injury to Jesse Arthars, but it's simply not good enough when facing a struggling team like the Raiders. 

I criticised defensive coach Justin Morgan last week, and I will do so again. I want to see this side improve their defence structures; they often find themselves out of position defensively and are made to pay. This needs to be fixed immediately. 

The Warrior's discipline needs work; they gave away 7 penalties and 2 ruck infringements. Like the errors, you cannot afford to give your opposition a leg up. Too often, they just let the Raiders off the hook, I didn't think the official was that great for either side, but the Warriors need to play to the whistle and adjust their technique to how the referee is calling the match. It is an easy fix, at least, and I want to see that penalty count drop sharply next round.

Warrior of the Match

Man, this was hard to pick; I switched between Daejarn Asi and Euan Aitken several times but have sided with Aitken. He gave it his all here, throwing the final pass for the Warrior's first try, making 46 tackles with zero misses and running with intent, consistently bending the defensive line. With Curran out for the next month, the Warriors need another edge forward to step up, and I think Aitken is showing that he is the man to do it.

Warrior to Improve

It was just as hard to pick a player here as many players did not put their best foot forward, but I have gone with Viliami Vailea. He scored a nice try, but he had a patchy night, making 2 errors and only running for 55 metres. His defensive reads were off the mark also. The kid is a hell of a talent, and I expect big things from him; he just needs time to grow and develop his game.

Next round thoughts and prediction

Round 9 sees the Warriors travel to PointsBet Stadium in Sydney to face the Sharks, who went down 16-7 against the Broncos in Round 9.

The Sharks have been one of the more impressive teams this season, and I struggle to see the Warriors getting the job done here, but after watching the Broncos beat them, I come into this match a bit more optimistic. It will be a tough ask, and the Warriors will need a much-improved effort here; I expect to see Johnson go up another level in his first match against his former club.

I wouldn't change too much regarding the team I would pick, to be honest. 

I would bring DWZ back on a wing for Vailea; depending on how Jesse Arthars is after being injured, I would either have him or Vailea on the other wing. The only other change would be bringing Aaron Pene back from suspension onto the bench in place of Ben Murdoch-Masila.

The Warriors will need to shut down Siosifa Talakai; otherwise, he will be a massive problem. I expect a better effort this week but ultimately see the Warriors going down in a close one, so I am picking the Sharks to win by 12.

So that was a heart-stopping Round 8, and as usual, I will leave you with some questions.

Who was your Warrior of the match?

Would you like to see the Warriors offer Asi a long term deal?

How optimistic are you about a top-eight finish?
What is your score prediction against the Sharks?