NZ Warriors 2017 Round 4 Review: Warriors Fumble away chances in third straight defeat

Copyright Photo: Paul Seiser / www.photosport.nz

After claiming that last week's performance was the Warriors worst of 2017, the Warriors went out and proved me wrong by putting on a woeful display in their first outing on Australian soil losing 26-12 to the St George Illawarra Dragons.
In a milestone game for Simon Mannering where he broke Stacey Jones record of most games played for the Warriors with 262 matches, the Warriors should have been buoyed by the occasion and ready to go, but in reality, they barely made it out of the gate.

The much-anticipated debut of Kieran Foran was delayed last minute when he pulled his hamstring in the final warm up.
With no halves cover with them in Australia Tui Lolohea was slotted into the halves with Blake Ayshford coming into the centres and David Fusitu'a moving out to the wing.
Both teams gave away silly penalties early on, and both teams took the easy penalty goals.
Then after some poor ball protection, the Warriors soft defence was in full effect with Paul Vaughan busting through for the first try of the game.
More handling errors lead to the Dragons second try when Josh McCrone scored in the corner.
The Warriors continued to drop the ball every chance they were given, and the Dragons took advantage with Josh Dugan strolling through the Warriors defensive line to get the Dragons ahead 20-2.
The Warriors forwards lacked serious punch against the giant Dragons pack but with the injection of Sam Lisone and James Gavet the Warriors started to show some fight and when Gavet came close to scoring Issac Luke pounced at the opportunity the slow markers gave him and scored.
The tide turned a little in the Warriors favour, but every time it looked like they were going to break through they dropped the ball leaving the score 20-8 at halftime.
Josh Dugan made an error at kick off, and the Warriors piled on more pressure leading to a try to Ken Maumalo in the corner,
More back and forth followed between the two sides until Tim Lafai sliced the defence and scored the Dragons fourth and final try with the game ending 26-12.

Copyright Photo: Paul Seiser / www.photosport.nz

My Warrior of the match goes to James Gavet, in his first outing for 2017 he was one of a handful of players out there that was making good runs and putting pressure on the Dragons forwards.
He brought a positive attitude that this side sorely needs, I feel that he should be taking Charlie Gubb's position in the Warriors 17 as he offers more on both attack and defence.
The fans always go on about the Warriors needing more mongrel, and he has it in spades without giving away needless penalties.

Copyright Photo: Paul Seiser / www.photosport.nz

My Warrior who needs to improve is Tui Lolohea, this game was yet another example of why he is not a half.
Stupid last tackle options and in some cases silly forth tackle options littered his performance.
In his defence, he wasn't expecting to play in the halves, but that is the reality of professional football.
He still looks like a deer in headlights and with the talented players currently in reserve grade pushing for spots his time in first grade may be numbered.

This game was dreadful to watch, the ball handling was embarrassing (19 errors in total), and the defensive line was slow and unresponsive, there were so many times when all the Dragons had to do was change the angle of their run, and the Warriors just opened up.
It was really no surprise that they missed 31 tackles.
The team ran onto the ball with no depth, and when you play so flat, you have absolutely no go forward to unleash the backs.
Stephen Kearney needs to take action now, a 1-3 record is something you cannot gloss over with cliche coachspeak.
Does he stick with his current side or make some changes?
I would be making changes now to give the reserve graders a shot and to wake up the top side players that are not performing.
I would swap Tui Lolohea for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Solomona Kata for Blake Ayshford and Charlie Gubb for James Gavet if I were in charge.
The Warriors return to Mt Smart to face the Gold Coast Titans.
The Titans haven't looked that great so far this season, so now is the time for the Warriors to turn the corner and get their season back on track.
I predict a decent win from the Warriors here winning by 12.

So that was a forgettable Round 4, and as per usual, I will leave you with some questions.

What players would you look at dropping?
Do you think the Warriors can turn the season around?
Is it time to give up on the Lolohea experiment?
What would be your advice to Stephen Kearney?

Let me know what you think, and I will talk to you all next week.

NZ Warriors 2017 Round 3 Review: Trip down South goes to the Dogs

Copyright Photo: Teaukura Moetaua / Getty Images

After last week's loss to the Melbourne Storm, the Warriors made the journey to Dunedin to face the 0-2 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs have not looked impressive this season, and with the Warriors enjoying their third week in a row playing in New Zealand, they were expected to get a good win in front of a league starved South Island crowd.
Unfortunately for Warriors fans the Bulldogs got their first win of the year defeating the Warriors 24-12.

The Warriors dominated possession and territory for the majority of the first half but could not take advantage of the opportunities the Bulldog's handed to them.
The Warriors finally broke through in the 16th minute when Bodene Thompson dived on a loose ball in the in-goal.
The Bulldogs struck back with tries to Moses Mbye and Brett Morris to go into the half leading 10-6.
The Warriors continued to exhort pressure on the Bulldogs defensive line but just could not break the line.
Around the 60 minute mark the Warriors snatched the lead back after Shaun Johnson and Bodene Thompson combined to break the defence and send Shaun over to lead the game 12-10.
In a repeat of the first half, the Bulldogs took control of the match in the final quarter and ran in two more tries to first half scorer Brett Morris and Marcelo Montoya to put the game out of contention for the Warriors 24-12.

This was the Warriors worst display in 2017, they had no ideas on the attacking front.
When the only plays they have are an overused wrap around play and giving it to Shaun Johnson and hoping for the best, they are setting themselves up for failure.
The forwards lost the wrestle up front against the large Bulldogs pack and the resulting slower play the balls put the Warriors immediately on the back-foot.
There was no communication between the players which lead to plenty of misreads, this resulted in the Warriors missing 24 tackles.
I'm not sure what Stephen Kearney is going to do with this side.
Yes, this team was missing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, but the Warriors need to perform as a team instead of relying on individuals.
Players like Issac Luke, Tuimoala Lolohea, Solomona Kata and Charlie Gubb need to be put on notice if their performances don't improve they need a wake-up call and a spell in the lower grades.
The Warriors Intrust Super Premiership side has been playing well, and there are many players down there deserving a call-up (Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad being a stand out so far this season).

This game was sloppy, and the Warriors really needed to take advantage, but due to their lack of intensity, they could not get it done.
It is only round 3, and it's early days, and there is plenty of time to right the ship and get the season back on track.
However, if they continue falling off tackles and running sideways, well then we all better prepare for a long season.

My Warrior of the game.... well I haven't selected one, I don't think anyone deserves to be praised for this performance.

Copyright Photo: Teaukura Moetaua / Getty Images

My Warrior who needs to improve is Issac Luke.
Issac had a lacklustre showing against the Bulldogs, wayward passes and dropped play the balls littered his performance.
It just looked to me that his head wasn't in the game, he appeared lazy and not interested in being there.
A positive for the Warriors is that Nathaniel Roache made his return from injury last weekend so if Issac continues his downward slide, Roache needs to take his place.
Maybe with the threat of another hooker breathing down his neck, Issac will pull his socks up and contribute to the Warriors cause once again.

So the Warrior's are now 1-2 for the season.
On the plus side, their draw is favourable as long as they improve their game-day execution.
On the other hand, they face the St George Illawarra Dragons this round.
The Warriors have an abysmal record against the Dragons, having only won 5 matches in 24 clashed with only one victory on Australian soil at the Jubilee Oval, thankfully for the Warriors, this is where they are playing this Sunday.
The Warriors should have Roger Tuivasa-Sheck back from concussion as well as the possible Warriors debut for Kieran Foran.
Will these two automatically guarantee a win for the Warriors?
No of course not but if this side starts to work together and stop playing laterally they stand a good chance of leaving Australia with the victory.
I'm picking a bounce back and the Warriors to win by 8.

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

Do you have a Warrior of the day?
What would you do with Issac Luke?
What players would you bring up from reserve grade?
Are you concerned about the Warriors lack of attack?

Let me know what you think, and I will talk to you all next week.

NZ Warriors 2017 Round 2 Review : A Storm hits Mount Smart

Copyright Photo: Renee McKay / www.photosport.nz

Auckland was hit with a barrage of rain in the week leading up to the Warriors second round match
up against the Melbourne Storm.
On Friday night with the torrential rain still hitting Mount Smart, a brave 9,811 fans faced the elements to watch this clash as the Warriors went down 26-10.

The Storm scored early through Kenny Bromwich, but the Warriors didn't take long to strike back, scoring two tries in 3 minutes through Tuimoala Lolohea and Shaun Johnson to have them trailing 12-10 at halftime.
Unfortunately, these were the only points the Warriors scored as the Storm kept being the relentless side they are known for, and as their defence held the Warriors out, they eventually ran away with three more tries by Cheyse Blair, Suliasi Vunivalu and Cooper Cronk.
The Warriors lost Roger Tuivasa-Sheck late in the first half with a concussion, and it appeared to change the game.
In my opinion, once Roger left the field Shaun Johnson seemed to vanish after inserting himself into the action repeatably in the first half.
Poor decisions on the last tackle options came into the game, and against the consistent Storm, you just cannot afford to make mistakes as they will punish you for it.
A troublesome play for me was when Issac Luke tried to sneak over the try-line on the last tackle when Shaun Johnson was calling for it with a clear overlap.
Defence reverted back to 2016 form as the Warriors missed 31 tackles if you miss that many tackles you are immediately playing on the back foot.
There was a positive. However, The Warriors completed 86% of their sets which in these horrid conditions was pleasing to see.

My Warrior of the game goes to Simon Mannering.
Simon was, well simply put Simon was Simon, Leading the Warriors once again in tackles and tightening up the middle of the defensive line.
You definitely notice the difference in this side when Simon isn't there, and hopefully, he can stay healthy and continue to add much-needed starch to the Warriors defensive line.

Copyright Photo: Renee McKay / www.photosport.nz

My Warrior who needs to improve is Tuimoala Lolohea.
Tuimoala started the game well with a nice try but after a slip up in the literal sense of the word, his confidence took a hit and he just never came back from that.
In a bizarre move, Stephen Kearney moved Lolohea to fullback when Roger went off instead of the more suitable David Fusitu'a.
This didn't help Tuimoala, but with the squad, the Warriors have he needs to lift his game several levels if he wants to stay playing first grade.

Putting the game into perspective, the Warriors did improve from their last outing against the Storm where they went down 42-0, but they do have a long way to go before they can be in talks for playoff football.
If the Warriors can keep the completion rate high but decrease the missed tackles and improve the last tackle options, then they will get themselves back on track, and they need to take advantage of the favourable draw they have this season.

This week the Warriors are travelling down to Dunedin to face the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs are yet to achieve victory this season, and the Warriors need to strike while they Bulldogs are not in-sync.
Kieran Foran is not ready to make his debut for the Warriors yet so misses this match-up, Roger did not pass the midweek concussion test and will also not play in this game.
Kearney has yet again named Tuimoala at fullback but has named Manu Vatuvei to make his return.
I am still not confident in Tuimoala out the back, but in the covered stadium, he may have the favourable conditions to help him succeed.
The Bulldogs have a big forward pack, but their back-line has taken a hit with injuries, and their halves are not clicking.
I am picking the Warriors to win by 12 on Friday, taking full advantage of a South Island crowd starved of Live NRL football.

So with Round 2 complete, I will leave you with some questions.

Who would you move to fullback in Roger's absence?
When Foran is healthy, what would you do with Ata Hingano?
Are there any changes you would make to the 17?
Are you enjoying the Warriors playing on Fridays?

Let me know what you think, and I will talk to you all next week.