League: Anderson accepts his dropping was fair

Louis Anderson

Louis Anderson might have been upset at being dropped, but the reinstated New Zealand Warrior admits he probably needed a break from the National Rugby League (NRL).

Anderson, who has become a regular at test and club level since his first-grade debut two years ago as an 18-year-old, was left out when the Warriors lost to St George Illawarra last weekend.

He will make his return for the club off the bench against Wests Tigers in Auckland on Saturday night.

Anderson said coach Ivan Cleary had felt he was worn out mentally and needed a rest, when omitting him from the squad who travelled to Wollongong.

The axing, a week after the back rower had played in the Anzac test for the Kiwis against Australia, surprised him.

"The coach told me I wasn't playing well this year and I agreed with that, but I didn't think I was mentally fatigued," Anderson said.

"I was pretty upset because I always look forward to playing. I was also coming off a test and I was feeling confident, so it was was a bit of shock."

But he now believed having the chance to freshen up, even if he spent most of his time off in bed with a cold, had been the right move.

Since his debut, Anderson has made 42 NRL appearances and also played 13 tests for the Kiwis in succession.

"I think I was a bit burnt out, even though I was unaware of it," he said.

"Since I started, I've also been on tour with the Kiwis both years, so it was probably a good time for me to have a rest. I definitely feel that it's paid off."

Anderson had no complaints about the assessment that his form has dropped off this season, pointing to ball security as one part of his game that needed improvement.

"Each game I've dropped the ball and in the NRL you can't do that," he said.

"The team pays the price. If you have everyone in the team dropping the ball, you're going to lose. That's an area I've been working on."

With a three-win six-loss record, the Warriors remain stuck in second bottom spot with the playoffs moving out of sight.

But Anderson remained confident that a little bit of consistency would keep the club's hopes alive.

To do that, they would need to stick to the tried and true formula of playing out the whole 80 minutes.

"We just have to play hard," he said.

"The last few weeks, we've been tiring out. It's a case of turning up and playing the full 80. You can't switch off in the last 20. It's up to us to start strong and finish strong."

The Warriors beat the Tigers 26-10 in round three in March, when the Sydney club took what was a home fixture to Christchurch.

That result marked the first time in their history that the Warriors had won in New Zealand outside Auckland.

The Tigers had key players injured that night, including the mercurial Benji Marshall, who will be back in his usual position of five-eighth at Ericsson Stadium.

Marshall is one of two Tigers who were Anderson's Kiwis teammates during the Anzac test loss to Australia. The other is centre Paul Whatuira.

The Tigers squad of 18 also contain two other players Anderson has toured with as a Kiwi -- Jamaal Lolesi and Dene Halatau.

- NZPA