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#1979166 17-Mar-2018 19:40

TeaLeaf:

UGGGGH, thats not a try at the end, a kick fro hurrell. cmon.

Ok, the worst completions ive seen from the warriors in a year.

The best defense and especially goal line defense ive seen EVER from the warriors.

Im not getting ahead of myself either. If we beat the Raiders or Roosters in the next 2 weeks at home, I believe we deserve to be top 4 prospects.

Their defense considering how much ball we have given away in our own end to still win easily is quite something special.

4 tries vs 1 with 44% of the ball and only completing 67% (give us 80% please, we bombed 4 tries).

it must suck being in a team like tonight for the titans when you have all the ball and the other team is dropping it every 3rd set in their own 20 and you still get beat 4 vs 1 because you cant get across their try line and their offense blitzes you when they do score.

I reckon Cleary and Maloney will be the blues halves this year. Im glad we got green, hes already prooving to put johnson into a more offensive mode, i just wonder what a mitchel pearce at 7 and johnson moved to 6 might have done, with johnson being more a classical 6 being a running half. you look at johnsons stats vs jones and johnson looks ordinary from a 7 perspective but it doesnt take into account his ability to create and or finish tries which is what a 6 does.

It was a try

The TAB odds were $1-35 to the Warriors, they won, as expected, and like the anti cricket thread you again want to change the lineup?

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#1979237 18-Mar-2018 00:06

Dial111: @networkn you admitted in another thread you don't watch league yet here you are... pot calling the kettle black in regards to the Sky thread. Should follow your own advice and back out if you're not interested in the Warriors, don't be a hypocrite now :)

No, what I said was I wasn't a particular fan. I do watch SOME league. I'd know at least as much about League as you'd know about Sky, but it didn't stop you making comments in the sky forum. I tend to post from a position of facts not emotions.

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#1979238 18-Mar-2018 00:10

TeaLeaf:

Well, it was good, but we didnt complete our sets which was last years focus. Not good in that regard, we could be ahead by more. Refs flip a coin we could be only ahead by 6. Been impressed with refs calling Try or No Try, but like last week over the Bunker over turning them without 100% evidence. I think they should just scrub the bunker and one on field ref and accept they get it wrong and right, because they do with technology as well. I dont think the ref error rate has dropped in the last 20 years, possibly increased.

Warriors not looking polished yet, but the defense has been awesome. BUT, our forwards are why we are winning and considering we are playing without one of the starting players for the rest of the match due to early injury.

Well, I saw the last 25 minutes. I am not sure you could call that awesome defense. The try they let in was weak defense on barely amazing offence.

Furthermore, I didn't see a decent attack from the Titans in 25 minutes, there were a lot of experienced league fans where I was, and they were all saying that the Warriors defense was made to look better by weak attack.

I'd imagine a stronger attack might have resulted in a few more tries being leaked.

The Titans looked ponderous and predictable on attack for my money.

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#1979247 18-Mar-2018 08:02

No, it was awesome defence. Watch the full 80, last try was hard to pick given the way it was done but the way they held them out for repeated sets at the back end was a highlight. Their line held strong the whole game. Titans were at times good but a lot of their play and execution was poor. I’d say the warriors line speed and scramble created the pressure. There was always someone there to tackle and when they did they did it with real intent. Their attitude is definetly different this year.

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#1979249 18-Mar-2018 08:45

I watched the game, was a big league fan but like many I stopped watching years ago.The attack was good, balls skills looked very good, and defense was good. Ticked many boxes, BUT, it was a game where everyone expected the Warriors to win, TAB was $1-35, so while a very nice win, it isnt too meaningful. So far we have beaten 2017 12th team, 15th team and next week we face the 10th team. An easy draw so far. We should be winning all these easily if we are to be competitive.

TeaLeaf

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#1979683 19-Mar-2018 11:09

tdgeek:

It was a try

The TAB odds were $1-35 to the Warriors, they won, as expected, and like the anti cricket thread you again want to change the lineup?

I dont want to change the line up. What I was saying is Johnson doesnt perform the role of a typical #7. He doesnt push the pack around and he struggles running the attacking plays. Sooo he needs somebody like green who takes the pressure off him.

If you watch the sky show about the warriors, you will see every huddle its Green who is telling the team what to do, not the captain, not Johnson, but the guy who has played 2 games for us. And our big boppas seem to be respecting this Aussie guy who is half their size. That takes MASSIVE pressure off Johnson.

When Maloney played with Johnson we made a GF. He gave Johnson the ability to do his thing and he helped a lot on attacking playbook.

A tradtional 7 calls the plays and moves the pack around (he is the master offensive playbook), the 6 feeds the attacking play or RUNS. IMO Johnson would make a better 6 than he is a 7, so if we didnt have Green, what would also work is playing Johnson at 6 and someone like Pearce (who also can play 6) or even better Nathan Cleary at 7 and Johnson at 6. Traditionally 6s are a bit more stocky than johnson, more like Lolohea who is a traditional 6, or Brad Fitler, Wally Lewis, but Johnson has filled out a lot, I dont know what they fed him. But Johnson is now over 90kg, and 5ft10, plenty big enough to play 6. Blake Green is 89kg. Plus the 2 roles in the modern game are so much more transferable, some teams it seems both kick equally and both run equally, but it is a lot easier to find a hole in the line from 6 than 7. I think there was a vote done on the warriors forum regarding who is better Johnson or Jones and Jones cleaned up by a country mile. Yet to me, Johnson has much more offensive ability and he is good on defense. Jones was called the 'Lil General' for a reason. He was a mega master of the offensive playbook, he knew when to have hit up and when to pass wide and he had no problem telling the big boppas what he thought.

So Im saying we could have made that change also if we had to, but we didnt and Green is fitting in really good.

Yes it was a good game defensively. If you can win a game with only 67% completions and 44% of the ball, you are going to win the majority of your games. Its the fitness proving its worth on defense again. Our natural offensive is what got the 4 tries, but what stopped their 10 tries? I think its fitness, and they will only get fitter. Teams like Souths who were fancied, looked super slow mo compared to us. By round 6 they will be fit, but we will be fitter. Its the first real game Ive seen the team have the dropsies since 2016.

But it was just the Titans at home. Next week is going to be very hard as is the week after as both teams are top 8 contenders at their home. If we can win either of those games, I rate our chances of the top 8 and possibly top 4. Although Raiders did get beaten by 1 point by the Knights in extra time, so they Sticky will have them AMPED as he would have been ropeable.

Usually warriors are like 2/6 by the time SoO comes around, if can have that turned round, given very few of our team (if any) will play SoO we will be in a good position by half season, maybe 10/12 dear I dream. From their they only have to win 3 from 12 to make the 8.

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#1979706 19-Mar-2018 11:23

Just remember, the two games past and next week are all teams low on last years results table. It may not be the Black Caps beating the woeful Windies and getting raps like the best team ever, but the Warriors need to win all games they play against the bottom half, then you should be competitive at the top half.

As to your in depth analysis, Ive just watched my first Warriors game in years, so I cannot comment, but you are probably pretty close to being correct, given your exposure in recent years

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TeaLeaf

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#1979707 19-Mar-2018 11:24

BuzzLightyear: No, it was awesome defence. Watch the full 80, last try was hard to pick given the way it was done but the way they held them out for repeated sets at the back end was a highlight. Their line held strong the whole game. Titans were at times good but a lot of their play and execution was poor. I’d say the warriors line speed and scramble created the pressure. There was always someone there to tackle and when they did they did it with real intent. Their attitude is definetly different this year.

Bingo. Glad others can see the difference and the defense. They were lucky to even get 1 try on us when at one point they had all the ball for 20 minutes. Goal line defense from Warriors has gone up 500%. No joke. Yes they will let in a soft try this season, every team does, but if they can limit those, thats a huge way to winning. And if we complete 80% like last year and first round, I can only see us losing to the very best teams.

Attitude has definitely changed. I dont care if M Johns wants to poke fun at us doing the breathing huddle after a try, if its good enough for the All Blacks, I'll take it. They are a team now.

One thing that is a flavour in our team, THE STORM.

6 ex Storm Players and an ex Storm 2ic Coach and now their head strength and conditioning Coach. I think thats brilliant hiring. We have been poached for years, if you going to poach, poach the best.

I think Harris was the right big gun to hire from the storm. His line breaks and offload statistics are off the hook and Ive always said we need more Mannerings. Forwards who are fit that can play 80 minutes.

Speaking of which, Mannering should be back from preseason injury this week I hope, and does anyone have any news on Papalii, we played most of the game 1 man down. It was a kneed injury but he did hobble off on his own so Im hoping its not an ACL etc, he was the best in our team round 1. And to think he is only 19yo. Hes not huge, just on 6ft, but 103kg at 19, he should fill out to 110 by 25 and be a totaly canon ball. His fitness and run metres with lack of mistakes for such a young man are so impressive. Not often 19yo's get to play let alone start the game, that is enough praise in itself.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/102300178/simon-mannering-backs-warriors-young-gun-isaiah-papalii-to-go-from-strength-to-strength

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#1979711 19-Mar-2018 11:27

tdgeek:

As to your in depth analysis, Ive just watched my first Warriors game in years, so I cannot comment, but you are probably pretty close to being correct, given your exposure in recent years

At the end of the day defense is the best offense in this sport so I think you are right, it was a good game regardless of what won it. It was good to know we can win games we usually lose, ie lack of holding on to the ball, penalties etc

TeaLeaf

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#1979745 19-Mar-2018 11:45

The Sky docos, NZ Warriors 2018, preseason first 2 documentaries are up on youtube.

I think the second one is called the same but should be on the same channel I guess.

I already watched it on Sky but its definitely worth a watch. They are definitely going all in doing docos like this and if they end up failing, I think thats the best thing, go in confident.

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#1979756 19-Mar-2018 11:50

They replaced 6 Warriors players with 6 Storm players???? From 2017 to 2018?

TeaLeaf

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#1979818 19-Mar-2018 13:04

tdgeek:

They replaced 6 Warriors players with 6 Storm players???? From 2017 to 2018?

No much longer period, my count was well off as we have let some go over last few years, Im including the Coach as an ex storm player in that haha, and he was then Assistant Coach to Bellamy at the Storm.

Also I forgot they released Hoffman and hes now back at the storm (which was a good move).

But its just a general theme Im noticing Kearney who played and coached at the storm is using a VERY similar coaching method to Bellamy.

Fitness and defense. Last year the storms for and against was insane, they also have offensive players of natural talent.

But Bellamy follows Bennetts (Broncos) coaching style as he was Bennetts assitant coach before moving to the Storm, and Bennett was Stephen Kearneys advisor/coach during our reign of being the best league team in the world for 3-4 years, I think Kearneys record was 68%. Most are like 35% for the kiwis lol. So its a big Broncos/Storm/Warriors triangle in which hopefully we have now got the right attitude/culture from.

The thing Bennett has stated is, when goes to a club, he wont focus on a part of the game until they have the first playbook 100%.

So if you divide things up, basics/completions, fitness/defense, offense Bennetts philosphy is use dont move onto fitness/defense until you can catch the ball. If you look at that documentary, you will see them having tennis balls hit at them for example to improve reflex, or passing the ball under extreme fatigue and catching it. You would think any League player should be able to do this and they can, but its when you are totally taxed mentally you forget the basics and the consequence is loss of completing your sets of six, or in League "Completion rate". A low completion rate usually means your try line is under constant attack, it also means you lose Posession of the ball more so you have less time with the ball for offense.

So last year was 100% about Completion. And Kearney did a good job. The target was 80% and we achieved it and I think were in the top 4.

This year he is focussing on fitness and defense. Because there will be times even with high completion you will have your try line under offense. I think this weeks game clearly showed a huge increase over last years warriors in this regard. We had a shocker with Possession, 67%, which led to a LOT of defending, but outside a late try we nearly held them out. Thats not the warriors of old.

Offense. This is something they will still be working on, but its not a focus. Cappy is our offensive coach, so he will have set plays like that Green to Johnson to RTS play on Titans line which was clinical and unlikely any team will stop that play 10 metres from their line. And Stacey Jones is Half Back coach, so hes working with Green and Johnson on the roles which I think also will help Johnson a lot. You also have Iro there, Im not 100% on what his role is, but I respect him.

League is a really basic game but it doesnt mean its easy as fitness is king, you cant defend or complete without it, think about when you are tired at work how much less productive we become.

Also its a lot more strategic than Union fans will have you believe. But the base of strategy is Complete your sets of 6, dont drop the ball and defend like a mad man, do that and its a matter of time waiting for a lesser team to crack.

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#1982594 24-Mar-2018 17:15

Well thats not a sin bin. I garuntee you that will lucky to even get penalised 7/10. After 8 minutes on our goal line. No team could survive that with 12 men for that long. Reminds me of our first game.

2 tries down.

Lets see if it turns around when the refs stop blowing there whistle and we are on attack as raiders have terrible defense.

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#1982596 24-Mar-2018 17:20

yep as expected, only our second set of the game and we score with only 12 men. just need to try and appease the whistle happy refs so we get more than 1 set vs 12.

tdgeek

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#1982638 24-Mar-2018 18:19

TeaLeaf:

yep as expected, only our second set of the game and we score with only 12 men. just need to try and appease the whistle happy refs so we get more than 1 set vs 12.

Juts checked in on TV , are we being robbed?

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