KEY POINTS:
If there is one area where the Warriors must improve if they hope to beat the Sea Eagles in Manly, it is in their completion rate.
The team's main failing so far has been allowing the opposition to pick up possession, distance and confidence via the mistakes they
have made and the turnovers offered.
The Warriors' completion rate after two rounds is 69 per cent compared to an NRL average of 75 per cent. Manly's is 71 per cent but you can bet they will improve that tonight in front of their home crowd and after two disappointing losses to start their season.
Coach Ivan Cleary agreed he wanted to see improvement there but added "early in the season it's one of the hardest things to do".
"We went okay last week I thought but there was still stuff like a dropped ball on the sixth tackle. At Manly it's usually a bit of a grind and if you don't complete your sets you make it hard for yourself," Cleary said.
A Manly junior, he played for the Sea Eagles in 1992-93 and admits to mixed emotions on returning to the Brookvale ground as "the enemy".
"I get hit up for plenty of tickets from friends and family. There are mixed feelings - it's such a great ground to play on when you're playing for the home team but they don't give you any favours when you're the away team."
Cleary said he'd like to see the stadium, which is under threat, saved. "That and [Wests Tiger's] Leichhardt are the only two truly suburban grounds left, there's a bit of history there."
The game plan won't change despite the loss to injury of Jerome Ropati at centre, with both Wairangi Koopu and Simon Mannering capable fill-ins, Cleary said. The team was learning to cope without Steve Price and Wade McKinnon. "It gave us a really good confidence boost last week to win without him [captain Price] and it shows the boys they can do it."
Cleary takes no comfort from Manly's losses. "They'll be hurting. I don't think they've been going too bad. They're always tough at home."
But the Warriors do have faith. "What I think the first two rounds have shown is that if you take the right attitude into a game anyone can win."
The big change for the Eagles is at five-eighth, with veteran forward Steve Menzies expected to move from lock to allow Jamie Lyon to shift out to centre. The Eagles have lost two Kiwis - midfielders Steve Matai and David Vaealiki - to injury.
Pundits do not rate Lyon as a five-eighth and believe the move will improve his game and attacking threat. But Menzies at 34 years old is not as fast as he used to be and the change allows the Warriors to impose some pressure on him and halfback and chief playmaker Matt Orford.
The Eagles' game has not been the same without hooker Michael Monaghan and the club may now also be ruing its decision to let number six Travis Burns go to the Cowboys.
The Warriors travelled yesterday afternoon with Ryan Shortland brought in as 18th man after Koopu's shift into the team to replace Ropati.
* The Warriors' feeder side Auckland Vulcans won their first game in the New South Wales competition, beating Central Newcastle 44-18 at Henham Park in Otahuhu. The side included Warriors wing Michael Crockett who scored two of their eight tries, former Warrior Jeremiah Pai who got one and fullback Aidan Kirk.
