How the Warriors should solve their greatest NRL selection headache – Nathan Limm

Shaun Johnson (left) celebrates with Te Maire Martin during the Warriors' win over the Rabbitohs in April. Photo / Photosport

Nathan Limm is host of The Big League Podcast and has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the Herald since 2020.

OPINION

The Warriors are faced with what is likely the greatest selection headache in their NRL history.

Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita tore the defensively deficient Cowboys side to shreds in Townsville. The emphatic 42-12 win was on par with the Rabbitohs victory as the most complete team performance of the season.

Martin ran the cutter using his strengths – making four try assists and three line break assists, and improving his kick height and accuracy once again. A third straight win can be directly correlated with another Martin masterpiece.

But with Shaun Johnson returning this weekend against the Storm, what does coach Andrew Webster do?

Regardless of how well the Tokoroa product has performed, Johnson has to go back into halfback and Martin to stand-off. Chanel Harris-Tavita can move to the interchange as the reserve dummy half and halves option, alongside Dylan Walker, Marata Niukore and either Tom Ale or Bunty Afoa. Unfortunately, that means there is no room for Jazz Tevaga.

However, the roles of Johnson and Martin must be adjusted.

The experienced pair have combined 11 times in the halves since the start of 2023 for a win-loss record of four and six, plus one draw. Hardly compelling.

Across those games, Martin has scored just one try, made three try assists and recorded only 67 kick metres. Compare that with Johnson’s five tries, 11 assists and 533 kicking metres.

It was a similar story in 2022 between Johnson and Harris-Tavita, with the latter scoring no tries, assisting in only four and kicking for just 90 metres across the 10 games they were paired.

The gulf in workloads between the duo makes the Warriors’ attack predictable and means Martin often goes missing due to Johnson’s dominance.

In the three games since Martin has shifted to halfback, he has bagged seven try assists (including four against the Cowboys), scored one himself and averaged 449 kicking metres, with his accuracy improving markedly each game.

Instead of Johnson frequently popping up on the left side to do the kicking, Webster should alleviate his workload and allow Martin to run it his way. It makes the Warriors’ attack more dynamic and means Johnson’s less likely to get injured.

It is also worth pointing out that – even before his pectoral injury – Johnson was not even training with the squad due to his Achilles niggle, meaning the backline are actually more accustomed to Martin.

The “facilitator” roles of Walker and Tohu Harris are providing a great platform for the halves, and with Harris-Tavita covering multiple positions off the interchange, Webster is suddenly flush with options.