Warriors vs Manly
Yeah....we're not making the playoffs this year boys.
Before we pick over that shit show performance by the Warriors it should be said Tom Trbojevic absolutely tore the Warriors a new one today. He'll destroy Queensland in State of Origin as well, first choice NSW/Kangaroos fullback for sure.
The Warriors should be 3-0 to start the season but some old problems have resurfaced alongside injuries and unless Stephen Kearney gets creative and makes some serious calls on a few players, it won't get better. The first problem is the forwards are not playing with the same aggressive, take no prisoner attitude they played with in 2018.
For most of the game the backs, like Adam Keighran, were first in the tackle while players like Tohu Harris and Adam Blair were no where to be seen. If no one gets in the face of Manly, Manly will just march down the field....which they did.
The second and third problems are entirely on Stephen Kearney. Kearney showed piss poor player management by putting Gerard Beale on the bench when everyone knew Isaac Luke was still not 100% match fit.
For years I've barked on about how the Warriors need to focus on power running football, which they are now, and that means the hooker position is now the most critical position.
Luke got injured in the first half which meant Jazz Tevaga played the remainder at hooker and just threw interceptions and wayward passes the rest of the way.If Luke wasn't healthy there had to be another hooker on the bench and I'm talking about Karl Lawton since Nathaniel Roache cannot be relied upon due to his fragile body.
Fuck it, just bring Beale on, move Hiku to stand off and slot Keighran into hooker but for God sake's you need a playmaker in at dummyhalf (which Tevaga is obviously not).
Thirdly, some players need to be axed and yes Solomone Kata is the first to go. He made several weak tackles which lead to tries in this game and Fusitua is now struggling too. Other players need to be put on notice: Blake Green, Adam Blair, Agnatius Paasi come to mind.
If the Warriors need to make an emergency pick up from another team, since they do have the cap space, maybe inquire about Mason Lino at Newcastle as a potential hooker/halfback/bench option because Chanel Tevita-Harris is not doing well in the NSW Cup either. Bet the Warriors are regretting the "return your season pass for a full refund after three games" promo....
Team for next week:
1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2 David Fusitua 3 Gerard Beale 4 Blake Ayshford 5 Ken Maumalo 6 Adam Keighran 7 Blake Green 8 Bunty Afoa 9 Karl Lawton 10 Adam Blair 11 Isaiah Papali'i 12 Tohu Harris 13 Jazz Tevaga
Bench: 14 Peta Hiku 15 Agnatius Paasi 16 Leeson Ah Mau 17 Lachlan Burr
pay wall on that link
this one worked for me though https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6862291/NRL-legend-1million-contract-caught-stealing-board-shorts.html
@Sneakdefreak said in NRL 2019:
Real sad news about Brett Dallas. The former 90s try-scoring machine is in a downward spiral.
...
As I recall early in Brad Fittler's career as a schoolboy on super-star money, his family appointed a trusted, gnarly old accountant to manage his affairs. When Brad came to him mid-week to ask for more money he would tell him "No. You were paid last week and spent it, now you must wait until I let you have this week's pay." As a consequence he is now said to have a net worth of about $10m. He kept working really hard after retirement to secure a reliable income, mostly from League.
I venture way more of them end up on the skids than in anything even close to Fittler's position. A high number of Alan Jones' Wallabies succeeded mightily in business due to his influence but I have difficulty running off a list of past Wallaby and All Black players who spent their down time studying in preparation for life after - Brendan Cannon earned a business degree while playing, Snaky Smith is a solicitor, Doug Howlett has a couple of degrees, Bret Robinson is a surgeon ... . (Interesting to find Will Carling has a degree in psychology; Andrew Strauss has a degree in economics; Welsh centre Jamie Roberts has a couple of degrees, is a doctor en route to orthopaedic surgeon); Victor Matfield has an accounting degree; Bryan Habana has a BSc in IT; and Welsh captain Alun-Wyn Jones has a law degree).
RUPA is now a member of a wider program encouraging academic and vocational study which apparently has a high participation rate, it's been a long time coming though.
I assume highly paid team sportsmen now attend plenty of workshops arranged by their clubs with advice on how to better deal with their lives, personally and financially. They all have managers who presumably do the same for their 20% (although my son's mate had Our Your Quadie for a while - he had big wraps on himself but he simply did not get it) and their families are not all toothless Centrelink bogans lounging about drinking bundy and coke all day, who have a role in guiding them.
Apart from the obvious dangers (when you're in the money you have lots of friends, including smooth talking salesmen with over-priced luxury home units off the plans and "professional" furnishers to fit them out at a monstrous cost with fine looking items having a real worth of about $25,000, top end cars and Guyanan choko plantation shares) I would guess that there is a fair bit of "you cannot tell me what to do!" and "simply will not listen" ... a rampant ego with no brains leading to zero savings and no income to pay the huge body corporate levies, council rates and annual vehicle registration.
I am reminded that the estimable Robbie Deans in his first few days with the Qantas Harmless Wallabies counselled them "This fabulous opportunity can be all over in a very short period" and they did not bother listening right from the jump.
** Jamie Roberts went to school at Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf and Ysgol Y Wern but you all knew that, didn't you?
@raznomore said in NRL 2019:
he may be going shit in NSW Cup but as far as Kearney is concerned that's good enough for the NRL....
Chanel Tevita-Harris promoted and Keighran dropped.
Countdown clock to either Hiku or Harris in the halves is running now.
@raznomore said in NRL 2019:
he may be going shit in NSW Cup but as far as Kearney is concerned that's good enough for the NRL....
Chanel Tevita-Harris promoted and Keighran dropped.
Panic move by Kearney and you're right about Tevita-Harris, he hasn't been good in the NSW Cup at all. The problem is the forwards and who is usually directing them around the park (Tevaga due to injuries to Luke and Roache) not Keighran who is kicking at 90%. At least Karl Lawton will be named at hooker but we now hope Tevita-Harris levels up before friday night like he's in Dragon Ball Z.
@Paekakboyz said in NRL 2019:
dang, was hoping we'd persevere with Keighran. 3 games in does not make the rookie!
At least he kicks goals well. The danger signs abound. How long is Kearney's contract?
VODAFONE WARRIORS v GOLD COAST TITANS
8pm, Friday, April 5, 2019
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
VODAFONE WARRIORS
1 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (c)
2 David Fusitu’a
3 Peta Hiku
4 Solomone Kata
5 Ken Maumalo
6 Chanel Harris-Tavita
7 Blake Green
8 Agnatius Paasi
9 Karl Lawton
10 Leeson Ah Mau
11 Isaiah Papali’i
12 Tohu Harris
13 Adam Blair
Interchange:
14 Jazz Tevaga
15 Bunty Afoa
16 Lachlan Burr
17 Ligi Sao
18 Gerard Beale
20 Leivaha Pulu
21 Adam Keighran
22 Blake Ayshford
@Sneakdefreak said in NRL 2019:
4 Solomone Kata
JESUS H FUCKING CHRIST!!!!!
Every single person who watches the NRL knows this prick isn't good enough to play first grade, and yet he keeps getting fucking picked!!!!!
What the actual fuck?
@mariner4life Either Kata has pictures of Kearney doing rails or he and Kearney are an offfield item.
@Sneakdefreak said in NRL 2019:
I think losing to last placed Gold Coast is the only way Kearney will make a change with Kata.
It's the Warriors and they're looking shit even for the Warriors.
Interesting cross-code promotion this weekend with the Warriors and the Blues - if you have a season pass (maybe just a ticket but I have a season pass) to either team you can use it to attend both games.
Haven't been to a Super Rugby game in a few years, and don't know anyone in the Blues team apart from the All Blacks, but maybe give it a twirl.
@Sneakdefreak said in NRL 2019:
Interesting cross-code promotion this weekend with the Warriors and the Blues - if you have a season pass (maybe just a ticket but I have a season pass) to either team you can use it to attend both games.
Haven't been to a Super Rugby game in a few years, and don't know anyone in the Blues team apart from the All Blacks, but maybe give it a twirl.
Who knows, you might get to see a winning NZ team
@Sneakdefreak said in NRL 2019:
Interesting cross-code promotion this weekend with the Warriors and the Blues - if you have a season pass (maybe just a ticket but I have a season pass) to either team you can use it to attend both games.
Haven't been to a Super Rugby game in a few years, and don't know anyone in the Blues team apart from the All Blacks, but maybe give it a twirl.
Who knows, you might get to see a winning NZ team
Who's that? Are the Blues playing the Crusaders?
@Sneakdefreak said in NRL 2019:
@Sneakdefreak said in NRL 2019:
Interesting cross-code promotion this weekend with the Warriors and the Blues - if you have a season pass (maybe just a ticket but I have a season pass) to either team you can use it to attend both games.
Haven't been to a Super Rugby game in a few years, and don't know anyone in the Blues team apart from the All Blacks, but maybe give it a twirl.
Who knows, you might get to see a winning NZ team
Who's that? Are the Blues playing the Crusaders?
To be fair, the Blues will probably win at home against the foreign teams, so any Blues home game is a good chance of a winning NZ team.
Warriors back in the winners circle 26-10, but the Titans are shit.
Harris-Tevita looks ok, Green understandably took the reins most of the first half and gave the young fulla a chance to get the feel of the game. He put on a great dummy to no one and step to make one good break.
The Anthony Kiedis/Tevaga combo at dummy half worked well, they made plenty of metres with their darting runs.
The Warriors gave away a shitload of penalties, which a better team would punish them for. The majority of them came the 2nd and 4th quarters thick and fast. Certainty something that needs addressing.
After last week's shitfest the Warriors needed to win this game against the Titans and they did 26-10.
- The officiating in this game was dire. So many missed calls or wrong calls by the refs. The Titans were obstructing on several attacking plays and were allowed to get away with it, and in one play were awarded for it with a penalty. Baaaddd.
- Chanel Harris-Tevita didn't have to do anything tonight except kick field goals and look like he is only 15 years-old. So the Titans knew to target Blake Green all night long and he was bashed around including on a suspect tackle by Moiaki Fotuaika. He played on but once the game was decided Greeny was on the sideline with ice around his ankle.
- Having Green as the only playmaker is a problem for this team but it is fixable, especially when Isaac Luke returns. But even when Luke is back, the Warriors would be smart to keep Karl Lawton on the bench as an extra playmaker. Lawton only played about 40 minutes tonight (first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes) but his play-calling around the ruck area was impressive, passes were accurate and he helped reignite the Warriors in the final 20 when it "felt" like they were going to let the Titans run them down in the home straight.
- The defensive effort was solid tonight but some weak tackling is still there. Dale Copley's try was scored because Adam Blair (and others) were just grabbing at the jersey and not wrestling Copley to the ground. Poor positioning meant the edges were exposed out wide instead of being one on one with their opposite number.
- This was the first game where I noticed Tohu Harris. He made about 150 metres tonight plus a try late in the second half. Mate sitting next to me is adamant Harris will play in the halves this season, especially after Green went off. Have to say, sadly, he might be right in that thinking.