NRL: Beast's shadow falls

Former Kiwi captain Hugh McGahan questions whether Feleti Mateo's attacking talents are being best utilised. Photo / Getty Images

It is early in the season, but former Kiwi captain Hugh McGahan is worried for the Warriors.

While the right result (or a strong performance) against the Dragons today would peg back some of the pessimism generated by the first two matches, McGahan has some issues around the team's attacking approach - and is not sure there is a quick fix.

According to McGahan, across the board they seemed to be short of confidence against the Tigers and the Eels.

"At no stage during either of the first two matches did they look like they were in control of the match," says McGahan.

"Especially on attack, where they don't look like they have confidence in what they are doing - and that flowed across the whole team."

After stumbling their way through the first 60 minutes at Eden Park the late rally against the Eels was impressive, a possible draw or victory only thwarted by some inaccurate final passing.

Last week the Warriors enjoyed possession and field position but failed to take advantage of a Tigers outfit well below their best, coughing up several gilt-edged opportunities in the red zone.

"I haven't see much cohesiveness on attack," says McGahan. "Part of it could be early season rustiness but you would expect more.

"Brett Seymour has apparently been told to go to the line more this season but what I've seen is that he's not holding the ball in two hands and creating indecision, like Stacey Jones used to do. Joel Moon and Jerome Ropati are essentially defensive centres - obviously Ropati less so; he's scored some fine tries - and Krisnan Inu is so far an unproven enigma. Lance Hohaia is a steady fullback who can be dangerous from broken play."

Before the start of the season, coach Ivan Cleary and Seymour defended the teams' reliance on Manu Vatuvei, with their pet play of kicking high to his wing, or looking to get him in space close to the line as the main try-scoring options. The unfortunate loss of the 'Beast' to injury has forced the team need to explore other avenues and, for McGahan, that needs to start with Feleti Mateo in the number six jersey. Mateo has (understandably) stated that he is happy to play in any position, but in earlier interviews admitted the 2007 season, where coach Michael Hagan used him regularly at five-eighth, was his best so far.

"[Mateo] looks as though he doesn't know what to do," says McGahan. "At the moment he is being forced to play too tight, so he is not getting the room on the outside.

"He may as well have eight or 10 on his back as he is just carting the ball up. Considering his ability and what he has been brought into the team to do, I don't think he has been utilised effectively yet."

Using Mateo in the halves would reduce the team's kicking options, putting all the onus on the other half (James Maloney or Seymour) as well as Hohaia to gain ground off the boot. St George and Melbourne are among several teams that use kicking hookers - but neither Aaron Heremaia nor Shaun Berrigan are noted punters of the ball.

McGahan doesn't see this as an issue, pointing out that clubs often use runners in the number six jersey, like John Sutton (Souths) and Brett Finch (Melbourne last year).

"Everybody knows what a good attacking weapon Mateo could be. As a number six, he could run at the line and look to offload, or create before the line. For a big bloke he has good ball skills."

At the least McGahan wants to see Mateo used as a genuine wide-ranging attacker, where he could look to punch through the line.

For McGahan, the problems on attack and in the backline have been exacerbated by a forward pack that has lacked penetration, and maybe even lost that fear factor.

"There is a lack of mongrel or at least the perception of mongrel," says McGahan, citing Kevin Campion, Monty Betham and Awen Guttenbell as enforcers of the past.

"They use to hurt players when they needed to be hurt but at the moment they don't have anyone that can create genuine fear in the opposition."

Former Kiwi coach Frank Endacott has his own concerns, though he puts a lot of it down to early season blues.

"They have been disjointed and you would expect better performances, considering the players they have at their disposal, but it can be typical of March. A lot of teams start like this - maybe they have been trying too hard."

Endacott is confident that the team will soon begin to live up to their pre-season billing of genuine top four contenders but, like McGahan, sees areas for improvement.

Endacott wants to see the forwards take more of a direct approach - "they have been going a bit sideways"- and more variance around the ruck, which Berrigan and Heremaia have only shown glimpses of.

Both Endacott and McGahan are also concerned about the lack of runners anticipating offloads. Former fullback Wade McKinnon was a master at making those runs off the hip of forwards, just in case they got their hands free, but the class of 2011 have been less able to get into position.

"There are a lot of players standing back and admiring the guy with the ball," says Endacott. "You need to create questions in the mind of the defenders otherwise the ball carrier is an easy target. Their mindset needs to change."

Most have seen Cronulla's shock win over the Dragons last week as the worst possible result for the Warriors, making St George doubly determined to make amends today. But Endacott says the Sharks have offered the blueprint for taking down Wayne Bennett's men.

"You have to play physical against their forwards - knock them round a bit. I'm not advocating anything illegal but you need to rattle them, put them off their game and be aggressive. Then you have a chance."

The portents are not good as St George are the ultimate bogey team for the Auckland franchise. The Warriors have beaten the Dragons just four times in 16 matches, the 25 per cent winning record by far their worst ratio (Manly, at seven wins from 19 matches are the next worst at 36.8 per cent).

There was the Gordon Tallis inspired 47-14 hiding in 1995 at home, and a club record 54-0 defeat at WIN stadium in 2000. The Warriors have beaten the Dragons just once since 2003, though it was one to remember - seven tries in a 44-16 shellacking at Mt Smart in 2007.